Load arrangement for powering a load

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10822759-B2
Application number	US-201716469998-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 14, 2017
Priority date	Dec 20, 2016
Publication date	Nov 3, 2020
Grant date	Nov 3, 2020

Abstract

A load arrangement is provided for powering a load on a surface ( 30 ) of a marine structure ( 50 ) exposed to a liquid ( 10 ). The load arrangement has a carrier ( 100 ) and a conductor arrangement ( 110 ) arranged on the surface of the marine structure and coupled to one pole of a power source ( 1 ). The other pole is coupled to the liquid. The carrier has a back surface ( 102 ) to cover part of the conductor arrangement and the surface ( 30 ) of the marine structure. A load ( 20 ) in the carrier receives supply current from the power source via a front electrode ( 130 ) arranged for coupling to the liquid, and a back electrode ( 120 ) at the back surface arranged for coupling to the conductor arrangement. The load may be an UV-C LED for emitting anti-fouling light.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A load arrangement comprising:
a conductor arrangement, and
wherein the conductor arrangement is arranged on a surface of a marine structure,
wherein the conductor arrangement is arranged to couple to one pole of a power source,
wherein, the other pole of the power source is coupled to an electrically conductive medium,
wherein the electrically conductive medium is a liquid;
a carrier, wherein the carrier has a front surface and a back surface, the carrier comprising a load arranged in the carrier,
wherein the load is coupled between a first power node and a second power node,
wherein the load is arranged to receive supply current from the power source,

a front electrode at the front surface,
wherein the front electrode is connected to the first power node,
wherein the front electrode is arranged to couple to the electrically conductive medium; and

a back electrode at the back surface,
wherein the back electrode is connected to the second power node; and
wherein the back electrode is arranged to couple to the conductor arrangement,

wherein the front surface is arranged in contact with the liquid,
wherein the back surface is arranged to cover at least a portion of the conductor arrangement; and
wherein the back surface is arranged to cover at least a portion of the surface of the marine structure.

2. The load arrangement according to claim 1 ,
wherein the front electrode comprises a conductive part at the front surface; and
wherein the front electrode is galvanically in contact with the liquid for transfer of the supply current between the first power node and the electrically conductive medium.

3. The load arrangement according to claim 1 ,
wherein the front electrode comprises a front electrically conductive layer,
wherein the front electrode is embedded in the carrier near the front surface; and
wherein the front electrically conductive layer is arranged to form, in combination with a dielectric layer and the liquid, a front capacitor for capacitive transfer of the supply current between the first power node and the electrically conductive medium.

4. The load arrangement according to claim 3 ,
wherein the conductor arrangement comprises metallic conductors,
wherein the conductor arrangement is arranged in a pattern distributed across the surface of the marine structure,
wherein the conductor arrangement is arranged to couple to a multitude of back electrodes of one or more carriers; and
wherein the back electrode is arranged to couple to the metallic conductors.

5. The load arrangement according to claim 4 ,
wherein the metallic conductors are arranged for galvanic coupling; and
wherein at least one of the back electrodes are arranged for galvanic coupling.

6. The load arrangement according to claim 5 ,
wherein at least one of the back electrodes comprises a back electrically conductive layer embedded in the carrier near the back surface; and
wherein at least one of the back electrodes is arranged to form, in combination with a back dielectric layer and an opposite area of the metallic conductors, a back capacitor for capacitive transfer of the supply current between the second power node and the metallic conductors.

7. The load arrangement according to claim 6 ,
wherein the carrier comprises an inductor connected in series with the load, in combination with at least one of the back capacitors and the front capacitors, a resonant circuit,
wherein the circuit resonant at a resonance frequency,
wherein the resonance frequency is arranged to cooperate with the power source; and
wherein the power source generates an AC supply voltage at the resonance frequency.

8. The load arrangement according to claim 1 ,
wherein the conductor arrangement comprises a multi-lead cable,
wherein the multi-lead cable is arranged to connect the leads to one pole of the power source; and
wherein the multi-lead cable is arranged to separate and distribute the leads across the surface of the marine structure for coupling to a multitude of back electrodes.

9. The load arrangement according to claim 1 ,
wherein the conductor arrangement comprises a wire-mesh; and
wherein the conductor arrangement is structured to couple to a multitude of back electrodes in a multitude of carriers and to distribute the wire-mesh across the surface of the marine structure.

10. The load arrangement according to claim 1 ,
wherein the carrier is shaped as a tile,
wherein the carrier comprises multiple of the loads,
wherein the carrier has interconnected second power nodes,
wherein the load arrangement comprises connector elements corresponding to edges of the tile,
wherein the edges of the tile are arranged to interconnect with neighboring tiles.

11. The load arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the carrier comprises a capacitor connected in series with the load.

12. The load arrangement according to claim 1 ,
wherein the carrier comprises an optical medium and the load comprises an UV light source,
wherein the UV light source is arranged to emit anti-fouling light,
wherein the anti-fouling light is arranged for anti-fouling of the carrier or a surface of the marine structure in contact with the liquid; and
wherein the liquid is a fouling liquid containing biofouling organisms.

13. A marine structure comprising:
a power source; and
a load arrangement, the load arrangement comprising:
a conductor arrangement,
wherein the conductor arrangement is arranged to couple to one pole of the power source,
wherein the other pole of the power source is coupled to an electrically conductive medium,
wherein the electrically conductive medium is a liquid; and

a carrier, wherein the carrier has a front surface and a back surface, the carrier comprising: a load arranged in the carrier,
wherein the load is coupled between a first power node and a second power node; and wherein the load is arranged to receive supply current from the power source,
a front electrode at the front surface,
wherein the front electrode is connected to the first power node,
wherein the front electrode is arranged to couple to the electrically conductive medium; and

a back electrode at the back surface,
wherein the back electrode is connected to the second power node; and
wherein the back electrode is arranged to couple to the conductor arrangement,

wherein the front surface is arranged in contact with the liquid,
wherein the back surface is arranged to cover at least a portion of the conductor arrangement; and
wherein the back surface is arranged to cover at least a portion of the surface of the marine structure,

wherein the marine structure has a surface to be exposed to the liquid,

wherein the conductor arrangement is arranged on a first surface of the marine structure;
wherein the carrier is arranged at the first surface of the marine structure; and
wherein the back surface covers a portion of the conductor arrangement and the first surface of the marine structure.

14. The marine structure according to claim 13 ,
wherein the front electrode comprises a conductive part at the front surface galvanically in contact with the liquid,
wherein the front electrode is arranged to transfer supply current between the first power node and the electrically conductive medium,
wherein the back electrode is arranged for galvanic coupling to the conductor arrangement and for galvanically connecting the back electrode to the power source; and
wherein the power source is arranged to yield impressed current cathodic protection of the marine structure by adding a DC offset

Assignees

• Koninklijke Philips Nv

Inventors

• Delden Marc
• Jongerius Michiel Johannes

Classifications

• H02J50/05 Primary

  using capacitive coupling · CPC title

• E02B17/0017

  Means for protecting offshore constructions · CPC title

• C23F13/02

  cathodic; Selection of conditions, parameters or procedures for cathodic protection, e.g. of electrical conditions · CPC title

• B63B59/04

  Preventing hull fouling (anti-fouling paints C09D5/16) · CPC title

• B08B17/02

  Preventing deposition of fouling or of dust · CPC title