Electrical equipment

Method and apparatus for safely cleaning a live equipment.: The method and apparatus are for safely cleaning live equipment. The method comprises the steps of heating a water-based solution by means of an apparatus to produce superheated steam; grounding this apparatus; conducting the superheated steam through an insulated conduct; and concentrating this superheated steam into a pressurized jet at an output of the insulated conduct. After the step of grounding the apparatus, the method further comprises the step of applying the pressurized jet through the insulated conduct output, onto the live equipment to be cleaned.

No. Application, patent (CA) : CA 2432502
No. Application, patent (USA) : 7,424,892
Switching apparatus and method for an electric power transmission line section.: The invention concerns a switching apparatus designed to be used with an electric power transmission line section comprising several phase lines. Each of the phase lines includes several conductors electrically insulated from one another and connected in parallel. The conductors of each phase line are mutually shorted out at two ends of the section. The apparatus comprises pairs of switches connected in parallel, for selectively opening and closing each phase line conductors, a sensing device for detecting the section current operating conditions, and a control device for controlling the switch pairs based on the section current operating conditions. The invention also concerns a switching method.

No. Application, patent (CA) : CA 2353706
No. Application, patent (USA) : 6,396,172
Remote luminous radiation heating method and device.: A remote luminous radiation heating method and device. The device comprises a support, narrow-beam lamps mounted on said support, whereby each lamp can produce a luminous beam with a central axis of projection, and convergence means that cooperate with the support and lamps in order to direct the lamps in such a way that the central axes of the beams converge towards a focal area in order to heat an object. The method comprises the following steps: the lights are supplied with power and are directed by the support in such a way as to enable the centre axes of the luminous beams that are produced by the lights to converge towards the focal area in order to heat the object.

No. Application, patent (CA) : CA 2360302
No. Application, patent (USA) : 6,226,454
Switching apparatus and method for varying a phase line impedance of an electric power transport line section.: The invention concerns a switching apparatus and method for varying the impedance of a phase line of an electric power transport line section. The phase line comprises n electrically conductors isolated from one another and mutually shorted out at two ends of the section. The apparatus comprises, for each of at least one of the n conductors, a passive component and a pair of electromechanical and electronic switches, the pair of switches being adapted to selectively connect and disconnect the passive component in series with the corresponding conductor, the switches of each pair being controllable independently. The apparatus also comprises a sensing device for detecting the phase line current operating conditions and a control device for controlling each pair of switches based on the current operating conditions.

No. Application, patent (CA) : CA 2428273
No. Application, patent (USA) : 7,235,900
Apparatus and method for modifying a power flux in an electrical transmission line section.: The invention concerns an apparatus and a method for modifying a power flux in an electrical transmission line section (6, 8), each section including phase lines having n conductors (10, 12) electrically insulated from one another and shorted at the ends (40) of the section. The apparatus comprises a power exchange unit including a power converter (18) for power conversion between first and second pairs of terminals (20, 22), the first pair of terminals (20) being connected in series to at least one conductor of the section; and an electrical element (24) connected to the second pair of terminals (22) and adapted to circulate power through the power converter to modify said power flux.

No. Application, patent (CA) : CA 2504216
No. Application, patent (USA) : 7,157,812
Switching apparatus and method for varying an impedance of a phase line of a segment of an electrical power line.: The switching apparatus and the method are for varying the impedance of a phase line of a segment of an electrical power line. The phase line includes n conductors electrically insulated from each other and short-circuited together at two ends of the segment. The apparatus comprises at least one first vacuum interrupter connected in series with at least one of the conductors; at least one first controllable motor for selectively opening and closing the at least one first vacuum interrupter; a detector for detecting a parameter representative of current operating conditions of the phase line; and a controller for controlling the at least one first controllable motor according to the parameter detected by the detector.

