DC power generation system and protection method for DC power generation system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9866017-B2
Application number	US-201414911238-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 17, 2014
Priority date	Aug 26, 2013
Publication date	Jan 9, 2018
Grant date	Jan 9, 2018

Abstract

A DC power generation system in which an arc detector, comprising an arc noise analysis unit which detects an arc which occurs in a DC power generation system based on noise of signal of a voltage-current sensor, a voltage-current variation analysis unit for specifying an arc occurrence point in a case where an arc is detected in the arc noise analysis unit, a voltage-current operation point of output of each string is analyzed based on a signal from a voltage-current sensor and based on variation of voltage-current operation point before and after when an arc is detected and a switch control unit for controlling of opening or closing of a switch based on an arc specified result in a voltage-current variation analysis unit, is provided.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A DC power generation system in which a plurality of strings, comprising a plurality of DC power generation modules, are connected in series and are connected to a DC bus in parallel, and power is supplied to the DC bus,
wherein each string has a voltage-current sensor which detects an output voltage and an output current of the string and a switch which intercepts connecting to the DC bus of the string at an output side; and has an arc detector comprising;
an arc noise analysis unit which detects an arc which occurs in the DC power generation system based on noise of a signal of the voltage-current sensor,
a voltage-current variation analysis unit in which, in a case where an arc is detected in the arc noise analysis unit, a voltage-current operation point of output of each string is analyzed based on a signal from the voltage-current sensor, and an occurrence point of the arc is specified based on variation of the voltage-current operation point before and after when the arc is detected, and
a switch control unit which controls to open or close the switch based on an arc specified result in the voltage-current variation analysis unit.

2. The DC power generation system as in claim 1 , in which the arc noise analysis unit detects an arc based on high frequency noise whose range is at least from 1 kHz to 100 kHz.

3. The DC power generation system as in claim 1 , in which the arc detector is provided at the each string, the each arc detector specifies whether an arc occurs or not in the own string based on variation of voltage-current operation point before and after when the arc is detected in the own voltage-current variation analysis unit, in a case where the arc detector specifies such that an arc occurs in the own string, the arc detector trips a switch which is provided at the own string.

4. The DC power generation system as in claim 1 , in which the arc detector is provided at the each string, the each detector specifies whether an arc occurs or not in the own string based on variation of a voltage-current operation point before and after when the arc is detected in the own voltage-current variation analysis unit, in a case where the arc detector specifies such that an arc occurs outside the own string, and in a case where a current-voltage operation point after the arc is detected is continued for a predetermined period of time, the arc detector trips a switch which is provided at the own string.

5. The DC power generation system as in claim 4 , further comprising an arc occurrence point specifying device which receives a judgement result whether an arc occurs outside the own string or not from each arc detector which is provided at the each string, wherein in a case where the arc occurrence point specifying device receives judgement results such that an arc occurs outside the own string respectively from all arc detectors, the arc occurrence point specifying device outputs a command to the each arc detector or the each switch to trip the each switch which is provided at the each string.

6. The DC power generation system as in claim 1 , wherein the arc detector is configured to receive signals from each voltage-current sensor which is provided at the each string respectively,
in a case where an arc is detected in the arc noise analysis unit, the voltage-current variation analysis unit analyzes a voltage-current operation point of the each string based on a signal from the each voltage-current sensor and specifies the arc occurrence point based on variation of a voltage-current operation point of the each string before and after the arc is detected, and
the switch control unit controls to open or close of the switch based on arc specified result in the voltage-current variation analysis unit.

7. The DC power generation system as in claim 1 , in which the voltage-current variation analysis unit judges whether an arc which occurs is a series arc or a parallel arc based on variation of voltage-current operation point before and after when the arc is detected.

8. The DC power generation system as in claim 1 , wherein the each string comprises a backflow prevention diode.

9. A protection method for a DC power generation system which comprises a plurality of strings and each of the strings comprises a plurality of DC power generation modules connected in series, the each string is connected to a DC bus in parallel via a switch, and power is supplied to the DC bus,
the protection method comprising;
an arc detection step for detecting an arc which occurs in the DC power generation system based on noise which occurs in the string,
an arc occurrence point specifying step for specifying an arc occurrence point in a case where the arc is detected, a voltage-current operation point of output of each string of the plurality of strings are analyzed and based on variation of the voltage-current operation point before and after when the arc is detected, and
a switch control step for controlling of opening or closing the switch based on specified result of the arc occurrence point.

10. The protection method for a DC power generation system as in claim 9 ,
wherein in the arc occurrence point specifying step, in a case where a voltage-current operation point after the arc is detected is an operation point which deviates from a voltage-current characteristic curve of normal operation, it is specified such that an arc occurs in the string, and
in the switch control step, the switch of the string in which arc occurrence is specified is tripped.

11. The protection method for a DC power generation system as in claim 9 ,
wherein in the arc occurrence point specifying step, in all strings, in a case where a voltage-current operation point after the arc is detected is on a voltage-current characteristic curve of normal operation, it is specified such that an arc occurs outside the all strings, and
in the switch control step, the switches of the all strings are tripped.

12. The protection method for a DC power generation system as in claim 9 , further comprising an arc mode judgement step for judging whether an arc which occurs is a series arc or a parallel arc based on variation of voltage-current operation point before and after when the arc is detected.

13. The protection method for a DC power generation system as in claim 9 ,
wherein the each string comprises a backflow prevention diode.

Assignees

• Mitsubishi Electric Corp

Inventors

• Kanemaru Makoto
• SHINDOI Takeshi
• Yano Tomotaka

Classifications

• H02H7/268

  for DC systems · CPC title

• H02M7/44

  by static converters · CPC title

• G01R31/08

  Locating faults in cables, transmission lines, or networks · CPC title

• H02H7/20

  for electronic equipment (for converters H02H7/10; for electric measuring instruments G01R1/36; for DC voltage or current semiconductor regulators G05F1/569; for amplifiers H03F1/52; for electronic switching circuits H03K17/08) · CPC title

• H02S50/00

  Monitoring or testing of PV systems, e.g. load balancing or fault identification · CPC title