U.S. patent application number 15/624972 was filed with the patent office on 2018-12-20 for switchgear with a two-high circuit interrupter configuration.
The applicant listed for this patent is Eaton Corporation. Invention is credited to Robert Yanniello.
Application Number | 20180366923 15/624972 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 62236012 |
Filed Date | 2018-12-20 |
United States Patent
Application |
20180366923 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Yanniello; Robert |
December 20, 2018 |
Switchgear with a Two-High Circuit Interrupter Configuration
Abstract
An apparatus includes a housing, at least one first
gas-insulated circuit interrupter in the housing and at least one
second gas-insulated circuit interrupter disposed in the housing
above the at least one first gas-insulated circuit interrupter. The
at least one first gas-insulated circuit interrupter and the at
least one second gas-insulated circuit interrupter may be housed in
respective ones of a first gas containment compartment and a second
gas containment compartment vertically arranged in the housing. At
least one first bus may be coupled to the at least one first
gas-insulated circuit interrupter and at least one second bus may
be coupled to the at least one second gas-insulated circuit
interrupter. The buses may be disposed between the first and second
gas-insulated circuit interrupters.
Inventors: |
Yanniello; Robert;
(Asheville, NC) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Eaton Corporation |
Cleveland |
OH |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
62236012 |
Appl. No.: |
15/624972 |
Filed: |
June 16, 2017 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H02B 13/035 20130101;
H02B 13/0358 20130101; H02B 13/0352 20130101 |
International
Class: |
H02B 13/035 20060101
H02B013/035 |
Claims
1. An apparatus comprising: a housing; a first gas containment
compartment in the housing; a second gas containment compartment
disposed in the housing above the first gas containment
compartment; at least one first gas-insulated circuit interrupter
in the housing first gas containment compartment; at least one
second gas-insulated circuit interrupter the second gas containment
compartment; and a bus assembly between the at least one first
gas-insulated circuit interrupter and the second gas-insulated
circuit interrupter and configured to couple the at least one first
gas-insulated circuit interrupter and the at least one second
gas-insulated circuit interrupter to at least one source or load
external to the first and second gas containment compartments.
2. (canceled)
3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the bus assembly comprises: at
least one first bus coupled to the at least one first gas-insulated
circuit interrupter; and at least one second bus coupled to the at
least one second gas-insulated circuit interrupter.
4. (canceled)
5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the at least one first bus and
the at least one second bus are configured to be interconnected via
at least one sealed connector.
6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the at least one first bus is
disposed in the first gas containment compartment and wherein the
at least one second bus is disposed in the second gas containment
compartment.
7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the at least one first bus is
disposed in a third gas containment compartment and wherein the at
least one second bus is disposed in a fourth gas containment
compartment.
8. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: a cabling
compartment in the housing and adjoining each of the first and
second gas containment compartments; and first and second buses in
the cabling compartment, electrically coupled to respective ones of
the at least one first gas-insulated circuit interrupter and the at
least one second gas-insulated circuit interrupter and configured
to be coupled to respective first and second sets of cables within
the cabling compartment.
9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first and second buses in
the cabling compartment are configured to offset the first and
second sets of cables.
10. A switchgear unit comprising: a housing; a first gas
containment compartment in the housing; a second gas containment
compartment in the housing and disposed above the first gas
containment compartment; a first plurality of circuit interrupters
in the first gas containment compartment; a second plurality of
circuit interrupters in the second gas containment compartment; and
a first plurality of buses and a second plurality of buses coupled
to respective ones of the first plurality of circuit interrupters
and the second plurality of circuit interrupters and disposed
between the first plurality of circuit interrupters and the second
plurality of circuit interrupters, wherein the first and second
pluralities of buses are disposed in respective ones of third and
fourth gas containment compartments disposed between the first and
second gas containment compartments.
11. (canceled)
12. (canceled)
13. The switchgear unit of claim 10, wherein the first and second
pluralities of buses are configured to be pluggably connected to
one another.
14. The switchgear unit of claim 10, further comprising: a cabling
compartment in the housing and adjoining each of the first and
second gas containment compartments; and first and second cable
connection buses in the cabling compartment, electrically coupled
to respective ones of first plurality of circuit interrupters and
the second plurality of circuit interrupters and configured to be
coupled to respective first and second sets of cables within the
cabling compartment.
