Power delivery system and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9899838-B2
Application number	US-201414337782-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 22, 2014
Priority date	Jun 25, 2014
Publication date	Feb 20, 2018
Grant date	Feb 20, 2018

Abstract

Power delivery systems and methods described herein conductively couple several input lines with a cable that conducts a multi-phase electric current. The input lines separately conduct different phases of the electric current. Output lines are conductively coupled with plural machines, and separately conduct the different phases of the electric current. Plural switching devices are conductively coupled with the input lines and with the output lines, and are used to control the switching devices in order to conduct the different phases of the electric current to the machines. A first set of the switching devices is closed to separately conduct the different phases of the electric current to a first machine of the machines. A different, second set of the switching devices is separately closed to separately conduct the different phases of the electric current to a different, second machine of the machines.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
plural conductive input lines configured to be conductively coupled with a cable that conducts a multi-phase electric current to the input lines, the input lines configured to separately conduct different phases of the electric current;
plural conductive output lines configured to be conductively coupled with plural machines, the output lines configured to separately conduct the different phases of the electric current; and
a switch assembly having plural switching devices conductively coupled with the input lines and with the output lines, the switching devices configured to block the positive and negative voltages across the switching devices, the switch assembly configured to control the switching devices in order to conduct the different phases of the electric current to the machines, wherein the switch assembly is configured to close a first set of the switching devices to separately conduct the different phases of the electric current to a first machine of the machines, and the switch assembly is configured to separately close a different, second set of the switching devices to separately conduct the different phases of the electric current to a different, a second machine of the machines, wherein the switch assembly is configured to operate in a multi-machine modulation configuration by increasing an output of the first machine of the machines above a designated rating limit of the first machine until a temperature of the first machine exceeds a designated threshold, and by switching conduction of the current to the second machine of the machines and stopping conduction of the current to the first machine responsive to the temperature of the first machine exceeding the designated threshold.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein a first input line of the input lines is configured to conduct a first phase of the electric current and is configured to be conductively coupled with at least a first switching device of the switching devices in the first set of the switching devices and with at least a second switching device of the switching devices in the second set of the switching devices.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein a first output line of the output lines is configured to conduct the first phase of the electric current from the first switching device to the first machine and a second output line of the output lines is configured to conduct the first phase of the electric current from the second switching device to the second machine.

4. The system of claim 2 , wherein a second input line of the input lines is configured to conduct a different, second phase of the electric current and is configured to be conductively coupled with at least a third switching device of the switching devices in the first set of the switching devices and with at least a fourth switching device of the switching devices in the second set of the switching devices.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein a third output line of the output lines is configured to conduct the second phase of the electric current from the third switching device to the first machine and a fourth output line of the output lines is configured to conduct the second phase of the electric current from the fourth switching device to the second machine.

6. The system of claim 3 , wherein a third input line of the input lines is configured to conduct a different, third phase of the electric current and is configured to be conductively coupled with at least a fifth switching device of the switching devices in the first set of the switching devices and with at least a sixth switching device of the switching devices in the second set of the switching devices.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein a fifth output line of the output lines is configured to conduct the third phase of the electric current from the fifth switching device to the first machine and a sixth output line of the output lines is configured to conduct the third phase of the electric current from the sixth switching device to the second machine.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the machines include submersible pumps disposed inside a well and the switch assembly is configured to be disposed inside the well and coupled with the cable inside the well.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the switch assembly is configured to control which of the switching devices are closed based on instructions received via power line communications sent through the cable.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the switching devices include one or more of a solid state switch, a switch formed from one or more semiconductor materials, a silicon carbide thyristor, a silicon carbide field effect transistor and diode, a hermetic relay, a transfer switch, a gallium nitride switch, a diamond switch, another high temperature material switch, an insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT), an insulated gate commutated transistor (IGCT), a metal oxide semiconductor thyristor (MCT), a metal oxide semiconductor turn off thyristor (MTO), a bipolar junction transistor (BJT), a junction gate field effect transistor (JFET), a gate turn off thyristor (GTO), a dynistor, a bi-mode insulated gate thyristor (BIGT), or a super gate turn off thyristor (SGTO).

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the switch assembly is configured to individually control which of the machines receives the electric current such that the switch assembly is configured to power a single one of the machines, two of the machines, three or more but less than all of the machines, or all of the machines at a time.

12. A system comprising:
a switch assembly having plural switching devices conductively coupled and disposed between a cable that supplies a multi-phase electric current and with separate machines that are powered by the electric current, the switching devices configured to block the positive and negative voltages across the switching devices, the switch assembly configured to control different sets of the switching devices to separately conduct different phases of the electric current to the machines, wherein each of the switching devices in each of the sets of the switching devices is configured to conduct a different phase of the phases of the electric current, wherein the switch assembly is configured to operate in a multi-machine modulation configuration by increasing an output of the first machine of the machines above a designated rating limit of the first machine until a temperature of the first machine exceeds a designated threshold, and by switching conduction of the current to the second machine of the machines and stopping conduction of the current to the first machine responsive to the temperature of the first machine exceeding the designated threshold.

13. The system of claim 12 , further comprising plural conductive input lines configured to be conductively coupled with the cable and with the switching devices, the input lines configured to separately conduct the different phases of the electric current from the cable to the switching devices in the different sets of the switching devices.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein each of the input lines is configured to be conductively coupled with at least one of the switching devices in each of the sets of the switching devices.

15. The system of claim 12 , further comprising plural conductive output lines configured to be conductively coupled with the machines and with the switching devices, the output lines configured to separately conduct the different phases of the electric current from the different sets of the switching devices to the machines.

16. The system of

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Elasser Ahmed
• Van Dam Jeremy Daniel
• Torrey David Allan

Classifications

• E21B43/128

  Adaptation of pump systems with down-hole electric drives · CPC title

• H02M5/2573

  with control circuit · CPC title

• Y02E40/50

  Arrangements for eliminating or reducing asymmetry in polyphase networks · CPC title

• H02J3/26 Primary

  Arrangements for eliminating or reducing asymmetry in polyphase networks · CPC title