Electricity: electrical systems and devices – Electrostatic capacitors – With protection or compensating means
Reexamination Certificate
2000-10-05
2002-04-09
Reichard, Dean A. (Department: 2831)
Electricity: electrical systems and devices
Electrostatic capacitors
With protection or compensating means
C361S290000, C361S278000, C361S280000, C361S281000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06370008
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a metallization for a self-healing film capacitor, wherein a dielectric capacitor film provided with a metallic coating is wound into a capacitor element in the running direction of the film, whereby the coating is provided with a segmentation.
The utilization possibilities of power capacitors are predominantly fixed by means of the respective allowable limiting values for the operating field intensity, the surge current load capability and the thermal resistance. Therefore, power capacitors can only be used in a framework, in which the limiting values for the operating field intensity, the surge current load capability or, respectively, the thermal resistance are not exceeded.
Given the self-healing power capacitors, the limiting value for the operating field intensity is essentially determined by the regeneration dependability of the relevant dielectric structure or, respectively, of the capacitor element. Among other things, the regeneration dependability is, in turn, dependent on the metallization, the thermal resistance and the thermal capability of the capacitor element, which is essentially formed of a dielectric film that is provided with a metallic coating.
Given a self-healing film capacitor, the largest part of the loss arises in the metallic coatings. For purposes of making these losses as small as possible, the coatings, per se, can be designed thicker, so that their surface resistances are reduced. However, such a course of action is extremely limited due to the regeneration dependability of the capacitor element: as known, at least one coating must be kept thin, so that this regeneration dependability is guaranteed.
However, the utilization of coatings that are designed transversely profiled or wedge-profiled instead of the utilization of homogenous coatings effected improvements concerning a reduction of the losses. It has shown that the regeneration behavior of so structured coatings is most disadvantageous in the center of the winding width of the capacitor element, so that the minimally allowed surface resistance is fixed in this region.
The utilization of coatings that are fashioned transverse to the film running direction with different alloy parts has already been taken into consideration for a.c. voltage capacitors. Such a course of action is particularly expedient for film capacitors with a comparatively large structural shape or, respectively, winding width.
Direct current capacitors are usually designed with structured coatings. Basically two different embodiments exist therefor, namely the what is referred to as square-segment and the what is referred to as T-segment. Efforts with respect to the development of an optimal design of corresponding structures have been made for these segments for decades (compare DE- LP 723 291, for example).
Structures other than a T-segmentation are a hexagon structure etc., for example.
An “optimal structure” should exhibit “self-dimensioning” properties. However, all currently known structures with “self-dimensioning” properties have not yet supplied fully satisfying results.
On the other hand, such satisfying results can be achieved for the size of the subcapacitances formed as a result of the segmentations and for the size of fuses in association with the maximally allowable energy turnover of the self-healing puncture and for a minimally allowable structure distance of the segmentations, which orientates itself at the a.c. voltage portion of a relevant application given otherwise equal boundary conditions with regard to the dimensioning. Instead of the circular form, a square can be considered as a first approximation or a rectangle with a specific aspect ratio L/B can be considered as a first approximation when the approximation is more coarse.
Power capacitors are constructed in comparatively large dimensions, so that large winding widths of the capacitor element usually represent a condition. However, this large winding width, in many cases, only allows a relatively disadvantageous aspect ratio L/B.
Given so fixed data, it has shown that a circular form is the ideal form of a sub-capacitance, which is created as a result of the segmentation, whereby an imaged puncture channel is being situated in the center of said circular form. Instead of a circular form, a square can be considered as first approximation, or a rectangle can be considered with a specific aspect ratio l/b when the approximation is more coarse.
Power capacitors are constructed in comparatively large dimensions, so that the capacitor element must normally have large winding widths. However, this large winding width, in many cases, only allows a relative disadvantageous aspect ratio L/B for the T-segmentation, which, per se, is advantageous.
Recently, self-healing film capacitors are often utilized together with IGBT semiconductor elements (IGBT=bipolar transistor with insulated gate). These IGBT semiconductor elements have high requirements with respect to a film capacitor concerning impulse and current load capability. This means that such a film capacitor, which is utilized together with an IGBT semiconductor element, must tolerate a particularly high energy turnover per film running length, which energy turnover lies clearly above the corresponding energy turnover for film capacitors, which are utilized together with GTO semiconductor elements (GTO=gate turn-off behavior).
Finally, tests have shown that, apart from the surge current load capability in association with operating field intensity and thermal resistance, the charging voltage must also be taken into consideration as further significant influencing variable for the utilization possibilities of power capacitors. However, a more strongly fashioned edge reinforcement that is undertaken in this regard does not lead to the desired success, whereby it must be taken into consideration that such a course of action with raised edge reinforcements is soon economically limited.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, the present invention is based on the object of creating a metallization for a film capacitor of the species cited above, which metallization has a coating profile that is characterized by a regeneration behavior, which is improved compared to existing metallizations; which also allows an increased current load capability and which has minimal coating losses, so that a higher utilization of the dielectric material is achieved given a reduced outlay.
This object is inventively achieved, with respect to a metallization, for a dielectric capacitor film, which is wound into a capacitor element in a running direction of the film and the metal coating is provided with segmentation with an improvement of the coating, in transverse direction relative to the running direction is composed of a profiled alloy metallization, whereby its principal constituents are variable depending on the traverse direction.
Given the inventive metallization, an alloy metallization, which is profiled transverse relative to the running direction of the capacitor film, is therefore utilized, which alloy metallization has a differently composed alloy depending on the transverse direction, which is perpendicular relative to the running direction, for example, whereby a structured metallization with segmentation of the coating is arranged in this area with maximal surface resistance, while there is no structuring provided in the adjacent area with minimal surface resistance. For example, a T-segmentation can be provided for the structuring of the metallization, whereby particularly advantageous aspect ratios L/B can be achieved. Fuses are provided in the area of a safety overlap between the two areas, namely the area for the structured metallization and the area with the profiled alloy metallization.
As a result of the inventive metallization, which uses a transversely profiled alloy metallization in addition to the usual T-segmentations, dissipated power that is reduced by 40% compared to existing metallization profiles can be achieved. In a
EPCOS AG
Ha Nguyen
Reichard Dean A.
Schiff & Hardin & Waite
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