15. The switchgear unit of claim 14, wherein the first and second
cable connection buses are configured to offset the first and
second sets of cables in the cabling compartment.
16. A switchgear unit comprising: a housing; a first plurality of
gas-insulated circuit interrupters and a second plurality of
gas-insulated circuit interrupters vertically stacked in the
housing; and at least one bus assembly between the first and second
pluralities of gas-insulated circuit interrupters and configured to
connect the first and second pluralities of gas-insulated circuit
interrupters to at least one source or load external to the
housing.
17. The switchgear unit of claim 16, wherein the bus assembly is
configured to provide selective interconnection of the first and
second pluralities of gas-insulated circuit interrupters.
18. The switchgear unit of claim 16, wherein the at least one bus
assembly comprises first and second bus assemblies coupled to
respective ones of the first and second pluralities of
gas-insulated circuit interrupters and configured to be selectively
interconnected.
Description
BACKGROUND
[0001] The inventive subject matter relates to electrical apparatus
and, more particularly, to switchgear.
[0002] In typical gas-insulated switchgear (GIS), certain
components that are prone to arc generation are placed in closed
structures filled with an insulating high-dielectric gas, such as
sulfur hexafluoride (SF.sub.6). The insulation properties of the
gas allow reduced spacing between components and thus enable
relatively compact arrangement of the switchgear components. While
high-voltage (e.g., 50 kV and above) switchgear is commonly
gas-insulated, medium-voltage circuit breakers and other
medium-voltage devices may also utilize gas insulated switching
components to provide compact form factors for particular
industrial and other applications.
[0003] A conventional GIS unit may include a housing having one or
more gas containments compartments therein filled with insulating
gas (e.g., SF.sub.6). Circuit interrupters, buses and other
components may be housed in the one or more gas containment
compartments. Lower voltage control circuitry and mechanisms for
operating the circuit interrupters may be housed in one or more
control compartments, which may not be filled with insulating
gas.
[0004] In a typical application, a number of such GIS units may be
arranged in a row to provide medium-voltage power distribution to
other industrial devices, such as motor drives. The footprint
available for such GIS units may be limited and/or expensive, and
installation of the GIS units may be difficult and/or expensive due
to constraints on the arrangement of feeder buses and other
structures that interface with the GIS units. Accordingly, there is
an ongoing need for switchgear designs that provide a smaller
footprint and may be easier and less expensive to install.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] Some embodiments of the inventive subject matter provide an
apparatus including a housing, at least one first gas-insulated
circuit interrupter in the housing and at least one second
gas-insulated circuit interrupter disposed in the housing above the
at least one first gas-insulated circuit interrupter. The at least
one first gas-insulated circuit interrupter and the at least one
second gas-insulated circuit interrupter may be any of a variety of
different types of circuit interrupters, including, for example,
vacuum circuit interrupters. The apparatus may further include a
first gas containment compartment in the housing and a second gas
containment compartment disposed in the housing above the first gas
containment compartment. The at least one first gas-insulated
circuit interrupter may be disposed in the first gas containment
compartment and the at least one second gas-insulated circuit
interrupter may be disposed in the second gas containment
compartment.
[0006] In further embodiments, the apparatus may further include at
least one first bus coupled to the at least one first gas-insulated
circuit interrupter and configured to be coupled to a first source
and at least one second bus coupled to the at least one second
gas-insulated circuit interrupter and configured to be coupled to a
second source or in common with the first source. The at least one
first bus and the at least one second bus may be disposed between
the at least one first gas-insulated circuit interrupter and the at
least one second gas-insulated circuit interrupter. The at least
one first bus and the at least one second bus may be configured to
be interconnected via at least one sealed connector. In some
embodiments, the at least one first bus may be disposed in the
first gas containment compartment and the at least one second bus
may disposed in the second gas containment compartment. In further
embodiments, the at least one first bus may be disposed in a third
gas containment compartment and the at least one second bus may be
disposed in a fourth gas containment compartment.
[0007] In further embodiments, the apparatus may include a cabling
compartment in the housing and adjoining each of the first and
second gas containment compartments and first and second buses in
the cabling compartment. In some embodiments, the first and second
buses in the cabling compartment may be electrically coupled to
respective ones of the at least one first gas-insulated circuit
interrupter and the at least one second gas-insulated circuit
interrupter and configured to be coupled to respective first and
second sets of cables within the cabling compartment. The first and
second buses may be configured to offset the first and second sets
of cables.
