Communications: electrical – Condition responsive indicating system – With particular system function
Reexamination Certificate
2001-05-22
2003-02-18
Pope, Daryl (Department: 2632)
Communications: electrical
Condition responsive indicating system
With particular system function
Reexamination Certificate
active
06522247
ABSTRACT:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from the prior Japanese Patent Application No. 2000-151431, filed May 23, 2000, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a monitoring system for apparatuses in an electric power installation, such as generating stations, substations, or switchyards, and a method of monitoring such apparatuses.
In a substation, there are generally provided power apparatuses. These include power switching modules for connecting/disconnecting high-voltage main circuits, such as gas insulated switchgear, transformers, and reactors. These apparatuses are required to improve reliability, reduce the frequency of maintenance, prevent a failure from occurring, and take measures at an early stage in case of a failure. To meet these requirements, monitoring systems for power apparatuses have been proposed.
FIG. 1
shows a conventional apparatus monitoring system. In the apparatus monitoring system, various physical characteristics and chemical characteristics related to apparatus condition are measured by a variety of sensors
41
. The output signals from the sensors
41
are processed by a number of measuring sections
42
, which convert the signals into measurement data. Thereafter, the measurement data is gathered by an acquisition unit
43
and then displayed on a data display unit
44
.
The measurement data acquisition unit
43
and data display unit
44
are located in.the main building of the electric power installation. When data indicating an abnormality in an apparatus has been measured, the indication of the abnormality is displayed as data on the data display unit
44
in the main building of the electric power installation. The data on the display unit enables the user to recognize the abnormality. Furthermore, when data indicating an abnormality in an apparatus has been measured, data items concerning the abnormality are gathered together. The gathered information is transmitted in the form of summarized data about the switchgear to the monitoring unit
45
. This monitoring unit
45
then reports the information to a higher-order control station in a distant place.
The data measured by the apparatus monitoring system, together with time data supplied from a local clock module in the apparatus monitoring system, is stored in the measured data acquisition unit
43
.
In an apparatus monitoring system that monitors, for example, the gas-insulated switchgear in a substation, the instantaneous value measurement data items include gas pressure, partial discharge, oil pressure, and the operating time of a switch. The accumulated measurement data includes the contact wear.
A device for measuring the contact wear of a switch has been disclosed in Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKOU Publication No. PH08-021280 which corresponds to Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication PH64-014832. The device is based on the fact that the wear of the contact of a circuit breaker is determined by the value of the current that is interrupted.
The conventional apparatus monitoring system of
FIG. 1
, however, has the following problems.
The first problem is that, although the measured data can be checked on the data display unit installed in the main building of an electric power installation, only limited information about the occurrence of the abnormality is transmitted to the central control station for controlling the operation of apparatuses.
Therefore, when an abnormality has occurred in an apparatus in an electric power installation and the abnormality has been sensed, checking detailed information about the abnormality requires maintenance personnel to go to the site and check the data displayed on the data display unit
44
in the main building. This increases the burden on the maintenance personnel, causes a delay in taking measures in case of a failure, impairs the operation of the apparatus, and degrade the efficiency of the facilities.
The second problem concerns time-tagging of data.
In the conventional apparatus monitoring system, for time-tagging of the measured data, the time of the local clock device included in the apparatus monitoring system is used. The time data from such a local clock device is inaccurate and the apparatus monitoring system is not synchronized with other systems, including protection and control systems.
Consequently, it is impossible to analyze changes in the state of the apparatus accurately with respect to time. This makes it difficult to determine accurately expected restoring time when the apparatus has malfunctioned. The data measured by the apparatus monitoring system cannot be checked time-sequentially against the data measured by another system, which makes it impossible to use the former data as analysis data when an abnormality has been sensed.
Furthermore, the conventional apparatus monitoring system is based on the state of the system and is independent of the systems, which protect and control the operation of the apparatus.
Therefore, when the data related to the service life is measured from data about the operating state quantity of the apparatus as is the case for contact wear quantity of the breaker, it is necessary to provide the apparatus monitoring system with a separate sensor for taking in data about the operating state quantity of the apparatus. This makes the system redundant and more complex and impairs the economy of the system.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A first object of the present invention is to provide a highly economical, high-performance apparatus monitoring system for equipment installed in an electric power installation. The invention improves the function of the system by making it easier to check the condition monitoring data at a remote place, thereby helping save labor, take measures more easily and quickly in case of a failure, and improve the operation of the apparatus and system and further the economy of the whole system.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a higher-performance apparatus monitoring system which improves the function of the system by making it possible to compare the condition monitoring data obtained in the system with the data measured by another system in the same time sequence. This will improve the data management, thereby helping take measures much more easily and quickly in case of a failure.
Another third object of the present invention is to provide a more economical and higher-performance apparatus monitoring system which not only simplifies the system as much as possible but also makes a sophisticated judgment on the state of the apparatus on the basis of the data from another system.
Another goal of the present invention is to provide a business model for an apparatus monitoring method capable of monitoring apparatuses installed in the user's electric power installation, creating some useful consulting data from the monitoring data at the time of maintenance or inspection or in case of a failure, and providing the user with the consulting data.
According to the present invention, there is provided an apparatus monitoring system, which monitors an apparatus installed in an electric power installation and is connected to a communication network. This apparatus monitoring system comprises: sensors which are provided on an apparatus; a data acquisition and transmitting unit including conversion means which samples the signals from the sensors and converts the sampled signals into absolute-time-tagged digital monitoring data and transmission means for transmitting the digital monitoring data to the communication network; and a data display unit which receives the digital data from the data acquisition and transmitting unit via the communication network, converts the digital data into display data, and displays these data.
With such an apparatus monitoring system, the condition monitoring data obtained by the data acquisition and transmitting unit or the data related to the state of the monitored apparatus created on the
Akazaki Masayuki
Maruyama Shiro
Sakakibara Takaaki
Uehara Kyoichi
Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
Pope Daryl
LandOfFree
Apparatus monitoring system and apparatus monitoring method does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Apparatus monitoring system and apparatus monitoring method, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Apparatus monitoring system and apparatus monitoring method will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3121980