Distributed temperature sensing system for stator windings
First Claim
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1. Method for monitoring temperature within connected coil sections in a stator core of an electric generator wherein each coil section comprises a plurality of arrays of electrical conductors, the method comprising the steps of:
- forming an aperture extending lengthwise through at least one of the electrical conductors to create at least one hollow core conductor in each array of conductors in each coil section;
forming a continuous acoustic waveguide by interconnecting corresponding ones of the hollow core conductors in each of the coil sections of a coil winding;
transmitting an acoustic probe signal into a first end of the waveguide;
detecting the transmitted and a reflected probe signal; and
analyzing the detected signal for determining temperature along the hollow core conductor.
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Abstract
Method and apparatus for monitoring temperature along coil sections in a winding of an electromagnetic machine wherein each coil section comprises a plurality of electrical conductors. One or more hollow core conductors are placed in each coil section during manufacture of the coil sections. Before or after the stator core winding is installed, a distributed sensor probe is threaded through selected hollow core conductors for monitoring the temperature along the coil sections.
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Citations
12 Claims
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1. Method for monitoring temperature within connected coil sections in a stator core of an electric generator wherein each coil section comprises a plurality of arrays of electrical conductors, the method comprising the steps of:
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forming an aperture extending lengthwise through at least one of the electrical conductors to create at least one hollow core conductor in each array of conductors in each coil section; forming a continuous acoustic waveguide by interconnecting corresponding ones of the hollow core conductors in each of the coil sections of a coil winding; transmitting an acoustic probe signal into a first end of the waveguide; detecting the transmitted and a reflected probe signal; and analyzing the detected signal for determining temperature along the hollow core conductor. - View Dependent Claims (2)
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3. Apparatus for monitoring temperature along at least one coil section in an electromagnetic machine having a plurality of selectively interconnected coil sections, each of the coil sections comprising a plurality of electrically conductive strands, the improvement comprising:
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at least one hollow core electrically conductive strand positioned in at least one coil section as an integral current carrying conductor, said hollow core being formed so as to act as an acoustic waveguide having first and second ends extending outward of the coil section; means for transmitting an acoustic signal into the first end of the waveguide; a first acoustic transducer coupled to the first end of said waveguide for receiving reflected portions of said acoustic signal; a second acoustic transducer coupled to the second end of said waveguide for receiving portions of said acoustic signal transmitted through said waveguide; and analyzing means coupled to said first and second transducers for deriving from said reflected and transmitted signal portions data representative of the maximum temperature and its location along said waveguide.
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4. A method for monitoring temperature within connected coil section forming a coil winding in an electromagnetic machine wherein each of the coil sections comprises a plurality of electrical conductors, the method comprising the steps of:
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forming an aperture extending lengthwise through at least one of the electrical conductors to create at least one hollow core electrically conductive member in each of the coil sections; threading a distributed sensor probe comprising an infrared optical fiber through the hollow core electrically conductive member; receiving infrared radiation from the probe produced by localized heating of the probe and transmitted to an end thereof through the infrared optical fiber of the probe; and converting the received radiation into data indicative of the temperature of the localized heating. - View Dependent Claims (5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. Method for directly monitoring temperature in a coil section in a stator core of an electric generator or motor wherein the coil section compresses a plurality of arrays of electrical conductors, the method comprising the steps of:
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positioning at least one hollow core electrical conductor member in at least one array of conductors; threading a sensor probe comprising an infrared optical fiber through the at least one hollow core member; acquiring data from the sensor probe indicative of temperature at determinable locations along the hollow core member; and coupling a first infrared detector to a first end of the optical fiber; and monitoring, with the detector, relative radiation intensity in two infrared frequency bands for acquiring data to determine the maximum temperature along the optical fiber. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12)
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Specification