[0008] Still further embodiments of the inventive subject matter
provide a switchgear unit including a housing, a first gas
containment compartment in the housing and a second gas containment
compartment in the housing and disposed above the first gas
containment compartment. A first plurality of circuit interrupters
is disposed in the first gas containment compartment and a second
plurality of circuit interrupters is disposed in the second gas
containment compartment. A first plurality of buses and a second
plurality of buses may be coupled to respective ones of the first
plurality of vacuum circuit interrupters and the second plurality
of vacuum circuit interrupters, configured to be coupled to
respective ones of a first source and a second source, and disposed
between the first plurality of vacuum circuit interrupters and the
second plurality of vacuum circuit interrupters.
[0009] Additional embodiments provide a switchgear unit including a
housing, a first plurality of gas-insulated circuit interrupters
and a second plurality of gas-insulated circuit interrupters
vertically stacked in the housing, and at least one bus assembly
configured to selectively connect the first and second pluralities
of gas-insulated circuit interrupters to at least one feeder bus.
The bus assembly may be configured to provide selective
interconnection of the first and second pluralities of
gas-insulated circuit interrupters.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a two-high
circuit interrupter switchgear unit according to some embodiments
of the inventive subject matter.
[0011] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a two-high
circuit interrupter switchgear unit according to further
embodiments of the inventive subject matter.
[0012] FIGS. 3 and 4 are schematic diagrams illustrating gas
containment compartment arrangements for a two-high circuit
interrupter switchgear unit according to further embodiments.
[0013] FIGS. 5A and 5B are cross-sectional views of a circuit
interrupter switchgear unit according to further embodiments.
[0014] FIG. 6 illustrates a sealed connector arrangement for use in
the embodiments of FIGS. 3-5.
[0015] FIGS. 7-9 are schematic diagrams of circuit configurations
that may be supported by the embodiments of FIGS. 2-6.
[0016] FIGS. 10 and 11 are schematic diagrams illustrating modular
bus connections for switchgear or other apparatus according to
further embodiments.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0017] Specific exemplary embodiments of the inventive subject
matter now will be described with reference to the accompanying
drawings. This inventive subject matter may, however, be embodied
in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to
the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are
provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and
will fully convey the scope of the inventive subject matter to
those skilled in the art. In the drawings, like numbers refer to
like items. It will be understood that when an item is referred to
as being "connected" or "coupled" to another item, it can be
directly connected or coupled to the other item or intervening
items may be present. As used herein the term "and/or" includes any
and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed
items.
[0018] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing
particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of
the inventive subject matter. As used herein, the singular forms
"a", "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as
well, unless expressly stated otherwise. It will be further
understood that the terms "includes," "comprises," "including"
and/or "comprising," when used in this specification, specify the
presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, items,
and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of
one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, items,
components, and/or groups thereof.
[0019] Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and
scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly
understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this
inventive subject matter belongs. It will be further understood
that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries,
should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with
their meaning in the context of the specification and the relevant
art and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal
sense unless expressly so defined herein.
[0020] As used herein and in keeping with terminology commonly used
in the electrical switchgear industry, "gas-insulated" refers to
insulation using a relatively high dielectric gas (e.g., a pure gas
or gas mixture) that has a controlled composition that provides
enhanced insulation with respect to, for example, air with an
uncontrolled composition. The insulation gas used in a
gas-insulated switchgear component may include, for example, a
high-dielectric halogenated gas, such as sulfur hexafluoride
(SF.sub.6) and/or alternatives thereto, such as fluorinated gas
(e.g., fluoroketone-based) mixtures. It will be appreciated that
the composition of such an insulation gas may be maintained, for
example, by containment of the insulation gas within a sealed
compartment and/or control of the gas composition using an active
control system.
[0021] FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a switchgear unit 100
according to some embodiments of the inventive subject matter. The
switchgear unit 100 includes a housing 105, which may be, for
example, a generally rectangular cabinet-like metal enclosure. The
housing 105 houses first and second gas-insulated circuit
interrupter assemblies 110 in a vertically stacked arrangement.