No. Application, patent (CA) : CA 2569267
No. Application, patent (USA) : 7,639,460
Appliance and method for monitoring a phase line of a section of an electrical energy grid line.: An appliance and a method are intended to monitor a phase line of a section of an electrical energy grid line. The appliance comprises a device for monitoring a parameter of a phase line. The parameter is representative of routine operating conditions of the phase line and has a known propagation speed. The appliance also comprises a device for generating an event detection signal each time the parameter has a value that exceeds a threshold, and for storing a reception time when the detection signal is generated. The appliance also has a device for sending a signal representative of a geographic location of the end of the section and a device for performing a geographic location of the event once two consecutive detection signals are generated from the signal representative of the geographic location, and reception times associated with the two detection signals.

No. Application, patent (CA) : CA 2692022
No. Application, patent (USA) : 12/665686
Method and device for measuring the temperature of a hot spot in an oil-containing electric apparatus.: The invention relates to a method for measuring the real temperature of a hot spot in an oil-containing electric apparatus, such as a power transformer. The electric apparatus is operated in predetermined and changeable operating conditions. The method comprises using one or more chemical compounds or tracers present and soluble in the oil. Each tracer is capable of conversion at a given temperature in order to form a residue such as a soluble gas. Due to the presence of residue in the oil, the operator can determine in which predetermined operational conditions the hot spot has been reached, and derive therefrom the hot spot for a given condition. The different compounds used include diazoic compounds, carbonyl metals, dyes, pigments, liquid crystals or albumins. The method can also be used for checking the quality of the marketed apparatus and estimating the lifespan thereof.

No. Application, patent (CA) : CA 2712805
No. Application, patent (USA) : 12/866693
Dynamic and non-contact measurement of displacement or of permittivity by use of a capacitive sensor.: A method for dynamic and non-contact measurement of the displacement of a conductive substance with respect to a capacitive sensor formed by two parallel conductive plates, superimposed, electrically insulated from one another, and fed by a high frequency signal having a predetermined voltage, the capacitive sensor being connected to a device for detecting a current value. Also disclosed is a method for dynamic and non-contact measurement of the permittivity of a dielectric substance between a conductive part and a capacitive sensor of the above-mentioned type.

No. Application, patent (USA) : 6075464
Coupling device controllable using a pole.: The invention relates to a coupling device for attaching an assembly, such as a fall prevention device, to an anchoring structural member using a pole. The device includes an elongate member to which the equipment is attached. A coupling head slides along the elongate member. The coupling head includes a hook defining an opening into which the structural anchoring member can be inserted. An actuation mechanism actuates a member for closing the opening in response to the sliding movement of the coupling head relative to the elongate member. An tie member removable from the pole is used for sliding the coupling head relative to the elongate member in response to a movement of the pole when the structural anchoring member is inserted into the opening.

No. Application, patent (CA) : CA 2676182
No. Application, patent (USA) : 8,104,811
Manipulator for lifting the conductors of a live electric line from a first pole to a second pole.: The invention relates to a manipulator for lifting the conductors of a live electric line from a first pole to a second pole. The manipulator includes a vertical lifting assembly on which is mounted a transverse movement assembly. The vertical lifting assembly is attached to one of the poles by a fastening assembly. The transverse movement assembly includes a mobile member provided with a number of insulators on which are mounted conductor holders capable of receiving the conductors of the electric line to be lifted. The transverse movement of the mobile member and the movement of another mobile member of the lifting assembly are carried out by driving members controlled by a control unit.

No. Application, patent (CA) : CA 2712531
No. Application, patent (USA) : 12/735518
Method for locating a fault in a power grid on the basis of distributed voltage measurements.: The invention relates to a method for locating a fault in a power grid powered by a source, by triangulating voltage measurements at at least three different locations in the grid, in which at least one of said locations is located upstream of the fault in relation to the source. According to the invention, voltage phasors that correspond to the voltages measured during the fault are time-synchronised. The grid conductors involved in the fault are determined according to the characteristics of the voltage phasors and a fault current generating a voltage drop at one of the measurement locations in relation to an initial voltage value is evaluated. The position of the fault is evaluated at a network point at which the ratio between the difference in the voltages measured at two of the measurement locations and the impedance between one of the two measurement locations and the aforemention point, depending on the conductors involved, is equal to the fault current.

