COMPRESSOR SENSOR MODULE

• US 20090119036A1
• Filed: 10/30/2008
• Published: 05/07/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Copeland Corporation LLC (Emerson Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: Emerson Climate Technologies Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Inventors: Jayanth, Nagaraj, Renken, Troy W.
• Granted Patent: US 9,140,728 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/60
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 2203/0201 Current
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 2203/0202 Voltage
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 2203/0208 Power
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 35/04 the means being electric
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 39/121 Casings
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 49/065 and making use of computers
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 51/00 Testing machines, pumps, or pumping installations
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 27/00 Control, e.g. regulation, of pumps, pumping installations or pumping systems specially adapted for elastic fluids
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 27/001 Testing thereof; Determination or simulation of flow characteristics; Stall or surge detection, e.g. condition monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 27/02 Surge control surge detection F04D27/001
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 21/00 Arrangements for measuring electric power or power factor G01R7/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 21/133 by using digital technique
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 7/0822 Integrated protection, motor control centres

Abstract

A sensor module for a compressor having an electric motor connected to a power supply and a processor disposed within an electrical enclosure of the compressor is provided, with the electrical enclosure being configured to house electrical terminals for connecting the power supply to the electric motor. The sensor module includes a first input connected to a voltage sensor that generates a voltage signal corresponding to a voltage of the power supply and a second input connected to a current sensor that generates a current signal corresponding to a current of the power supply. The processor is connected to the first and second inputs. The processor may calculate a power factor of the compressor, detect an unexpected variation in the power supply, and/or detect a mechanical malfunction of the compressor based on the voltage measurements and the current measurements.

Claims

1. A sensor module for a compressor having an electric motor connected to a power supply, the sensor module comprising:

a first input connected to a first voltage sensor that generates a voltage signal corresponding to a voltage of said power supply;

a second input connected to a first current sensor that generates a current signal corresponding to a current of said power supply;

a processor connected to said first and second inputs that calculates a power factor of said compressor based on voltage measurements from said first input and current measurements from said second input;

wherein said processor is disposed within an electrical enclosure of said compressor, said electrical enclosure being configured to house electrical terminals for connecting said power supply to said electric motor.

2. The sensor module of claim 1 wherein said processor is disposed within a tamper-resistant enclosure within said electrical enclosure.

3. The sensor module of claim 1 wherein said processor calculates an active power and an apparent power of said compressor based on said voltage measurements from said first input and current measurements from said second input and calculates said power factor according to a ratio of said active power to said apparent power.

4. The sensor module of claim 1 wherein said processor determines a voltage waveform based on voltage measurements from said first input and a current waveform based on current measurements from said second input and calculates said power factor according to an angular difference between said current waveform and said voltage waveform.

5. The sensor module of claim 1 wherein said processor calculates a power consumption of said compressor based on said voltage measurements from said first input and said current measurements from said second input.

6. The sensor module of claim 5 wherein said processor calculates an active power of said compressor based on said voltage measurements from said first input and said current measurements from said second input and calculates said power consumption by averaging said active power over a time period.

7. The sensor module of claim 1 further comprising a communication port for communicating information from said sensor module to at least one of:

a control module for said compressor, a system controller for a system associated with said compressor, a portable computing device, and a network device.

8. The sensor module of claim 7 wherein said information includes at least one of:

said power factor, a calculated active power, a calculated apparent power, and a calculated power consumption of said compressor.

9. The sensor module of claim 1, wherein said power supply includes first, second, and third phases, wherein said voltage signal generated by said first voltage sensor corresponds to said first phase, and wherein said current signal generated by said first current sensor corresponds to said first phase, said sensor module further comprising:

a third input connected to a second voltage sensor that generates a voltage signal corresponding to a voltage of said second phase;

a fourth input connected to a third voltage sensor that generates a voltage signal corresponding to a voltage of said third phase;

wherein said processor is connected to said third and fourth inputs and calculates said power factor based on voltage measurements received from said third and fourth inputs.

10. The sensor module of claim 9 wherein said processor estimates a current of said second phase and a current of said third phase and calculates said power factor based on said estimated currents of said second and third phases.

11. The sensor module of claim 10 wherein said processor calculates an active power and an apparent power of said compressor based on said voltage measurements from said first input, said current measurements from said second input, said voltage measurements from said third input, said voltage measurements from said fourth input and said estimated currents of said second and third phases and calculates said power factor according to a ratio of said active power to said apparent power.

12. The sensor module of claim 9 further comprising:

a fifth input connected to a second current sensor that generates a current signal corresponding to a current of said second phase;

wherein said processor is connected to said fifth input and calculates said power factor based on current measurements received from said fifth input.

13. The sensor module of claim 12 wherein said processor estimates a current of said third phase and calculates said power factor based on said estimated current of said third phase.

14. The sensor module of claim 13 wherein said processor calculates an active power and an apparent power of said compressor based on said voltage measurements from said first input, said current measurements from said second input, said voltage measurements from said third input, said voltage measurements from said fourth input, said current measurements from said fifth input, and said estimated current of said third phase and calculates said power factor according to a ratio of said active power to said apparent power.

15. The sensor module of claim 9 further comprising:

a fifth input connected to a second current sensor that generates a current signal corresponding to a current of said second phase; and

a sixth input connected to a third current sensor that generates a current signal corresponding to a current of said third phase;

wherein said processor is connected to said fifth and sixth inputs and calculates said power factor based on current measurements received from said fifth and sixth inputs.

16. The sensor module of claim 15 wherein said processor calculates an active power and an apparent power of said compressor based on said voltage measurements from said first input, said current measurements from said second input, said voltage measurements from said third input, said voltage measurements from said fourth input, said current measurements from said fifth input, and said current measurements from said sixth input and calculates said power factor according to a ratio of said active power to said apparent power.

17-48. -48. (canceled)

49. For a sensor module with a processor disposed within an electrical enclosure of a compressor having an electric motor connected to a power supply, said electrical enclosure being configured to house electrical terminals for connecting said power supply to said electric motor, a method comprising:

receiving voltage measurements of said power supply from a first voltage sensor connected to said sensor module;

receiving current measurements of said power supply from a first current sensor connected to said sensor module;

calculating a power factor of said compressor based on said voltage measurements and said current measurements;

generating an output based on said power factor.

50. The method of claim 49 wherein said calculating said power factor comprises:

calculating an active power and an apparent power of said compressor based on said voltage measurements and said current measurements;

calculating said power factor according to a ratio of said active power to said apparent power.

51. The method of claim 49 wherein said calculating said power factor comprises:

determining a voltage waveform based on said voltage measurements;

determining a current waveform based on said current measurements;

calculating said power factor according to an angular difference between said current waveform and said voltage waveform.

52. The method of claim 49 further comprising:

calculating a power consumption of said compressor based on said voltage measurements and said current measurements.

53-143. -143. (canceled)