A breaker device for interrupting current on a transmission line

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017178832-A1
Application number	US-201515327557-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jul 22, 2015
Priority date	Jul 25, 2014
Publication date	Jun 22, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

A breaker device for interrupting current flowing on a transmission line, the device comprising three electrical branches (B 1 , B 2 , B 3 ) connected in parallel, including a main branch (B 1 ) in which the current to be interrupted flows and an auxiliary branch (B 2 ), the main branch comprising at least one semi-conductor breaker cell (CEL 1 ) connected in series with at least one mechanical interrupter/disconnector (S m ), the auxiliary branch (B 2 ) comprising at least one thyristor, the breaker device further comprising a control circuit (CM) suitable for interrupting a current that flows in the main branch. Once the current is interrupted in the semi-conductor element of the breaker cell of the main branch, the control circuit acts to command the thyristor of the auxiliary branch (B 2 ) to be put into a conductive state whenever a current flowing in the voltage limiter(s) reaches the value of the current that is flowing in the transmission line.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 - 18 . (canceled)

19 . A breaker device for interrupting current flowing on a transmission line, the device comprising three electrical branches connected in parallel, namely: a main branch (B 1 ) in which the current to be interrupted flows; an auxiliary branch (B 2 ); and a voltage limiter branch (B 3 ); the main branch comprising at least one semi-conductor breaker cell (CEL 1 , CEL G1 ) connected in series with at least one mechanical interrupter/disconnector (S m ), the semi-conductor breaker cell (CEL 1 , CEL C1 ) including at least one semi-conductor element ( 1 , 4 ) that is suitable for being commanded to open or close and that is connected in parallel with a voltage limiter ( 5 , 3 ), the auxiliary branch (B 2 ) comprising at least one assembly that is constituted by at least one capacitor (Ca) connected in parallel with at least one resistor (Ra), said assembly being connected in series with at least one thyristor, the device further comprising control means that are suitable for commanding opening of the semi-conductor element of the semi-conductor breaker cell (CEL 1 , CEL G1 ) and opening of the mechanical interrupter/disconnector (S m ), the device being characterized in that the control means further comprise means that are suitable for acting, once the current is interrupted in the semi-conductor element of the semi-conductor breaker cell, to command the thyristor of the auxiliary branch (B 2 ) to be put into a conductive state at an instant that is after or at the instant at which the current flowing in the voltage limiter(s) reaches the value of the current (I 1 ) that is flowing in the transmission line.

20 . A breaker device, according to claim 19 , for interrupting current on a transmission line, wherein the control means comprise:
means that are suitable for applying an opening command (K 1 ) to the mechanical interrupter/disconnector (S m ) at an instant t 0 ; means that are suitable for applying an opening command (K 2 ) to the semi-conductor element of the semi-conductor breaker cell at an instant t 1 that is after the instant t 0 , such that a current passing through said semi-conductor element decreases until it is zero, and such that a current passing through the voltage limiter(s) increases until it reaches the value of the current that is flowing in the transmission line; and means that are suitable for applying a command for putting the thyristor of the auxiliary branch in a conductive state at an instant t 2 that is after or at the instant at which the current flowing in the voltage limiter(s) reaches the value of the current (I 1 ) that is flowing in the transmission line.

21 . A device according to claim 20 , wherein, when the main branch (B 1 ) comprises at least two parallel sub-branches, each sub-branch includes at least one current-balancing cell that is suitable for balancing the current between the various parallel sub-branches.

22 . A device according to claim 21 , wherein a current-balancing cell is constituted by a semi-conductor element that is suitable for conducting the current and that is connected in parallel with a voltage limiting circuit.

23 . A device according to claim 22 , wherein the semi-conductor element is an IGBT.

24 . A device according to claim 20 , wherein each semi-conductor breaker cell is connected in series with at least two sub-branches, each sub-branch comprising at least one mechanical interrupter/disconnector and/or at least one current-balancing cell that is suitable for balancing the currents between the sub-branches.

