Patent application number | Description | Published |
20100193474 | LIMITED FLASH-OVER ELECTRIC POWER SWITCH - A limited flash-over electric power switch uses a dielectric gas regulator and a flash-over arrestor to greatly diminish the occurrences of high voltage flash-over during operation of a circuit interrupter. The dielectric gas regulator prevents the flow of the dielectric gas into the arc gap during an initial portion of the opening stroke of the interrupter contacts. Once the arc gap is sufficiently wide to greatly diminish the likelihood of a high voltage flash-over, the dielectric gas regulator allows the dielectric gas to flow into the arc gap to extinguish the arc. The flash-over arrestor snubs out incipient flash-over that may occur as the arc attempts to reform across the arc gap. The flash-over arrestor may be a conductive ring located on the interior surface of the nozzle in the region of the orifice. | 08-05-2010 |
20110042354 | MAGNET INTERRUPTER FOR HIGH VOLTAGE SWITCHING - A magnetic interrupter consisting of a stationary and moving butt contacts that open an electric circuit in dielectric gas (e.g., SF | 02-24-2011 |
20120062239 | DIRECTIONAL FAULT SECTIONALIZING SYSTEM - A directional fault sectionalizing system that utilizes one phase voltage measurement and three phase current measurements to determine the directionality of high impedance faults on a three phase electric power circuit. This eliminates the need for two of the three voltage measuring devices at each monitoring station conventionally required to determine fault directionality, which makes it economical to install at a greater number of distribution tap points. The system is particularly useful for commonly used three-way tap points along distribution lines where three phase voltage measurement is not readily available. The system is capable of identifying faults under challenging circumstances, such faults occurring on unbalanced three phase power lines and faults occurring on tapped line segments where the currents are relatively small compared to the currents flowing in the main line segments. | 03-15-2012 |
20120063040 | DIRECTIONAL FAULT LOCATION AND ISOLATION SYSTEM - A directional fault location and isolation system for a three phase electric power circuit that identifies a faulted segment by determining the direction of the fault at multiple tap points in the electric power circuit. The directional fault controller, which may be a centralized controller or a number of peer-to-peer controllers located at the tap points, includes communication equipment for exchanging information with the monitoring equipment and the sectionalizing equipment at each sectionalizing control point, which includes the tap points and may also include the substations. The controller also includes processing equipment that determines the directionality of a fault on the power line at each current monitoring device, identifies a faulted line section by identifying a change in the directionality of the fault associated with the faulted line section, and operates one or more of the sectionalizing switches to isolate the faulted line section from the circuit. | 03-15-2012 |
20130229735 | HIGH-IMPEDANCE FAULT DETECTION AND ISOLATION SYSTEM - A high-impedance system that utilizes asynchronous, line-mounted single-phase current and voltage sensors with rolling data logs and a common clock or other event trigger to synchronize the signals to a common time scale whenever a fault event is detected. The use of asynchronous, single-phase current and voltage angle sensors with rolling data logs, along with a common clock to synchronize the signals to common time scale whenever a fault event is detected, avoids the need for simultaneous three-phase current measurement. Integration of information, triggered by the detection of a loss or sufficient change of current on three or four (with a neutral current) devices, is used to determine the presence and direction of high-impedance faults and then report it, typically to a central control center via SCADA or another communication system, which implements fault isolation. | 09-05-2013 |
20150101915 | HIGH VOLTAGE SWITCH BLADE CLOSING DETECTOR - A blade closing detector for an electric power switch includes a blade closing detector and an electronic or visual indicator. A first type of detector uses a gravity switch and a magnetic pickup to detect proper engagement between the blade and the switch. A second type of detector uses a sliding latch with a visual indicator rod to provide a visual indication of proper engagement of the blade within the jaws. A third type of detector uses a magnetic switch with a pivot arm and a dome shaped visual indicator. These detectors may be deployed individually or in combination and may be augmented with communication equipment to transmit switch status to a remote location. It will be understood that specific embodiments may include a variety of features in different combinations, as desired by different users. | 04-16-2015 |
20160041203 | High Voltage Sensor Located Within Line Insulator - A high voltage sensor is located within a dielectric canister inside a high voltage power line support insulator. A space through the voltage sensor accommodates a mechanical connecting rod associated with a circuit interrupter switch located in another section of the support insulator. An electrically floating dumbbell-shaped sensor extending between and capacitively coupled to high voltage and low voltage shields assumes a midpoint voltage value between the shields. A sensor plate or other suitable pickup capacitively coupled to the dumbbell sensor provides a voltage measurement, which is calibrated to provide a measurement of the power line voltage. This solution allows a voltage sensor to be added to or integrated in conventionally sized power line support insulators with no additional size, negligible additional weight, and minimal additional cost. | 02-11-2016 |