U.S. patent application number 15/625200 was filed with the patent office on 2018-12-20 for switchgear with modular bus configuration supporting individual and parallel feed arrangements.
The applicant listed for this patent is Eaton Corporation. Invention is credited to Robert Yanniello.
Application Number | 20180366924 15/625200 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 62563260 |
Filed Date | 2018-12-20 |
United States Patent
Application |
20180366924 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Yanniello; Robert |
December 20, 2018 |
Switchgear with Modular Bus Configuration Supporting Individual and
Parallel Feed Arrangements
Abstract
An apparatus includes a housing, a first plurality of
gas-insulated circuit interrupters in the housing and a second
plurality of gas-insulated circuit interrupters in the housing. The
apparatus also includes a first bus assembly in the housing and
coupled to the first plurality of gas-insulated circuit
interrupters, and a second bus assembly in the housing and coupled
to the second plurality of gas-insulated circuit interrupters. The
apparatus further includes at least one connector configured to
interconnect the first bus assembly and the second bus
assembly.
Inventors: |
Yanniello; Robert;
(Asheville, NC) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Eaton Corporation |
Cleveland |
OH |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
62563260 |
Appl. No.: |
15/625200 |
Filed: |
June 16, 2017 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H02B 13/0354 20130101;
H01H 33/56 20130101; H02B 1/22 20130101; H01R 13/5202 20130101;
H02B 1/30 20130101; H02B 13/035 20130101; H02B 1/20 20130101; H02B
13/005 20130101; H02B 13/0358 20130101 |
International
Class: |
H02B 13/035 20060101
H02B013/035; H01H 33/56 20060101 H01H033/56; H02B 1/30 20060101
H02B001/30; H02B 1/20 20060101 H02B001/20; H01R 13/52 20060101
H01R013/52 |
Claims
1. An apparatus comprising: a housing; a first plurality of
gas-insulated circuit interrupters in the housing; a second
plurality of gas-insulated circuit interrupters in the housing; a
first gas-insulated bus assembly in the housing, coupled to the
first plurality of gas-insulated circuit interrupters; a second
gas-insulated bus assembly in the housing, coupled to the second
plurality of gas-insulated circuit interrupters; and at least one
connector configured to interconnect the first gas-insulated bus
assembly and the second gas-insulated bus assembly.
2. (canceled)
3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first gas-insulated bus
assembly is disposed in a first gas containment compartment;
wherein the second gas-insulated bus assembly is disposed in a
second gas containment compartment; wherein the at least one
connector comprises at least one first sealed connector at a wall
of the first gas containment compartment and at least one second
sealed connector at a wall of the second gas containment
compartment; and wherein the at least one first sealed connector
and the at least one second sealed connector are configured to be
coupled via at least one coupling plug.
4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the first plurality of
gas-insulated circuit interrupters is disposed in the first gas
containment compartment and wherein the second plurality of
gas-insulated circuit interrupters is disposed in the second gas
containment compartment.
5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the first plurality of
gas-insulated circuit interrupters is disposed in a third gas
containment compartment and wherein the second plurality of
gas-insulated circuit interrupters is disposed in a fourth gas
containment compartment.
6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first and second
gas-insulated bus assemblies are disposed between the first and
second pluralities of gas-insulated circuit interrupters.
7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the first plurality of
gas-insulated circuit interrupters is disposed above the second
plurality of gas-insulated circuit interrupters in the housing.
8. An apparatus comprising: a housing; a first gas containment
compartment in the housing; a first plurality of sealed connectors
at a wall of the first gas containment compartment; a second gas
containment compartment in the housing adjacent the first gas
containment compartment and having a wall confronting the wall of
the first gas containment compartment; a second plurality of sealed
connectors at the wall of the second gas containment compartment
and configured to be pluggably connected to the first plurality of
sealed connectors; a first circuit interrupter assembly in the
housing; a second circuit interrupter assembly in the housing; a
first bus assembly in the first gas containment compartment
coupling the first circuit interrupter assembly to the first
plurality of sealed connectors; and a second bus assembly in the
second gas containment compartment and coupling the second circuit
interrupter assembly to the second plurality of sealed connectors,
wherein the first and second bus assemblies are further configured
to be separately coupled to respective first and second sources or
loads.
9. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising a plurality of
coupling plugs coupling respective pairs of the first and second
pluralities of sealed connectors to one another.
10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first circuit interrupter
assembly is disposed in the first gas containment compartment and
wherein the second circuit interrupter assembly is disposed in the
second gas containment compartment.
11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first circuit interrupter
assembly is disposed in a third gas containment compartment in the
housing and wherein the second circuit interrupter is disposed in a
fourth gas containment compartment in the housing.
12. (canceled)
13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first gas containment
compartment is disposed above the second gas containment
compartment.
14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the first and second bus
assemblies are disposed between the first and second circuit
interrupter assemblies.
15. An apparatus comprising: a housing; a gas-insulated switchgear
module disposed in the housing and including at least one
electrical component; a first gas-insulated bus module coupled to
the gas-insulated switchgear module; and a second gas-insulated bus
module coupled to the first bus module.
16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the first gas-insulated bus
module is configured to be coupled to a first source or load and
wherein the second gas-insulated bus module is configured to be
coupled to a second source or load.
17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the first and second
gas-insulated bus modules are coupled via at least one sealed
connector.
18. (canceled)
19. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the first and second
gas-insulated bus modules support parallel bus connection to the
gas-insulated switchgear module.
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, a first plurality of gas-insulated
circuit interrupters in the housing and a second plurality of
gas-insulated circuit interrupters in the housing. The apparatus
also includes a first bus assembly in the housing and coupled to
the first plurality of gas-insulated circuit interrupters and a
second bus assembly in the housing and coupled to the second
plurality of gas-insulated circuit interrupters. The apparatus
further includes at least one connector configured to interconnect
the first bus assembly and the second bus assembly.
[0006] In some embodiments, the first and second bus assemblies may
be gas insulated. The first bus assembly may be disposed in a first
gas containment compartment and the second bus assembly may be
disposed in a second gas containment compartment. The at least one
connector may include at least one first sealed connector at a wall
of the first gas containment compartment and at least one second
sealed connector at a wall of the second gas containment
compartment. The at least one first sealed connector and the at
least one second sealed connector may be configured to be coupled
via at least one coupling plug. In some embodiments, the first
plurality of gas-insulated circuit interrupters may be disposed in
the first gas containment compartment and the second plurality of
gas-insulated circuit interrupters may be disposed in the second
gas containment compartment. In further embodiments, the first
plurality of gas-insulated circuit interrupters may be disposed in
a third gas containment compartment and the second plurality of
gas-insulated circuit interrupters may be disposed in a fourth gas
containment compartment.
[0007] In some embodiments, the first and second bus assemblies may
be disposed between the first and second pluralities of circuit
interrupters. The first plurality of gas-insulated circuit
interrupters may be disposed above the second plurality of
gas-insulated circuit interrupters in the housing.
[0008] Some embodiments provide an apparatus including a housing, a
first gas containment compartment in the housing, a first plurality
of sealed connectors at a wall of the first gas containment
compartment, a second gas containment compartment in the housing
adjacent the first gas containment compartment and having a wall
confronting the wall of the first gas containment compartment, and
a second plurality of sealed connectors at the wall of the second
gas containment compartment and configured to be pluggably
connected to the first plurality of sealed connectors. The
apparatus further includes a first circuit interrupter assembly in
the housing, a second circuit interrupter assembly in the housing,
a first bus assembly in the first gas containment compartment
coupling the first circuit interrupter assembly to the first
plurality of sealed connectors, and a second bus assembly in the
second gas containment compartment and coupling the second circuit
interrupter assembly to the second plurality of sealed
connectors.
[0009] Still further embodiments of the inventive subject matter
provide and apparatus including a housing, a gas-insulated
switchgear module disposed in the housing and including at least
one electrical component, a first bus module coupled to the
gas-insulated switchgear module and a second bus module coupled to
the first bus module. The bus modules may be gas-insulated and may
support parallel bus connection to the gas-insulated switchgear
module.
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.6 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