Power system for a telecommunications network

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9627729-B2
Application number	US-201514857393-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 17, 2015
Priority date	May 18, 2005
Publication date	Apr 18, 2017
Grant date	Apr 18, 2017

Abstract

A reliable, end-to-end power supply solution for components of a telecommunications network provides either a primary source or a backup source of electrical power at various telecommunications sites for reliable operation of telecommunications equipment. One subsystem of the power supply solution includes one or more proton exchange membrane type fuel cells and an energy storage device for storing DC electrical power produced by the fuel cells. Another subsystem includes one or more microturbine generators, one or more rectifiers for converting AC electrical power produced by the microturbine generators to DC electrical power, and one or more proton exchange membrane type fuel cells for producing DC electrical power. The power supply solution ensures that voice and data traffic is reliably handled by a telecommunications network in situations where commercial electric utilities fail to supply power at certain points along the network.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A power system for a telecommunications network, comprising:
a first subsystem for providing DC electrical power to a first telecommunications network location, the first subsystem comprising a valving structure controlled by a programmable logic controller (PLC) that switches between a utility supplied fuel source and one or more stored fuel supply sources, wherein the first subsystem further comprises at least a first power source component and a second power source component, wherein the first power source component comprises: at least a first proton exchange membrane adapted to directly receive hydrogen fuel from the utility supplied fuel source or a first stored hydrogen fuel source, wherein the first power source component is operable to produce DC electrical power during a normal operating mode, and wherein the second power source component comprises at least a second proton exchange membrane adapted to directly receive hydrogen fuel from a second stored hydrogen fuel source coupled with a reformer, wherein the first stored hydrogen fuel source is separate from the second stored hydrogen fuel source, the second power source component operable to produce DC electrical power during a backup mode, an energy storage device, and a DC bus for interconnecting at least the first power source component the second power source component, and the energy storage device, in parallel, wherein the energy storage device is configured to operate during:
(1) at least a startup phase of power generation of the second power source component, or
(2) upon a low pressure condition being sensed in an in-line valve with a fuel line of the second power source component, wherein the switching between the second power source component and the energy storage device when the low pressure condition is detected for the second power source component is managed by the PLC, wherein the low pressure condition is indicative of an insufficient fuel flow from the reformer coupled to the second stored hydrogen fuel source of the second power source component; and

a second subsystem for providing DC electrical power to a second telecommunications network location, the second subsystem including at least one microturbine generator operable to produce AC electrical power, at least one rectifier operable to convert the AC electrical power from the at least one microturbine generator to DC electrical power, and at least one power source comprising at least one proton exchange membrane operable to produce DC electrical power.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first telecommunications network location comprises a wireless communication site utilizing a base transceiver system.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the second telecommunications network location comprises a telecommunications exchange or a point of presence server.

4. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a third subsystem for providing DC electrical power to a multiple systems operator, the third subsystem including at least one power source comprising at least one proton exchange membrane operable to produce DC electrical power and an inverter for converting incoming DC electrical power to AC electrical power.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the at least one power source of the third subsystem comprises a first series of proton exchange membranes on a first circuit and a second series of proton exchange membranes on a second circuit, the third subsystem further including at least one power distribution unit connected with the first circuit and wherein the inverter is connected with the second circuit.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the second subsystem further includes an energy storage device for storing the DC electrical power.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the energy storage device of the second subsystem comprises one or more capacitors.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the second subsystem further includes an inverter for converting incoming DC electrical power to AC electrical power.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the energy storage device of the first subsystem comprises one or more capacitors.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one proton exchange membrane of the at least one power source of the second subsystem comprises: one or more proton exchange membranes on a first circuit as well as one or more proton exchange membranes on a second circuit, the at least one microturbine generator and the at least one rectifier being connected to the first circuit, the second subsystem further including an inverter for converting incoming DC electrical power to AC electrical power and connected with at least the second circuit.

Assignees

• Sprint Communications Co Lp

Inventors

• Meyers Jerry
• Johnson Larry L

Classifications

• H01M8/0612

  from carbon-containing material · CPC title

• H01M8/04753

  of fuel cell reactants · CPC title

• H01M2250/402

  Combination of fuel cell with other electric generators · CPC title

• H01M8/04992

  characterised by the implementation of mathematical or computational algorithms, e.g. feedback control loops, fuzzy logic, neural networks or artificial intelligence · CPC title

• H01M8/04947

  of auxiliary devices, e.g. batteries, capacitors · CPC title