Electrical device with emergency cooling system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-8928443-B2
Application number	US-201213474538-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 17, 2012
Priority date	May 17, 2012
Publication date	Jan 6, 2015
Grant date	Jan 6, 2015

Abstract

An electrical device includes a winding, a primary cooling system, a secondary cooling system, and an actuator. The winding includes an interior portion and an exterior surface. The primary cooling system cools the exterior surface of the winding. The secondary cooling system cools the interior portion of the winding. The actuator is configured to actuate the secondary cooling system in response to a sensed condition of the electrical device or a predicted condition of the electrical device.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A transformer, comprising:
a core;
a winding wrapped around the core, the winding including an interior portion and an exterior surface, wherein a passage is formed within the interior portion of the winding;
a primary cooling system for cooling the exterior surface of the winding;
a secondary cooling system including a high-pressure fluid source fluidly coupled to the passage formed within the interior portion of the winding to provide a cooling fluid to the passage for cooling the interior portion of the winding;
a current sensor for detecting current through the transformer; and
an actuator configured to activate the secondary cooling system in response to an activation signal indicating a predicted condition of the transformer, wherein the predicted condition is based on an amount of transient current flow through the transformer detected by the current sensor and a duration of transient current flow through the transformer detected by the current sensor.

2. The transformer of claim 1 , wherein the actuator activates the high-pressure fluid source in response to an activation signal such that the high-pressure fluid source provides the cooling fluid to the passage, thereby cooling the interior portion of the winding.

3. The transformer of claim 2 , wherein the secondary cooling system is a closed loop system so that the cooling fluid returns to the high-pressure fluid source after passing through the passage.

4. The transformer of claim 2 , wherein the secondary cooling system further includes an external heat sink such that the cooling fluid flows to the external heat sink after passing through the passage.

5. The transformer of claim 1 , wherein the cooling fluid undergoes a phase change in the passage.

6. The transformer of claim 1 , wherein the high-pressure fluid source includes a pump or an accumulator.

7. The transformer of claim 1 , further comprising:
a heat exchanger thermally coupled to the secondary cooling system.

8. The transformer of claim 7 , wherein the heat exchanger is thermally coupled to the primary cooling system.

9. The transformer device of claim 1 , wherein the actuator is further configured to modify the thermal performance of the secondary cooling system in response to a second activation signal.

10. The transformer of claim 1 , wherein the core is cooled by the primary cooling system or by the secondary cooling system.

11. The transformer of claim 1 , further comprising:
a cooling fluid shared by the primary cooling system and the secondary cooling system; and
wherein the cooling fluid is directed to the secondary cooling system as needed.

Assignees

• Hyde Roderick A
• Kare Jordin T
• Wood Jr Lowell L
• Elwha Llc

Inventors

• Hyde Roderick A
• Kare Jordin T
• Wood Jr Lowell L

Classifications

• H01F27/10 Primary

  Liquid cooling · CPC title

• H01F27/24

  Magnetic cores · CPC title

• H01F27/08 Primary

  Cooling (heat-transfer elements F28F); Ventilating (structural details of casings H01F27/02) · CPC title

• H01F27/2876 Primary

  Cooling (cooling transformers and inductances in general H01F27/08) · CPC title

• H01F27/28

  Coils; Windings; Conductive connections · CPC title