Motor relay with integrated arc-flash detection

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9831659-B2
Application number	US-201615141599-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 28, 2016
Priority date	Aug 31, 2012
Publication date	Nov 28, 2017
Grant date	Nov 28, 2017

Abstract

Disclosed herein are various embodiments of devices and related methods for detecting an electrical arc event using a motor management relay and for suppressing the electrical arc event. The motor management relay may incorporate an optical arc-flash sensor configured to detect an optical event. Control logic may analyze the optical event and determine whether the optical event corresponds to an electrical arc event. When an electrical arc event is detected an instruction may be issued via a control port in communication with the control logic to implement a protective action. According to various embodiments, a plurality of sensors for monitoring electrical characteristics of a motor may also be in communication with the control logic. Input from the sensors may be analyzed in order to determine whether the optical event corresponds to an electrical arc event.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A motor management relay, comprising:
a housing comprising two sides;
a plurality of current sensors disposed within the housing configured to monitor the flow of electrical current to a motor;
an optical arc-flash sensor configured to detect an optical event and integrated with the housing such that the arc-flash sensor is at least partially disposed on the two sides of the housing;
control logic comprised within the housing and configured to analyze the optical event and determine whether the optical event corresponds to an electrical arc event; and,
a control port disposed on the housing and in communication with the control logic, the control port configured to issue an instruction to an associated protective device to implement a protective action based on a determination that the optical event corresponds to an electrical arc event.

2. The motor management relay of claim 1 , wherein the two sides are adjacent sides.

3. The motor management relay of claim 1 , wherein the control logic is further configured to analyze the flow of electrical current to the motor and the optical event to determine that the optical event corresponds to an electrical arc event.

4. The motor management relay of claim 1 , wherein the control logic is further configured to determine whether the optical event corresponds to an electrical arc event using at least one of the plurality of current sensors.

5. The motor management relay of claim 1 , wherein the housing comprises a plurality of apertures, and wherein each aperture is associated with at least one of the plurality of current sensors.

6. A motor management relay, comprising:
a housing comprising two sides;
a two-axis optical arc-flash sensor configured to detect an optical event and integrated with the housing of the motor management relay such that the arc-flash sensor is at least partially disposed on the two sides of the housing;
control logic configured to:
determine whether an optical event corresponds to an electrical arc event using the arc-flash sensor; and,
analyze a flow of electrical current to the motor to determine an overcurrent condition of the motor; and,

a control port in communication with the control logic configured to issue an instruction to an associated protective device to implement a protective action based on a determination that the optical event corresponds to an electrical arc event.

7. The motor management relay of claim 6 , wherein the two sides are adjacent sides.

8. The motor management relay of claim 6 , wherein the control logic is further configured to analyze a flow of electrical current to the motor and the optical event to determine that the optical event corresponds to an electrical arc event.

9. The motor management relay of claim 6 , further comprising a plurality of current sensors configured to monitor a flow of electrical current to a motor.

10. The motor management relay of claim 9 , wherein the plurality of current sensors are disposed within the housing.

11. The motor management relay of claim 9 , wherein the control logic is further configured to determine whether the optical event corresponds to an electrical arc event using at least one of the plurality of current sensors.

12. The motor management relay of claim 10 , wherein the housing comprises a plurality of apertures, and wherein each aperture is associated with at least one of the plurality of current sensors.

13. The motor management relay of claim 6 , wherein the housing comprises a form factor for installation of the motor management relay in one of a motor control center bucket and an International Electrotechnical Commission drawer.

14. A method of detecting an electrical fault associated with an electrical motor, the method comprising:
monitoring a flow of electrical current supplied to a motor with a motor management relay;
detecting an optical event indicative of an arc flash associated with an electrical arc using a two-axis optical sensor integrated at least partially on two sides of a housing of the motor management relay;
analyzing the optical event using control logic integrated within the housing;
determining that corrective action is required based on the optical event using the control logic;
generating a control signal using the control logic in the motor management relay to implement corrective action; and,
issuing an instruction using a control port integrated within the housing to an associated protective device to implement a protective action based on a determination that the optical event corresponds to an electrical arc event.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the two axis optical sensor is disposed at least partially on two adjacent sides of the housing.

16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising determining that corrective action is required based on the monitored current supplied to the motor.

17. The method of claim 14 , further comprising analyzing the flow of electrical current supplied to the motor and the optical event to determine that the optical event corresponds to an electrical arc event.

18. A motor management relay, comprising:
a housing;
a plurality of current sensors configured to monitor the flow of electrical current to a motor;
an optical arc-flash sensor integrated with the housing of the motor management relay and configured to detect an optical event;
control logic comprised within the housing and configured to analyze the optical event and determine whether the optical event corresponds to an electrical arc event; and,
a control port disposed on the housing and in communication with the control logic, the control port configured to issue an instruction to an associated protective device to implement a protective action based on a determination that the optical event corresponds to an electrical arc event.

19. The motor management relay of claim 18 , wherein the housing comprises a form factor for installation of the motor management relay in one of a motor control center bucket and an International Electrotechnical Commission drawer.

20. The motor management relay of claim 18 , wherein the housing comprises at least two adjacent sides, and the optical arc-flash sensor is disposed on the two adjacent sides.

Assignees

• Schweitzer Engineering Lab Inc

Inventors

• D'Aversa Angelo
• Kesler James R
• Jayne Robert I

Classifications

• H02P29/60

  Controlling or determining the temperature of the motor or of the drive (H02P29/02 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01H71/12

  Automatic release mechanisms with or without manual release · CPC title

• H01H2083/201

  the other abnormal electrical condition being an arc fault · CPC title

• H01H83/00

  Protective switches, e.g. circuit-breaking switches, or protective relays operated by abnormal electrical conditions otherwise than solely by excess current · CPC title

• H02H5/042 Primary

  using temperature dependent resistors · CPC title