Connecting system for connection of an electric machine to a converter

• US 9,438,094 B2
• Filed: 04/16/2013
• Issued: 09/06/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Technology GmbH (GE Vernova, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Alstom Technology Ltd. (Alstom SA)
• Inventors: Fried, Not-Curdin, Novosel, Damir, Hediger, Daniel, Arndt, Andre, Safari Zadeh, Hossein, Vienne, Gregoire
• Primary Examiner(s): Kenerly, Terrance
• Assistant Examiner(s): SINGH, ALEXANDER A
• Application Number:
  US13/863,452
• Publication Number:
  US 20140306558A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,239 Days
• Field of Search: 174/526, 174/50, 174/24, 174/125.1, 174/33, 174/32, 174/377, 174/392, 310/59, 310/71, 307/147, 307/148, 307/91, 361/600, 361/611, 361/601, 363/148, 363/150
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 3/40 for high voltage, e.g. affording protection against corona discharges
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 47/00 Dynamo-electric converters
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 47/18 AC/AC converters
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 47/20 Motor/generators
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 47/22 Single-armature frequency converters with or without phase-number conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 47/30 Single-armature phase-number converters without frequency conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 5/225 Terminal boxes or connection arrangements specially adapted for submersible motors H02K5/132
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 9/28 Cooling of commutators, slip-rings or brushes e.g. by ventilating

Abstract

The arrangement of an electric machine, a connecting system and a converter, includes the connecting system connected between the electric machine and the converter. The connecting system has an enclosure that houses non-shielded conductors each non-shielded conductor is connected between a phase of the electric machine and the inner side of the converter. The non-shielded conductors of the connecting system that are connected to an operating phase of the electric machine are adjacent to conductors of the connecting system that are not connected to operating phases of the electric machine.

Claims

1. Arrangement of an electric machine, comprising:

a connecting system and a converter,

wherein the electric machine has more than three phases, the connecting system is connected between the electric machine and the converter, and the converter has an inner side connected to the connecting system and an outer side,

wherein the connecting system has an enclosure that houses non-shielded conductors, each non-shielded conductor is connected between a phase of the electric machine and the inner side of the converter,

wherein the converter outer side has a number of phases that is different from the number of phases of the electric machine,

wherein a number of phases of the electric machine equal to or greater than the number of phases of the converter outer side operates substantially at a same time, first non-shielded conductors of the connecting system are connected to an operating phase of the electric machine and are adjacent to second non-shielded conductors of the connecting system that are not connected to operating phases of the electric machine,

wherein adjacent first and second non-shielded conductors are not connected to operating phases at the same time so that a differential voltage between these adjacent conductors is substantially zero,

wherein at each moment in time an operating phase of the electric machine is a phase through which current passes, and

wherein the adjacent first and second non-shielded conductors are those conductors that are partly and fully included in a circular zone centered at a center of the cross section of the conductors.

2. Arrangement according to claim 1, wherein each of the conductors that is connected to a conducting phase of the electric machine is not adjacent to the conductors of the connecting system that are connected to the phases of the electric machine that are electrically shifted zero or one or two steps forward or backward with respect to the other conducting phases of the electric machine.

3. Arrangement according to claim 2, wherein the adjacent conductors are those conductors that are at least partly included in a circular zone with a given radius and centered in the center of the cross section of the conductor.

4. Arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the given radius is a radius in which losses due to proximity effect are negligible.

5. Arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the phases of the electric machine that operate substantially at the same time are electrically equidistant from one another.

6. Arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the electric machine is an electric generator.

7. Arrangement according to claim 1, wherein a radius of the circular zone is equal to a diameter sum divided by two plus a shortest distance between two adjacent conductors, the diameter sum being equal to a diameter of the first non-shielded conductor plus the diameters of the second non-shielded conductors.

8. A connecting system for connection of an electric machine to a converter, comprising:

an enclosure made of an electrically conductive material that houses more than three non-shielded conductors, wherein the non-shielded conductors have a tubular structure with inlets and outlets for a cooling gas,

wherein adjacent non-shielded conductors are not connected to operating phases at the same time so that a differential voltage between these adiacent conductors is substantially zero, and

wherein the adjacent conductors are those conductors that are partly and fully included in a circular zone centered at a center of the cross section of the conductors.

9. The connecting system of claim 8, wherein the non-shielded conductors have a tubular structure with inlets and outlets for a cooling gas.

10. The connecting system of claim 9, wherein at least the inlets are defined by apertures in the non-shielding conductors, wherein the apertures open inside of the enclosure.

11. The connecting system of claim 10, wherein the enclosure has at least a chamber that partly houses the conductors, wherein the inlets of the conductors open in the chamber and the outlets open outside of the chamber.

12. The connecting system of claim 11, further comprising a fan or compressor to supply a cooling gas into the chamber.

13. The connecting system of claim 8, wherein the enclosure includes at least a fan or compressor for conveying a cooling gas around the non-shielded conductors.

14. The connecting system of claim 8, further comprising a purge system for the enclosure.

15. The connecting system of claim 14, wherein the enclosure includes walls defining a cooling circuit.

16. The connecting system of claim 8, wherein the enclosure includes walls defining a cooling circuit.

17. The connecting system of claim 16, wherein walls are connected to and extend from the enclosure, wherein the walls have at least a bypass zone connected to the enclosure.

18. The connecting system of claim 8, further comprising a heater to heat the inside of the enclosure.

19. The connecting system of claim 8, wherein a radius of the circular zone is equal to a diameter sum divided by two plus a shortest distance between two adjacent conductors, the diameter sum being equal to a diameter of a first non-shielded conductor plus the diameters of second non-shielded conductors.