Method for detecting arcs in photovoltaic systems and such a photovoltaic system

• US 8,576,520 B2
• Filed: 06/02/2010
• Issued: 11/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fronius International GmbH (G&K Privatstiftung)
• Original Assignee: Fronius International GmbH (G&K Privatstiftung)
• Inventors: Pamer, Andreas, Ritzberger, Guenter, Oberzaucher, Friedrich
• Primary Examiner(s): Barnie, Rexford N
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kitov, Zeev V
• Application Number:
  US13/389,360
• Publication Number:
  US 20120134058A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,252 Days
• Field of Search: 361/5, 361/8, 361/10, 361/42
• US Class Current: 361/5
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/1227 of components, parts or materials G01R31/1209, G01R31/1218, G01R31/18 take precedence; circuits therefor G01R31/14; testing vessels of electrodes G01R31/16
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 1/0015 Using arc detectors
• CPC Class Codes: H02S 50/10 Testing of PV devices, e.g. of PV modules or single PV cells testing of semiconductor devices during manufacturing H01L22/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/50 Photovoltaic [PV] energy

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for detecting arcs in a direct-current path of a photovoltaic system, wherein values of a current (I_DC) of the direct-current path are detected during a repeating time frame (7) and a mean value (8) is generated, and such a photovoltaic system. In order to reliably detect arcs by means of a component of the photovoltaic system, values of a voltage (U_DC), of the direct-current path are detected during the time frame (7) and a mean value (8, 8′) is generated, and at least one detection signal (9) and at least one detection threshold (10) are continuously calculated based on the mean values (8, 8′) for the current (I_DC) and the voltage (U_DC) by means of a calculation method.

Claims

1. A method for detecting arcs in a direct-current path of a photovoltaic system, comprising the following steps:

detecting values of a current (I_DC) of the direct-current path during a repeating time frame;

generating a mean value of the current (I_DC);

detecting values of a voltage (U_DC) of the direct-current path during the time frame (t);

generating a mean value of the voltage (U_DC); and

continuously calculating at least one detection signal and at least one detection threshold based on the mean value of the current and mean value of the voltage by means of a calculation method,

wherein the detection signal and the detection threshold are calculated by means of calculating a difference mean value, a long-term mean value and a long-term difference mean value of each of the current and the voltage by digital low-pass filtering, and

wherein a value is generated from the long-term difference mean value and the difference mean value of the voltage, and multiplied by a value generated from the long-term difference mean value and the difference mean value of the current to generate the detection signal.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the values of the detection signal are multiplied by a correction factor greater than 1.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the long-term mean values of the current and the voltage are multiplied to generate the detection threshold.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the detection threshold (10) is multiplied by a correction factor less than 1 for detecting a series arc.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the detection threshold is multiplied by a correction factor less than 1 for detecting a parallel arc.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein an arc is detected when the detection threshold is exceeded by the detection signal, and a distinction is made between a series arc and a parallel arc.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein after detection of an arc, said arc is extinguished.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein to extinguish the parallel arc the direct-current path is short-circuited with a switch, and to extinguish the series arc the current flow in the direct-current path is interrupted.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the functioning of the detection method is checked with a test run.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the detection method is activated after a starting process of the photovoltaic system.

11. A photovoltaic system comprising:

components for feeding power into an AC voltage grid;

a DC-DC-converter;

a DC-AC-converter for converting the DC voltage (U_DC) with associated direct current (I_DC) generated by at least one solar cell into an AC voltage (U_AC) for feeding into the AC voltage grid;

a measurement device for measuring the DC voltage (U_DC) and the direct current (I_DC), and

a control device designed for carrying out the method for detecting arcs in a direct-current path of the photovoltaic system according to claim 1.