Respective buses 111 are coupled to respective ones of the first
and second gas-insulated circuit interrupter assemblies 110, and
may be used, for example, to connect the first and second
gas-insulated circuit interrupter assemblies 110 to loads or
sources via, for example, cables. The first and second
gas-insulated circuit interrupter assemblies 110 may be fed from a
common source or separately fed from separate sources. It will be
appreciated that the first and second gas-insulated circuit
interrupter assemblies may be three-phase assemblies.
[0022] FIG. 2 schematically illustrates a switchgear unit 200
according to further embodiments of the inventive subject matter.
The switchgear unit 200 includes a housing 205, which houses first
and second gas-insulated circuit interrupter assemblies 210 in a
vertically stacked arrangement. First and second bus assemblies 220
are disposed between the first and second gas-insulated circuit
interrupter assemblies 210 and are configured to couple respective
ones of the first and second gas-insulated circuit interrupter
assemblies 210 to one or more buses 221, which may be connected,
for example, to respective sources or loads or to a common source
or load. Respective buses 211 are coupled to respective ones of the
first and second gas-insulated circuit interrupter assemblies 210,
and may be used to connect the first and second gas-insulated
circuit interrupter assemblies 210 to sources or loads via, for
example, cables. In some embodiments, the first and second bus
assemblies 220 may be interconnected to parallel source inputs to
the first and second gas-insulated circuit interrupter assemblies
210. This can provide advantages, such as increased ampacity and
flexibility in arrangement of buses, as explained in detail
below.
[0023] The first and second bus assemblies 220 may be three-phase
bus arrangements, and the gas-insulated circuit interrupter
assemblies 210 may each include, for example, multiple circuit
interrupters (e.g., one for each phase). The gas-insulated circuit
interrupter assemblies 210 and the bus assemblies 220 may further
include various additional components, including, but not limited
to voltage transducers, current transducers, disconnect switches,
actuator mechanisms, and the like.
[0024] FIG. 3 illustrates a switchgear unit 300 according to
further embodiments. The switchgear unit 300 includes a housing
305, which houses first and second gas containment compartments 340
disposed in a vertically stacked arrangement. A circuit interrupter
assembly 310 and a bus assembly 320 electrically connected thereto
are disposed within each of the gas containment compartments 340.
The circuit interrupter assemblies 310 may include, for example,
vacuum circuit interrupters. The bus assemblies 320 are configured
to be coupled to sources or loads via buses 321 and may be
interconnected by sealed connectors 322 located at walls of the gas
containment compartments 340. The sealed connectors 322 may have
any of a number of different configurations. For example, the
sealed connectors 322 may be female-type sealed connectors that are
interconnected using cable plugs as discussed below with reference
to FIGS. 5 and 6, or the connectors 322 may be configured as male
and female counterparts configured to be interconnected without the
use of an intervening coupler. A cabling compartment 330 may adjoin
the first and second gas containment compartments 340, and
respective ones of the circuit interrupter assemblies 310 may be
connected to cables in the cabling compartment via respective buses
311 that extend into the cabling compartment 330. The gas
containment compartments 340 may be filled with SF.sub.S or another
dielectric gas, thus providing gas insulation of the components
within the compartments 340.
[0025] FIG. 4 illustrates a switchgear unit 400 with an alternative
configuration according to further embodiments. The switchgear unit
400 includes a housing 405, which houses first and second gas
containment compartments 442. The first and second gas containment
compartments 442 contain circuit interrupter assemblies 410. The
circuit interrupter assemblies 410 may include, for example, vacuum
circuit interrupters and/or other types of circuit interruption
devices. First and second bus assemblies 420 are electrically
coupled to the circuit interrupter assemblies 410 and contained in
adjoining third and fourth gas containment compartments 444. The
first and second bus assemblies 420 may be interconnected by sealed
connectors 422 at walls of the third and fourth gas containment
compartments 444, and each of the first and second circuit
interrupter assemblies 410 may be connected to a corresponding one
of the first and second bus assemblies 420 via sealed connectors
414, 424 at adjoining walls of the gas containment compartments.
The bus assemblies 420 are configured to respective buses 421, and
respective ones of the circuit interrupter assemblies 410 may be
connected to cables in an adjoining cabling compartment 430 via
respective buses 411.