25 . A device according to claim 20 and which further comprises:
control means that are suitable, at an instant that precedes the instant t 0 , for applying a preliminary opening command to the semi-conductor element of the breaker cell of the main branch;
means that are suitable, when the preliminary opening command is applied to the semi-conductor element of the breaker cell of the main branch, for measuring charge in storage capacitors connected in parallel with the thyristor of the auxiliary branch; and
means that are suitable for allowing the opening command to be applied to the mechanical interrupter/disconnector (S m ) at the instant t 0 , if a measurement of the charge of the storage capacitors matches a predetermined charge value.

26 . A device according to claim 20 , wherein the semi-conductor element is an IGBT.

27 . A device according to claim 20 , wherein the semi-conductor element is a GTO thyristor.

28 . A device according to claim 20 , wherein the semi-conductor element is a silicon thyristor or a silicon carbide thyristor or a gallium nitride thyristor.

29 . A device according to claim 19 , wherein the main branch (B 1 ) includes at least one additional semi-conductor breaker cell (CEL C1 ) that is placed in parallel with the semi-conductor breaker cell (CEL 1 ), said additional semi-conductor breaker cell (CEL C1 ) having breaking capacity that is greater than the breaking capacity of the semi-conductor breaker cell (CEL 1 ).

30 . A device according to claim 29 , wherein the additional semi-conductor breaker cell (CEL C1 ) includes at least one voltage limiter ( 5 ) connected in parallel with the voltage limiter of the semi-conductor breaker cell (CEL 1 ).

31 . A device according to claim 29 , wherein the control means comprise:
means that are suitable for applying an opening command (K a ) to the semi-conductor element of the semi-conductor breaker cell at an instant t a ; means that are suitable for applying an opening command (K b ) to the mechanical interrupter/disconnector (S m ) and a closing command (K c ) to the semi-conductor element of the additional semi-conductor breaker cell (CEL C1 ) at an instant t b that is after the instant t a , such that the semi-conductor element of the additional semi-conductor breaker cell becomes conductive; means that are suitable for applying an opening command (K d ) to the semi-conductor element of the additional semi-conductor breaker cell at an instant t c that is after the instant t b , such that a current passing through the semi-conductor element of the additional semi-conductor breaker cell decreases until it is zero, and such that a current passing through the voltage limiter(s) increases until it reaches the value of the current that is flowing in the transmission line; and means that are suitable for applying a command (K e ) for putting the thyristor of the auxiliary branch in a conductive state at an instant t d that is after or at the instant at which the current flowing in the voltage limiter(s) reaches the value of the current (I 1 ) that is flowing in the transmission line.

32 . A device according to claim 29 , wherein the control means comprise control means that are suitable for applying a preliminary opening command to the semi-conductor element of the breaker cell of the main branch at the instant t a , and wherein the device further comprises:
means that act when the preliminary opening command is applied to the semi-conductor element of the breaker cell of the main branch to measure charge in storage capacitors connected in parallel with the thyristor of the auxiliary branch; and means that are suitable for allowing the opening command to be applied to the mechanical interrupter/disconnector (S m ), if a measurement of the charge of the storage capacitors matches a predetermined charge value.

33 . A device according to claim 29 , wherein the semi-conductor element of the additional semi-conductor breaker cell is a GTO thyristor.

34 . A device accordi

Assignees

• Alstom Technology Ltd

Inventors

• Berard David
• Yang Yang

Classifications

• H02H9/02

  responsive to excess current {(current limitation for voltage regulators G05F1/573; disconnection after limiting H02H3/025)} · CPC title

• H02H3/08

  responsive to excess current (responsive to abnormal temperature caused by excess current H02H5/04) · CPC title

• H02H7/222 Primary

  for switches · CPC title

• H03K17/60

  the devices being bipolar transistors (bipolar transistors having four or more electrodes H03K17/72) · CPC title

• H01H9/548 Primary

  Electromechanical and static switch connected in series · CPC title