No. Application, patent (CA) : CA 2682568
No. Application, patent (USA) : 8,269,503
Method for testing a mechanical integrity of an insulating layer covering a conductor in a cable.: A method for testing a mechanical integrity of an insulating layer covering a conductor in a cable, a longitudinal void being defined inside the insulating layer in a region of the conductor. A first end of the insulating layer is blocked. A compressed gas is injected at a second end of the insulating layer so that the gas enters and travels the longitudinal void inside the insulating layer towards the first end. A gas pressure inside the insulating layer is measured at least near the second end. Injection of the compressed gas is stropped after a predetermined injection time period. A variation of the gas pressure inside the insulating layer is monitored during a diagnostic time window succeeding to a transitional time period following the stopping of the injection. Integrity of the insulating layer is determined based on the variation of the gas pressure during the diagnostic time window.

No. Application, patent (CA) : CA 2708537
No. Application, patent (USA) : 12/735067
Device for detecting at least one gas in a fluid emanating from an apparatus.: A device for detecting gas to be monitored in a fluid such as oil emanating from an apparatus such as a transformer, comprises an enclosure and a chamber for extracting the gases contained in the fluid, a measurement chamber containing sensors for detecting the gases to be monitored, and an air drying chamber having an air drying member. The chambers communicate through an arrangement of tubes having lengths and internal diameters such that transfers of gas between the chambers by diffusion in the tubes are negligible without pressure differential produced in the tubes by a pump operated by a circuit.

No. Publication WIPO : WO/2012/068682
System and method for treating an amorphous alloy ribbon.: Method and a system for continuously in-line annealing a forwarding ferromagnetic amorphous alloy ribbon in a curved shape to improve its magnetic properties without causing the ribbon to become brittle and which operates at significant high ribbon feeding rates. The amorphous alloy ribbon is fed forward, tensioned and guided along a path at a preset feeding rate and is heated at a point along the path at a rate greater than 103 oC/sec to a temperature to initiate a thermal treatment. Then the ribbon is initially cooled at a rate greater than 103 oC/sec until the thermal treatment ends. During the thermal treatment, a series of mechanical constraints is applied on the ribbon until the amorphous alloy ribbon adopts a specific shape at rest after the thermal treatment is ended. After the initial cooling, the amorphous alloy ribbon is subsequently cooled at a sufficient rate to a temperature that will preserve the specific shape.

No. Publication WIPO : WO2011060546
Electrical transformer assembly.: A support frame for an electrical transformer assembly, comprising two loop-shaped parts, each loop-shaped part having a plurality of limbs, each limb having a peripheral recessed portion in which a primary electrical coil is mountable, and at least one secondary coil is mountable in piggyback on the primary electrical coil, one limb of each loop-shaped part having a straight section. The frame also includes an adjustable attaching means for attaching one of the loop-shaped parts with respect to the other loop-shaped part and adjusting a distance therebetween, so that only the straight sections are adjacent and form a central leg, the central leg being for receiving a magnetic core distinct from the attaching means. The frame provides a means and a method to efficiently secure adjacent windings in a circular core transformer kernel.

No. Application, patent (CA) : CA 2781203
Method and apparatus to facilitate restriking in an arc-furnace.: To re-ignite efficiently an arc-furnace arc extending between an electrode and a material to be melt, a second energy supply is provided to maintain a plasma link between the electrode and the melting material when the arc-furnace arc is interrupted. The electrode is supplied by a large current power supply including a large current conductor having a self inductance and being connected to the electrode. The second energy supply is an electrical power supply wherein a high frequency bypass impedance is provided in a supply path to the large current conductor at a distance from a capacitive circuit to allow a high frequency resonant circuit to be formed by the conductor section between the capacitive circuit and the bypass impedance without adversely affecting the large current power supply of the arc furnace. The capacitive circuit comprises an HF power supply injected in resonance with the resonant circuit to build an oscillating voltage and use the oscillating voltage to inject an HF current between the electrode and the melting metal in order to maintain the plasma link.

No. Application, patent (CA) : CA 2391385
No. Application, patent (USA) : 6,687,284
Deicing device for cable.: Disclosed is a deicing device for deicing cables. The deicing device includes one pair of conductive wires connected to and helically wound along the cable. The conductive wires are connected at one end to a pulsing device which generates an electromagnetic pulse within the wires, and are connected together at the other end. Upon a passage of the electromagnetic pulse in the wires, a repulsive force is created between the wires, which shakes the wires and shatters the ice that may be attached to the cable.

