Method and device for monitoring ageing of electric equipment

• US 9,322,762 B2
• Filed: 03/04/2013
• Issued: 04/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Schneider Electric Industries SAS (Schneider Electric SE)
• Original Assignee: Schneider Electric Industries SAS (Schneider Electric SE)
• Inventors: Houdray, Marc, Cercueil, Michel
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Toan
• Application Number:
  US13/783,921
• Publication Number:
  US 20130231872A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,149 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 17/00 Investigating resistance of materials to the weather, to corrosion, or to light
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4065 Monitoring tool breakage, life or condition

Abstract

A monitoring method, device, and electric installation for monitoring ageing of at least one electric equipment unit. The monitoring method includes entering and storing ageing computation data by type of equipment, measuring physical quantities representative of environmental conditions of the electric equipment unit, the measuring of the physical quantities including measuring humidity content with a humidity sensor and measuring salinity content with a salinity sensor, computing ageing according to the measured physical quantities including the humidity content and the salinity content, and according to the stored ageing computation data, and generating electric equipment ageing data that indicates the ageing of the electric equipment unit.

Claims

1. A monitoring method for monitoring ageing of at least one electric equipment unit, the monitoring method comprising:

entering and storing ageing computation data by type of equipment,

measuring physical quantities representative of environmental conditions of the electric equipment unit, the measuring of the physical quantities including measuring humidity content with a humidity sensor and measuring salinity content with a salinity sensor;

computing, by processing circuitry, ageing according to said measured physical quantities including the humidity content and the salinity content, and according to the stored ageing computation data; and

generating, by the processing circuitry, electric equipment ageing data that indicates the ageing of the electric equipment unit.

2. The monitoring method according to claim 1, further comprising:

counting operations of the electric equipment unit;

measuring conditions of the operations of the electric equipment unit; and

recording data representative of operations associated with broken current values.

3. The monitoring method according to claim 1, wherein the measuring of physical quantities representative of environmental conditions comprises:

temperature measuring and storing by a sensor close to said electric equipment unit,

storing the humidity content,

storing the salinity content, and/or

measuring and storing amplitude and frequency of vibrations.

4. The monitoring method according to claim 1, wherein the computing of ageing comprises:

computing ageing of a mechanical part and/or of wear of electric contacts of said equipment unit,

computing ageing of an electronic part of said equipment unit, and/or

computing ageing of an electromagnetic actuator of said electric equipment unit.

5. The monitoring method according to claim 1, further comprising determining ageing acceleration factors.

6. The monitoring method according to claim 5, further comprising selecting a maximum ageing acceleration factor from several ageing acceleration factors.

7. The monitoring method according to claim 5, further comprising modifying a value of the ageing acceleration factor due to temperature from a temperature threshold.

8. The monitoring method according to claim 1, further comprising combining an ageing acceleration factor due to temperature with ageing acceleration factors representative of an ambient temperature, of an electric load, of harmonic current effects and/or of a tightness rating of said electric equipment unit.

9. A device for monitoring ageing of at least one electric equipment unit, the device comprising:

processing circuitry designed to be connected to the at least one electric equipment unit, and configured to

enter and store ageing computation data by type of equipment,

measure physical quantities representative of environmental conditions of the electric equipment unit, including measuring of humidity content with a humidity sensor and measuring of salinity content with a salinity sensor,

compute ageing according to said measured physical quantities including the humidity content and the salinity content, and according to the stored ageing computation data, and

generate electric equipment ageing data that indicates the ageing of the electric equipment unit.

10. The monitoring device according to claim 9, wherein said processing circuitry is further configured to

store characteristics for computing ageing of electric equipment units,

measure inputs designed to be connected to measurement sensors of environmental physical quantities, and

indicate ageing of the electric equipment units.

11. The monitoring device according to claim 9, further comprising measurement sensors to measure environmental physical quantities, the measurement sensors being connected to said processing circuitry.

12. The monitoring device according to claim 11, wherein the measurement sensors that measure the environmental physical quantities comprise:

a temperature sensor situated in a space close to said electric equipment unit,

the humidity sensor,

the salinity sensor, and/or

a vibration amplitude and frequency sensor.

13. An electric installation that monitors ageing of at least one electric equipment unit, the electric installation comprising:

communication means for connecting to the electric equipment unit;

means for entering and storing ageing computation data by type of equipment;

means for measuring physical quantities representative of environmental conditions of the electric equipment unit, the means for measuring including measuring humidity content and measuring salinity content;

means for computing ageing according to said measured physical quantities including the humidity content and the salinity content, and according to the stored ageing computation data; and

means for generating electric equipment ageing data that indicates the ageing of the electric equipment unit.

14. The electric installation according to claim 13, further comprising a plurality of electric equipment units connected by the communication means to the means for computing.