Generator interior cooling gas monitor and monitor system

• US 6,456,095 B1
• Filed: 09/28/2000
• Issued: 09/24/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kansai Electric Power Company Incorporated, Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kansai Electric Power Company Incorporated, Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Takashima, Mitsuru, Sorita, Tetsuji
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, N.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Vincent Q.
• Application Number:
  US09/671,157
• Time in Patent Office: 726 Days
• Field of Search: 250/22.2, 250/221, 250/222.1, 356/437, 356/438, 356/346, 324/703, 324/772, 324/312, 324/318
• US Class Current: 324/703
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 49/0422 for gaseous samples interfaces to gas chromatographs G01N30/7206

Abstract

A generator interior cooling gas monitor includes a cooling gas introduction pipe for introducing a cooling gas into the interior of a generator, a mass spectrograph connected to the cooling gas introduction pipe for separating the substances in the cooling gas introduced through the cooling gas introduction pipe according to the masses of each of the substances and detecting the mass, and a computer for subjecting mass data detected by the mass spectrograph to an arithmetic operation and displaying the result of the arithmetic operation.

Claims

1. A generator interior cooling gas monitor, comprising:

a cooling gas introduction pipe connected to a generator for introducing a cooling gas from a generator into the monitor;

a separator connected to said cooling gas introduction pipe, said separator extracting a main component of the cooling gas introduced through said cooling gas introduction pipe, thereby increasing concentration of substances in the cooling gas;

a mass spectrograph connected to said cooling gas introduction pipe for separating the substances in the cooling gas introduced through said separator according to masses of each of the substances, detecting the masses, and producing mass data; and

a computer for subjecting the mass data produced by said mass spectrograph to arithmetic operation and displaying results of the arithmetic operation.

2. The generator interior cooling gas monitor according to claim 1, further comprising a thermal cracking heater heating the cooling gas to at least 350°

C. and disposed in said cooling gas introduction pipe for thermally cracking the substances in the cooling gas flowing through said cooling gas introduction pipe.

3. The generator interior cooling gas monitor according to claim 1, further comprising a pipe heater for heating the cooling gas to at least 150°

C. and disposed in said cooling gas introduction pipe for preventing the substances in an cooling gas from depositing on the inner wall surface of said cooling gas introduction pipe.

4. The generator interior cooling gas monitor according to claim 1, further comprising:

an inert gas cylinder connected to said cooling gas introduction pipe; and

a gas switch valve disposed in said cooling gas introduction pipe, wherein the cooling gas is introduced into said cooling gas introduction pipe when a monitor operation is performed and an inert gas in the inert gas cylinder is introduced into said cooling gas introduction pipe when the monitor operation is not performed and said gas switch valve is switched so that pressure in said cooling gas introduction pipe is kept constant at all times.

5. The generator interior cooling gas monitor according to claim 1, further comprising a mechanism for introducing a calibration sample into said mass spectrograph, whereby sensitivity of and mass measurement by said mass spectrograph can be automatically calibrated.

6. The generator interior cooling gas monitor according to claim 1, wherein said mass spectrograph includes a housing having a temperature regulation mechanism and a vibration suppression mechanism.

7. The generator interior cooling gas monitor according to claim 1, including a cooling gas switch valve wherein said cooling gas introduction pipe includes a plurality of branch pipes on an upstream side, connected through said cooling gas switch valve, the plurality of branch pipes being connected to respective generators, for monitoring any of the generators by switching of said cooling gas switch valve.

8. The generator interior cooling gas monitor according to claim 1, wherein all operations, such as introduction of the cooling gas, analysis by said mass spectrograph, control of pressure, processing of the mass data, and display of the results, are controlled by said computer and the generator is automatically monitored without assistance of an attendant.

9. The generator interior cooling gas monitor according to claim 1, wherein when said computer determines that the generator is overheated or purity of the cooling gas is reduced, said computer shortens intervals at which the cooling gas is introduced and intervals at which analysis is carried out by said mass spectrograph and again determines if the generator is overheating and the purity of the cooling gas is reduced.

10. The generator interior cooling gas monitor according to claim 1, including an external storing unit so that said computer can periodically store the data in said external storing unit.

11. The generator interior cooling gas monitor according to claim 1, wherein the cooling gas is hydrogen gas and said computer calculates total detected intensities of a substance having mass number 2 and total detected intensities of substances having other mass numbers, based on the data produced by said mass spectrograph, and monitors purity of the cooling gas from a ratio of the total detected intensities.

12. The generator interior cooling gas monitor according to claim 1, wherein the cooling gas is air and said computer calculates total detected intensifies of substances having mass numbers 28 and 32 and total detected intensifies of the substances not having the mass numbers 28 and 32, based on the data produced by said mass spectrograph, and monitors purity of the cooling gas from a ratio of the total detected intensities.

13. The generator interior cooling gas monitor according to claim 1, wherein said computer calculates total detected intensities of substances having mass numbers ranging from 5 to 300 and monitors overheating in the generator from changes in the total detected intensities as time passes.

14. The generator interior cooling gas monitor according to claim 1, wherein said computer calculates a change, as time passes, of detected intensities of mass numbers 119, 213, and 228, based on the data produced by said mass spectrograph and determines presence or absence of bisphenol A, amount of bisphenol A, and when the bisphenol A is present and increases, to detect overheating in the generator.

15. The generator interior cooling gas monitor system, wherein a plurality of the monitors according to claim 1 are connected to each other through a computer network so that any of the monitors can perform monitoring and determination referring to the data produced by others of the monitors.

16. The generator interior cooling gas monitor system, wherein the monitor according to claim 1 is connected to a second monitor through a computer network so that the monitor can perform monitoring and determination referring to data produced at the second monitor unit.

17. A generator interior cooling gas monitor comprising:

a cooling gas introduction pipe connected to a generator for introducing a cooling gas from a generator into the monitor;

a mass spectrograph connected to said cooling gas introduction pipe for separating the substances in the cooling gas introduced through said separator according to masses of each of the substances, detecting the masses, and producing mass data; and

a computer for subjecting the mass data produced by said mass spectrograph to arithmetic operation and displaying results of the arithmetic operation, wherein said cooling gas introduction pipe has an inner diameter reduced at a portion to provide a pressure difference between the generator and said mass spectrograph.