Protective control method and apparatus for power devices

• US 20040264094A1
• Filed: 05/06/2004
• Published: 12/30/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Genesis Group Inc.
• Original Assignee: Genesis Group Inc.
• Inventors: Saleh, Saleh Abed Al-aziz Mohammed, Rahman, Md Azizur
• Application Number:
  US10/839,376
• Publication Number:
  US 20040264094A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 361/115
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 1/0092 concerning the data processing means, e.g. expert systems, neural networks
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 7/0455 taking into account saturation of current transformers

Abstract

A protective control apparatus and method is disclosed for protecting the operation of a power device upon detection of an internal fault condition. The power device has a circuit breaker for connecting the power device to a power supply. The protective control apparatus comprises a current measuring unit operatively connected to the power device for measuring currents within the power device and a protective relay processing unit connected to the current measuring unit for receiving the measured currents and connected to the circuit breaker for providing a control signal thereto. The protective relay processing unit performs a multi-resolution analysis of the measured currents preferably using Wavelet Packet Transform decomposition, to detect the internal fault condition, and upon detection of the internal fault condition, provides a control signal to disable the circuit breaker.

Claims

1. A protective control apparatus for protecting the operation of a power device upon detection of an internal fault condition, the power device having a circuit breaker with at least one switch for connecting the power device to a power supply, the protective control apparatus comprising:

a) a current measuring unit operatively connected to the power device for measuring currents within the power device; and

,

b) a protective relay processing unit connected to the current measuring unit for receiving the measured currents and connected to the circuit breaker for providing at least one control signal thereto, wherein the protective relay processing unit performs a multi-resolution analysis of the measured currents to detect the internal fault condition, and upon detection of the internal fault condition, provides the at least one control signal to disable the at least one switch of the circuit breaker.

2. The protective control apparatus of claim 1, wherein the multi-resolution analysis comprises wavelet decomposition.

3. The protective control apparatus of claim 2, wherein the wavelet decomposition comprises at least two levels of wavelet packet transform decomposition.

4. The protective control apparatus of claim 2, wherein the protective relay processing unit comprises:

a) an isolation unit connected to the current measuring unit;

b) a main unit connected to the isolation unit for performing the wavelet analysis and generating an output signal; and

,

c) a control unit connected to the main unit and the circuit breaker, for receiving the output signal and generating the at least one control signal,

wherein, the isolation unit and the control unit isolate the protective relay processing unit from the power device.

5. The protective control apparatus of claim 2, wherein the power device has a primary and a secondary and the current measuring unit is a differential current measuring unit for measuring the differential of currents in the primary and the secondary of the power device.

6. A method of protecting the operation of a power device upon detection of an internal fault condition, the power device having a circuit breaker with at least one switch for connecting the power device to a power supply, the method comprising:

a) measuring currents within the power device;

b) applying multi-resolution analysis to the measured currents for detecting the internal fault condition; and

,

c) providing at least one control signal to the circuit breaker, wherein upon detection of the internal fault condition, the at least one control signal is provided to disable the at least one switch of the circuit breaker.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the multi-resolution analysis comprises wavelet analysis.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the wavelet analysis comprises at least two levels of wavelet packet transform decomposition.