Subsea substation system with one enclosure having separate thermal zones

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12300978-B2
Application number	US-202218718115-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 15, 2022
Priority date	Dec 13, 2021
Publication date	May 13, 2025
Grant date	May 13, 2025

Abstract

A subsea substation system including: an oil-filled water impermeable enclosure; an AC-transformer, and at least one overcurrent device electrically connected to the AC-transformer, the at least one overcurrent device, the AC-transformer, and the electrical connections between them are accommodated in the oil-filled water impermeable enclosure, wherein the enclosure includes thermal zones within the enclosure, wherein the AC-transformer is arranged in a first thermal zone and the overcurrent devices are arranged in a second thermal zone of the enclosure, a thermal layer separate the first thermal zone and the second thermal zone, the at least one thermal layer is configured to allow oil flow between the thermal zones while reducing heat flow between the zones.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A subsea substation system comprising:
an oil-filled water impermeable enclosure;
an AC-transformer, and
at least one overcurrent device electrically connected to the AC-transformer, the at least one overcurrent device, the AC-transformer, and the electrical connections between them are accommodated in the oil-filled water impermeable enclosure, wherein
the enclosure comprises thermal zones within the enclosure, wherein the AC-transformer is arranged in a first thermal zone and the overcurrent devices are arranged in a second thermal zone of the enclosure, wherein a mechanical barrier made from at least one sheet of wood or pressboard form a thermal layer that separates the first thermal zone and the second thermal zone, the mechanical barrier is not sealed against walls of the enclosure, wherein the at least one thermal layer is configured to allow oil flow between the thermal zones in areas between the walls of the enclosure and the mechanical barrier that is sufficiently low such that the first thermal zone differs from the second thermal zone with respect to temperature.

2. The subsea substation system according to claim 1 , further comprising at least one heat dissipator connected to a respective wall of at least one of the first and second thermal zones, the at least one heat dissipator is adapted to exchange heat with the surrounding water of the subsea substation system when being arranged at a subsea location.

3. The subsea substation system according to claim 2 , wherein the at least one heat dissipator is provided as a pipe or protruding hollow structure connected to the walls of the enclosure to increase the surface area of a wall portion of the respective thermal zone of the enclosure.

4. The subsea substation system according to claim 1 , wherein the first thermal zone is located vertically from the second zone.

5. The subsea substation system according to claim 1 , further comprising an electromagnetic shielding layer between the thermal zones.

6. The subsea substation system according to claim 1 , wherein the AC-transformer is operative at least 6 kV AC at the secondary side and at least 11 kV AC at the primary side.

7. The subsea substation system according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one overcurrent device is configured to operate at voltage levels of 6 kV to 250 kV and breaking high fault currents of at least 16 kA.

8. The subsea substation system according to claim 1 , wherein the first thermal zone is adapted for accommodating devices tolerating higher temperatures than what the second thermal zone is adapted for.

9. The subsea substation system according to claim 1 , wherein the AC-transformer comprises at least one secondary winding connected to the at least one overcurrent device.

10. The subsea substation system according to claim 1 , wherein each of the overcurrent devices is equipped with sensors configured to detect at least one of electrical faults, insulation faults, temperature faults or water leakage in the enclosure and disconnect an electrical circuit of the subsea substation system connected with the overcurrent device.

11. The subsea substation system according to claim 10 , further comprising a control unit configured to receive signals from the sensors indicative of the faults, and to control the operation of the at least one overcurrent device in response to the received signal.

12. The subsea substation system according to claim 11 , comprising a communication arrangement configured to allow remote control of the control unit, and to acquire data indicative of the operation status of the AC-transformer.

13. The subsea substation system according to claim 1 , wherein the AC-transformer and the at least one overcurrent device are configured to operate in contact with oil.

14. The subsea substation system according to claim 1 , wherein the overcurrent device comprises a magnetic actuator configured to control a connection to the AC-transformer.

15. A power collection system for subsea collection of power from at least one power generation unit, the system comprising:
at least one power generation unit; and
at least one subsea substation system having an oil-filled water impermeable enclosure;
an AC-transformer, and
at least one overcurrent device electrically connected to the AC-transformer, the at least one overcurrent device, the AC-transformer, and the electrical connections between them are accommodated in the oil-filled water impermeable enclosure, wherein
the enclosure comprises thermal zones within the enclosure, wherein the AC-transformer is arranged in a first thermal zone and the overcurrent devices are arranged in a second thermal zone of the enclosure, wherein a mechanical barrier made from at least one sheet of wood or pressboard form a thermal layer that separates the first thermal zone and the second thermal zone, the mechanical barrier is not sealed against walls of the enclosure, wherein the at least one thermal layer is configured to allow oil flow between the thermal zones in areas between the walls of the enclosure and the mechanical barrier that is sufficiently low such that the first thermal zone differs from the second thermal zone with respect to temperature, arranged subsea connected with the at least one power generation unit to collect electrical power from the at least one power generation unit, the at least one subsea substation system being electrically connected with the power generation unit and to a power consumer by at least one subsea cable of the power collection system.

16. The subsea substation system according to claim 2 , wherein the first thermal zone is located vertically from the second zone.

17. The subsea substation system according to claim 2 , further comprising an electromagnetic shielding layer between the thermal zones.

18. The subsea substation system according to claim 2 , wherein the AC-transformer is operative at least 6 kV AC at the secondary side and at least 11 KV AC at the primary side.

19. The subsea substation system according to claim 2 , wherein the at least one overcurrent device is configured to operate at voltage levels of 6 kV to 250 kV and breaking high fault currents of at least 16 kA.

20. The subsea substation system according to claim 2 , wherein the first thermal zone is adapted for accommodating devices tolerating higher temperatures than what the second thermal zone is adapted for.

Assignees

• Abb Schweiz Ag

Inventors

• Fretheim Harald
• Martinsen Oistein
• Ingebrigtsen Stian
• Moritsugu Vitor Hugo Eiti

Classifications

• H01F27/12

  Oil cooling · CPC title

• H01F27/025 Primary

  Constructional details relating to cooling · CPC title

• H05K9/0001

  Rooms or chambers (anechoic chambers G01R29/0821) · CPC title

• H05K7/20236

  by immersion · CPC title

• H02J3/38

  Arrangements for feeding a single network from two or more generators or sources in parallel; Arrangements for feeding already energised networks from additional generators or sources in parallel · CPC title