Hydrogen purge system, computer program product and related method

• US 9,203,264 B2
• Filed: 05/29/2012
• Issued: 12/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Infrastructure Technology, LLC (General Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Cano, Luis Fernando Magana, Chhatwal, Manvinder Singh, Piccirillo, Nicola, Rodick, Robert Samuel, Sampangiramaiah, Ravishankar Bagalur, Zepeda, Jose Donaciano Estrada
• Primary Examiner(s): Santana, Eduardo Colon
• Assistant Examiner(s): AGARED, GABRIEL T
• Application Number:
  US13/482,506
• Publication Number:
  US 20130320785A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,281 Days
• Field of Search: 361/23
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 9/06 with automatic change-over , e.g. UPS systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/50 Fuel cells

Abstract

Various embodiments of the invention include systems, computer program products, and related methods for managing the purging of a hydrogen-cooled dynamoelectric machine. In various embodiments, a system is disclosed including at least one computing device configured to perform the following: obtain an indication of a fault in an alternating current (AC) power supply to a hydrogen-cooled dynamoelectric machine system; determine a reserve power characteristic of a reserve energy storage device in response to obtaining the indication of the fault in the AC power supply; and extend a pre-purge cycle for the hydrogen-cooled dynamoelectric machine system based upon the reserve power characteristic of the reserve energy storage device.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

at least one computing device configured to perform the following;

obtain an indication of a fault in an alternating current (AC) power supply to a hydrogen-cooled dynamoelectric machine system;

determine a reserve power characteristic of a reserve energy storage device in response to obtaining the indication of the fault in the AC power supply; and

extend a pre-purge cycle for the hydrogen-cooled dynamoelectric machine system based upon the reserve power characteristic of the reserve energy storage device, wherein the pre-purge cycle includes a time prior to a purge process, the purge process including purging the hydrogen-cooled dynamoelectric machine system of hydrogen.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one computing device is further configured to provide a display indicating the reserve power characteristic of the reserve energy storage device.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the reserve power characteristic includes an amount of reserve power, and wherein the display indicates the amount of reserve power remaining in the reserve energy storage device on a time basis.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the determining of the reserve power characteristic of the reserve energy storage device includes determining at least one of a battery voltage level or a battery voltage slope of the reserve energy storage device.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one computing device is further configured to determine a load on the hydrogen-cooled dynamoelectric machine system.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the extending of the pre-purge cycle is further based upon the determined load on the hydrogen-cooled dynamoelectric machine system.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one computing device is further configured to send instructions to a purge unit to purge the hydrogen-cooled dynamoelectric machine system of hydrogen when the reserve power characteristic indicates an amount of reserve power remaining in the reserve energy storage device is below a threshold.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising a monitoring system operably connected with the at least one computing device and the reserve energy storage device, the monitoring system for obtaining data about a state of the reserve energy storage device.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the reserve power characteristic includes at least one of an energy storage status or a rate of discharge of the reserve energy storage device.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the reserve energy storage device is a direct current (DC) energy storage device.

11. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a monitoring device operably connected with the at least one computing system, the monitoring device being electrically connected with the reserve energy storage device,

wherein the monitoring device includes a bus voltage monitor for determining the reserve power characteristic of the reserve energy storage device.

12. A computer-implemented method comprising:

obtaining an indication of a fault in an alternating current (AC) power supply to a hydrogen-cooled dynamoelectric machine system;

determining a reserve power characteristic of a reserve energy storage device in response to obtaining the indication of the fault in the AC power supply; and

extending a pre-purge cycle for the hydrogen-cooled dynamoelectric machine system based upon the reserve power characteristic of the reserve energy storage device, wherein the pre-purge cycle includes a time prior to a purge process of purging the hydrogen-cooled dynamoelectric machine system of hydrogen.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising displaying an indication of the reserve power characteristic of the reserve energy storage device.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the reserve power characteristic includes an amount of reserve power, and wherein the displaying includes indicating the amount of reserve power remaining in the reserve energy storage device on a time basis.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the determining of the reserve power characteristic of the reserve energy storage device includes determining at least one of a battery voltage level or a battery voltage slope of the energy storage device.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising determining a load on the hydrogen-cooled dynamoelectric machine system, wherein the extending of the pre-purge cycle is further based upon the determined load on the hydrogen-cooled dynamoelectric machine system.

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising sending instructions to a purge unit to purge the hydrogen-cooled dynamoelectric machine system of hydrogen when the reserve power characteristic indicates an amount of reserve power remaining in the reserve energy storage device is below a threshold.

18. A computer program product stored on a non-transitory computer readable medium, which when executed by at least one computing device, causes the at least one computing device to:

obtain an indication of a fault in an alternating current (AC) power supply to a hydrogen-cooled dynamoelectric machine system;

determine a reserve power characteristic of a reserve energy storage device in response to obtaining the indication of the fault in the AC power supply; and

extend a pre-purge cycle for the hydrogen-cooled dynamoelectric machine system based upon the reserve power characteristic of the reserve energy storage device, wherein the pre-purge cycle includes a time prior to a purge process, the purge process including purging the hydrogen-cooled dynamoelectric machine system of hydrogen.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, which when executed, further causes the at least one computing device to send instructions to a purge unit to purge the hydrogen-cooled dynamoelectric machine system of hydrogen when the reserve power characteristic indicates an amount of reserve power remaining in the reserve energy storage device is below a threshold.