Device for balancing parallel strings
First Claim
1. In a battery plant having a plurality of battery strings connected electrically in parallel where each of said battery strings is formed by a plurality of batteries connected electrically in series, the improvement comprising:
- magnetic circuit means in association with each of said battery strings for balancing the electrical current flow through said battery strings.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A battery plant is described which features magnetic circuit means in association with each of the battery strings in the battery plant for balancing the electrical current flow through the battery strings by equalizing the voltage across each of the battery strings. Each of the magnetic circuit means generally comprises means for sensing the electrical current flow through one of the battery strings, and a saturable reactor having a main winding connected electrically in series with the battery string, a bias winding connected to a source of alternating current and a control winding connected to a variable source of direct current controlled by the sensing means. Each of the battery strings is formed by a plurality of batteries connected electrically in series, and these battery strings are connected electrically in parallel across common bus conductors.
56 Citations
17 Claims
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1. In a battery plant having a plurality of battery strings connected electrically in parallel where each of said battery strings is formed by a plurality of batteries connected electrically in series, the improvement comprising:
magnetic circuit means in association with each of said battery strings for balancing the electrical current flow through said battery strings. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A battery plant system, comprising:
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power conditioning means for converting alternating current electrical power to direct current electrical power during the charging of said battery plant and converting direct current electrical power to alternating current electrical power during the discharging of said battery plant; a plurality of battery strings connected electrically in parallel across common bus conductors to said power conditioning means; a plurality of battery modules connected electrically in series to form each of said battery strings; bypass switching means, in association with each of said battery modules, for redirecting electrical current flow around a failed battery module in response to a failure condition; and magnetic circuit means in association with each of said battery strings for balancing the electrical current flow through said battery strings in response to at least one failed battery module by equalizing the voltages across said common bus conductors for each of said battery strings. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A method of balancing the electrical current flow through a plurality of battery strings which are connected electrically in parallel and in which each of said battery strings is formed by a plurality of batteries connected electrically in series, comprising the steps of:
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providing a saturable reactor in association with each of said battery strings such that each of said saturable reactors has a main winding connected electrically in series with one of said battery strings; sensing the electrical current flow through each of said battery strings; and controlling the magnetic flux density through a magnetic core of each of said saturable reactors such that the voltages across each of said main windings equalizes the voltages across common bus conductors for each of said battery strings.
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Specification