Switching apparatus and method for varying an impedance of a phase line of a segment of an electrical power line

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9912156-B2
Application number	US-201314905184-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 4, 2013
Priority date	Oct 4, 2013
Publication date	Mar 6, 2018
Grant date	Mar 6, 2018

Abstract

The switching apparatus and the method are for varying the impedance of a phase line of a segment of an electrical power line. The phase line includes n conductors electrically insulated from each other and short-circuited together at two ends of the segment. The apparatus comprises a controllable interrupter connected in series for each conductor; a parameter detector; a first controller for controlling the interrupters; and a disabling unit for disabling the interrupters. The disabling unit comprises n controllable switches associated with the interrupters, position detectors for detecting which of the interrupters is closed, and a second controller having a command output to command the controllable switches and ensure that, at all operating times, at least one of the interrupters is closed and disabled.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A switching apparatus for varying an impedance of a phase line of a segment of an electrical power line, the phase line including n conductors electrically insulated from each other, n being equal to or greater than 2, the n conductors being short-circuited together at two ends of the segment; the apparatus comprising:
for each conductor, a controllable interrupter connected in series, said interrupter having command terminals for receiving first command signals for selectively switching said interrupter into a closed or an opened position;
a parameter detector for detecting a parameter representative of an actual operating condition of the phase line;
a first controller for controlling the interrupters via their command terminals, according to the parameter detected by the detector; and
a disabling unit for disabling the interrupters, said disabling unit comprising:
n controllable switches associated respectively to the n controllable interrupters for respectively disabling the n controllable interrupters;
position detectors for detecting which of the n interrupters is closed; and
a second controller having first inputs for receiving position signals from the position detectors, a second input for receiving second command signals for commanding the disabling unit, and command outputs to command the n controllable switches in view of said second command signals and said position signals so that, at all operating times, at least one of the n interrupters is closed and disabled.

2. The switching apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein each of the n interrupters is made of at least one vacuum interrupter, each of the vacuum interrupters having a motor for selectively opening and closing the corresponding vacuum interrupter in response to said command signals, each motor having supply terminals.

3. The switching apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein:
each of said at least one vacuum interrupter is made of a pair of vacuum interrupters connected in parallel, and
the n controllable switches are respectively made of n pairs of controllable switches for disabling the n pairs of vacuum interrupters.

4. The switching apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the second controller comprises:
a rotatable cam unit providing the command outputs to command the n pairs of controllable switches depending on their operating position, the rotatable cam unit having a rotatable cam capable of rotating in n predetermined positions according to a predetermined sequence, each of said n predetermined positions corresponding to a position where one of the n pairs of vacuum interrupters is disabled by cutting off supply signals to the corresponding pair of motors via the corresponding pairs of controllable switches;
a cam motor for rotating the rotatable cam, having supply terminals; and
a cam controller for rotating the rotatable cam through the n predetermined positions according to the predetermined sequence by commanding the cam motor.

5. The switching apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the position detectors comprise detector switches having inputs respectively connected to the n pairs of vacuum interrupters for detecting which of the n pair of vacuum interrupters is closed, and outputs for providing the supply signals to the supply terminals of the cam motor only when the pairs of vacuum interrupters corresponding to at least actual and next positions of the rotatable cam, are closed.

6. The switching apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the n predetermined positions are four predetermined positions, each predetermined position being separated by an angular interval of 90°.

7. The switching apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the cam controller comprises a position encoder to detect the position of the rotatable cam, and generate a cam position signal.

8. The switching apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the cam controller comprises a position cam rigidly connected with the rotatable cam, and cam position switches having inputs connected to the position cam, and output to generate a cam position signal.

9. The switching apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the cam controller comprises:
a position encoder to detect the position of the rotatable cam, and generate a first cam position signal:
a position cam rigidly connected with the rotatable cam; and
cam position switches having inputs connected to the position cam, and output to generate a second cam position signal, so that the position of the rotatable cam is confirmable by means of either the first or second cam position signals.

10. The switching apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the cam controller has an input for receiving either the first or the second cam position signals, to control rotation of the rotatable cam by means of one of said first and second cam position signals.

11. The switching apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the outputs of the position detectors are for providing the supply signals to the supply terminals of the cam motor only when the pairs of vacuum interrupters corresponding to all of the positions of the rotatable cam, are closed.

12. The switching apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the second input of the second controller are for receiving said command signals from the first controller.

13. A method for varying an impedance of a phase line of a segment of an electrical power line, the phase line including n conductors electrically insulated from each other, n being equal to or greater than 2, the n conductors being short-circuited together at two ends of the segment, each conductor having a controllable interrupter being connected in series, said controllable interrupter having command terminals for receiving command signals for selectively switching said interrupter into a closed or an opened position, the method comprising steps of:
a) detecting a parameter representative of an actual operating condition of the phase line;
b) controlling the interrupters via their command terminals, according to the parameter detected in step a); and
c) disabling the interrupters by means of n controllable switches associated respectively to the n controllable interrupters, said step c) comprising steps of:
i) detecting which of the n interrupters is closed; and
ii) commanding the n controllable switches so that, at all operating times, at least one of the n interrupters is closed and disabled.

14. The method according to claim 13 , where each of the n interrupters is made of a pair of vacuum interrupters connected in parallel, each of the vacuum interrupters having a motor for selectively opening and closing the corresponding vacuum interrupter in response to said command signals, each motor having supply terminals:
in step c), the n controllable switches are respectively made of n pairs of controllable switches for disabling the n pairs of vacuum interrupters, the step c) further comprises steps of:
commanding the n pairs of controllable switches by means of a rotatable cam depending on its operating position, the rotatable cam being capable of rotating in n predetermined positions according to a predetermined sequence, each of said n predetermined positions corresponding to a position where one of the n pairs of vacuum interrupters is disabled by cutting off supply signals to the corresponding pair of motors via the corresponding pair of controllable switches; and
rotating the cam by means of a cam motor having supply terminals, into a next of the n predetermined positions by supplying supply signals to supply terminals of a cam motor by means of a controllable switch to enable said cam motor,

Assignees

• Hydro Quebec

Inventors

• Couture Pierre

Classifications

• H01H33/66

  Vacuum switches · CPC title

• H02J3/18 Primary

  Arrangements for adjusting, eliminating or compensating reactive power in networks · CPC title

• H01H31/34

  with movable contact adapted to engage an overhead transmission line, e.g. for branching · CPC title

• Y02E40/30

  Reactive power compensation · CPC title

• H01H33/36

  using dynamo-electric motor · CPC title