No. Application, patent (CA) : CA 2185586
No. Application, patent (USA) : 5,411,121
Vibroacoustic signature handling process in a high voltage electromechanical switching system.: In the present method and apparatus for processing a vibro-acoustic signal emitted by a high-voltage switching system, the vibro-acoustic signal is converted into a digital signal. The digital signal is rectified and the resulting rectified signal is applied to a convolutional filter with a spectral window to produce a smoothed signal. The smoothed signal is decimated to produce a decimated signal representing an envelope of the vibro-acoustic signal. A time realignment of the decimated signal is carried out with respect to a reference signature to produce a realigned signal. Time deviation values generate an alarm if they exceed a limit threshold. The realigned signal is added as a factor of means providing a reference signature and an actualized signature. Variances of the realigned signal are calculated with respect to the reference and actualized signatures. The realigned signal is compared with the actualized and reference signatures to detect a gradual behavior change or a sudden defect, taking the variances into consideration.

No. Application, patent (USA) : 6,215,408
System and method of phase synchronization of signals produced by respective units of measure.: According to the invention, the time synchronization of the phase between measurement devices that do not share a single clock for the respective sampling of the signals thereof is carried out by the time tagging of signal samples in time blocks followed by an adjustment of the phase values of components of interest of the signals in the grouped time blocks, such that said values refer to time references which are common between the measuring devices. The tagging is carried out using a synchronization signal that is available for the measuring devices, and that is completed by means of counting values provided by a counter operated by a reference clock for each measurement device.

No. Publication WIPO : WO2011116479
System for opening/closing circuit breakers.: The first zero closing of the power signal, after the detection of an opening/closing signal, initiates a series of predetermined, timed, steps which reduces or eliminates the overvoltage after opening/closing a circuit breaker on a high power line.

No. Application, patent (CA) : CA 2158559
No. Application, patent (USA) : 5,430,599
Apparatus for cleaning the magnetic circuit of a stator of a turbine generator unit.: The apparatus is used to clean a stator portion facing a rotor with removable peripheral poles in a turbine-alternator group. The apparatus has an elongated frame, adapted to replace one of the poles of the rotor by means of attachments devised for this purpose. An elongated brushing element extends generally in parallel with respect to the stator portion to be cleaned. Positioning devices are mounted between the frame and the brushing element to position the brushing element so that it comes in contact with the stator portion to be cleaned during the operation of the apparatus. A driving motor is coupled to the brushing element, and injectors are mounted onto the frame to inject a solvent under pressure on the stator portion to be cleaned when the apparatus is in operation. The method consists to turn slowly the rotor equipped with the apparatus to clean the stator portion.

No. Application, patent (CA) : CA 2158559
No. Application, patent (USA) : 6,019,853
Breakage detector for shear pins.: A breaking detector for a shear pin having a central bore, comprises an electrically conductive element forming an elongated loop extending on a length of the bore of the shear pin and having upper ends defining contact surfaces adjacent to each other. An electrically insulating element extends in the loop, to prevent the conductive element from short-circuiting. Power supply cables are connected respectively to the contact surfaces and are provided with connectors facilitating connection of the breaking detector to other breaking detectors or to an alarm panel. An electrically insulating body removably supports the elements of the detector in the bore of the shear pin. An identification circuit having a light indicator connected between the contact surfaces and projecting at an upper end of the body allows to locate a defective shear pin having broken the conductive element.

No. Application, patent (CA) : CA 2418245
No. Application, patent (USA) : 7,009,123
Conversion of a switch exciter to a turning diode exciter.: A method is disclosed for converting a commutator exciter, also called to as a DC machine, into a brushless exciter while keeping one part of the rotor as well as the stator frame of the DC machine. In an embodiment, the method also keeps the field currents and the time constants of the DC machine so that the exciter's voltage regulator may be kept. Alternatively, the magnetic cores of the DC machine stator poles may also be kept.

No. Application, patent (USA) : 7,836,576