APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR IMPROVED CURRENT SHUNT SENSING

• US 20130069632A1
• Filed: 09/19/2011
• Published: 03/21/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Infrastructure Technology, LLC (GE Vernova, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Wagoner, Robert Gregory, Shepard, Mark Eugene
• Granted Patent: US 8,981,762 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 324/126
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 1/203 Resistors used for electric measuring, e.g. decade resistors standards, resistors for comparators, series resistors, shunts resistors in general H01C; microwave or radiowave terminations H01P1/26; coupling devices H01R

Abstract

An apparatus and method for improved current shunt sensing in an electrical system, such as a renewable energy electrical system, is disclosed. A current shunt according to aspects of the present disclosure includes a conductive portion that is placed in series with an electrical system The current shunt includes a sensing element that is used to measure the voltage across the conductive portion of the current shunt. The sensing element has an increased width relative to the width of the conductive portion of the shunt. The increased width of the sensing element provides for improved current shunt sensing that results in more accurate voltage (and thus current) measurements across a wide range of frequencies.

Claims

1. A current shunt, comprising:

a conductive portion having an upper surface defining a width; and

,

a sensing element overlying the upper surface of said conductive portion;

wherein said sensing element at least a part of said conductive portion and has a width in the range of about 20% to about 100% of the width of said conductive portion.

2. The current shunt of claim 1, wherein said sensing element has a width in the range of about 40% to about 100% of the width of the conductive portion.

3. The current shunt of claim 1, wherein said sensing element has a width of about 100% of the width of said conductive portion.

4. The current shunt of claim 1, wherein said current shunt comprises a pair of sensing terminals, said sensing element coupled between said pair of sensing terminals.

5. The current shunt of claim 1, wherein said sensing element comprises a wide conductor disposed adjacent the upper surface of said conductive portion.

6. The current shunt of claim 4, wherein said sensing element is disposed on a circuit card mechanically connected to said pair of sensing terminals.

7. The current shunt of claim 6, wherein said sensing element comprises a conductive trace located on said circuit card.

8. The current shunt of claim 1, wherein said conductive trace is coupled to a plug connection couplable to a voltage measurement device.

9. The current shunt of claim 1, wherein the coupling coefficient between said conductive portion and said sensing element is in the range of about 0.7 to about 1.0.

10. A current shunt for measuring current in a renewable energy electrical system, comprising:

a pair of current terminals couplable in series with the electrical system;

a conductive shunt portion between the current terminals having an upper surface defining a surface area;

a pair of sensing terminals; and

,

a circuit card mechanically coupled to said pair of sensing terminals;

wherein said circuit card comprises a conductive trace having a surface area that is within about 20% to about 100% of the surface area of said conductive shunt portion.

11. The current shunt of claim 10, wherein said conductive trace has a surface area of about 100% of the surface area of said conductive shunt portion.

12. The current shunt of claim 10, wherein said circuit card overlies at least a part of said conductive shunt portion.

13. The current shunt of claim 12, wherein the vertical spacing between said conductive trace and the upper surface of said conductive shunt portion is in the range of about 1.5 mm to about 4.5 mm.

14. The current shunt of claim 10, wherein the coupling coefficient between said conductive trace and said conductive shunt portion is in the range of about 0.7 to about 1.0

15. The current shunt of claim 10, said current shunt further comprising a plug connection coupled to said conductive trace, said plug connection couplable to a voltage measurement device.

16. A method, comprising:

providing a current shunt comprising a conductive portion having an upper surface defining a width;

sizing a sensing element used to measure voltage across the conductive portion of the current shunt to have a width in the range of about 20% to about 100% of the width of the conductive portion of the current shunt; and

,

placing the sensing element over at least a portion of the upper surface of the conductive portion of the current shunt.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the sensing element has a width of about 100% of the width of the conductive portion.

18. The method claim 16, wherein the sensing element comprises a conductive trace disposed on a circuit card.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the coupling coefficient between the conductive portion and the sensing element is in the range of about 0.7 to about 1.0.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the vertical spacing between the sensing element and the upper surface of the conductive portion is in the range of about 1.5 mm to about 4.5 mm.