[0026] It will be appreciated that the structures shown in FIGS. 3
and 4 may be implemented in a modular fashion. For example,
referring to FIG. 3, the gas containment compartments 340 and
components therein may be fabricated as modules that are configured
to be installed in the housing 305. In some embodiments, such
modules may be specifically configured for use as the upper and
lower modules. In some embodiments, a common module configuration
may be used for both upper and lower units. Referring to FIG. 4,
the first, second, third and fourth gas containment compartments
442, 444 and components therein may be similarly configured as
modules.
[0027] FIGS. 5A is a side cutaway views of an exemplary arrangement
for a switchgear unit that uses a modular bus and circuit
interrupter arrangement according to some embodiments, and FIG. 5B
is a cutaway view of the arrangement of FIG. 5A along a
perpendicular plane indicated by a line B-B in FIG. 5A. First and
second circuit interrupter assemblies 510 are disposed in first and
second gas containment compartments 542. The circuit interrupter
assemblies 510 each include a plurality of circuit interrupters
512. The circuit interrupters 512 are coupled to respective bus
assemblies 520 contained with third and fourth gas containment
compartments 544 that are disposed between the first and second gas
containment compartments 542. Buses 560 are coupled to the circuit
interrupters 512 and extend into a cabling compartment 530. As
shown, the buses 560 may be arranged such that cable entry and
connections may be offset.
[0028] Buses of the bus assemblies 520 are connected to buses 550,
and can be interconnected via sealed connectors 522 using coupling
plugs. In particular, as shown in FIG. 6, sealed connectors 522 may
be conical-profile receptacles that can be interconnected using
cable plugs 523 that are configured to be inserted into each of the
sealed connectors 522 to provide an electrical interconnection.
Examples of such connectors and cable plugs include, for example,
those used in the FUNK bus bar coupling system distributed by
Pfisterer Holding AG and described at
http://catalogue.pfisterer.com/en/connections-6-52-kv/other-connectors/bu-
sbar-coupling-system-flink/. Similar connector arrangements may be
used for interconnection of the circuit interrupter assemblies 510
to the bus assemblies 520. In further embodiments, other connector
configurations may be used to join the various gas-insulated
components together, such as connector arrangements in which male
and female counterpart connectors may be provided on respective
gas-insulated units to be joined, such as between the circuit
interrupter assemblies 510 and the bus assemblies 520.
[0029] Arrangements along the lines illustrated in FIGS. 3-5 can
support a variety of bus arrangements. For example, as illustrated
in FIG. 7, bus assemblies 220 along the lines discussed above with
reference to FIG. 2 may be separately connected to sources or loads
by respective separate buses 221. Alternatively, as shown in FIG.
8, the bus assemblies 220 may be interconnected to allow for
connection to a common source or load. In a third configuration
shown in FIG. 9, the bus assemblies 220 may be coupled to
respective buses 221, but interconnected to, for example, provide
increased ampacity by paralleling the buses 221.
[0030] According to further embodiments, a modular bus approach
along the lines described above may be applicable beyond the dual
circuit breaker arrangements discussed above. As shown in FIG. 10,
for example, a switchgear module 610, e.g., an assembly including
circuit interrupters, disconnect switches, and/or other switchgear
components, may be configured to be coupled to one or more bus
assembly modules 620. The bus assembly modules 620 may be
interconnected to provide a flexible and scalable bus structure
along the lines discussed above. In this manner, for example, a
desired bus capacity and/or conductor arrangement may be provided
that is tailored to a particular application.
[0031] In some embodiments, such modular components may be
gas-insulated and interconnected along the lines discussed above.
For example, as illustrated in FIG. 11, a GIS assembly 710 (e.g.,
an assembly including circuit interrupters and/or other switchgear
components therein) may be contained in a gas containment
compartment 742 to provide a module. One or more bus assemblies 720
may be contained in respective separate gas containment
compartments 744 to provide bus assembly modules that may be
interconnected and electrically coupled to the module containing
the GIS assembly 710.
[0032] In the drawings and specification, there have been disclosed
exemplary embodiments of the inventive subject matter. Although
specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and
descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation, the
scope of the inventive subject matter being defined by the
following claims.
* * * * *
References