Southern States, Inc.

Ssi Power, LLC

Other

South States LLC

Joseph R Rostron

Jiyuan Fan

Brian J Berner

Josh Keister

Raj Anand

Neil A McCord

Tan Tran

Teng Hu

Juan Camilo Gill-Gaviria

Hua Fan

Cary J Ahrano

Bradley John Schafer

Todd Douthit

Joseph Andreyo

John M Wolka

Karl Fender

Buddy Reneau

Brian Roberts

David Lester Moore

Frank Blalock

Todd A Douthit

Brian VanHiel

Kirk William Charles

Kent R Davey

Paul A Reneau

Lyle Thomas Keister

Richard Burge

Fan Jiyuan

Soung Hwan Lyu

Philip Carson Jones

Joshua D Keister

Dong-Myung Lee

David Lombardo

Scott White

Samuel Harmon

Andres Rodriguez

Karl Fendor

Harold Dean Allen, Iii

Rajesh Anand

Lawrence B Beagan

Zack Beecher

Roy Alexander

William Horn

Ryun Kim

John H Brunke

Zachary Beecher

Donald Swing

Richard Charles Leonhardt

Russell Keith Ortkiese

Jeremy Andrew Stone

Brian Vanhiel

Kirk Charles

Brian Berner

A line-of-sight quick-alignment linkage for a three-phase electric disconnect switch interconnects a drive pipe, actuator arm, and a calibration mechanism of the switch. The linkage includes a quick-alignment straight edge configured to be aligned with the line-of-sight from the pivot point of the drive pipe to the actuator arm when the drive pipe is in the fully closed drive pipe position. The calibration mechanism, the actuator arm, and other phase operating levers of the other phases are then set to their fully closed positions to calibrate the linkage. The quick-alignment straight edge may be positioned on the calibration mechanism along with a visual indicator parallel to quick-alignment straight edge.

Line-of-sight quick-alignment linkage for a three-phase electric disconnect switch

A collimated beam alignment system for aligning a receiving insulator, a guide insulator and a drive insulator of an electric power disconnect switch. The collimated beam alignment system includes an emitter stage temporarily attached to the receiving insulator, an aperture stage including an alignment aperture temporarily attached to the receiving insulator, and a target stage including an alignment target temporarily attached to the drive insulator. With the drive insulator rotated to a switch-closed position, proper alignment of the receiving insulator, the guide insulator and the drive insulator is indicated by a visible spectrum collimated beam from the emitter stage passing through the alignment aperture and illuminating the alignment target. Once the insulators are aligned, the alignment system is removed and the live components of the disconnect switch are attaches to the insulators.

Collimated beam alignment system for electric power disconnect switch

A quick-alignment linkage for a three-phase electric disconnect switch includes a drive pipe, a linkage pipe, and a linkage interconnecting the drive pipe and the linkage pipe. The linkage includes quick-alignment straight edge configured to be parallel to the centerline of the drive pipe when the drive pipe is in the fully closed drive pipe position. The quick-alignment straight edge is typically positioned adjacent to a calibration mechanism of the linkage when the drive pipe is in the fully closed drive pipe position. The drive pipe may also include a flat surface with an alignment indicator configured to be parallel to the quick-alignment straight edge when the drive pipe is in the fully closed drive pipe position. The alignment indicator is also positioned adjacent to the calibration mechanism and its quick-alignment straight edge when the drive pipe is in the fully closed drive pipe position.

Quick-alignment linkage for a three-phase electric disconnect switch

Embodiments of the present invention include a test-boost electric power recloser that limits the duration of the test current imposed on the power line to less than two electric power cycles, and preferably less than one electric power cycle, when attempting to reclose into a fault. The test-boost recloser sends a test pulse causing a non-latching close followed by a boost pulse causing a latching close if waveform analysis based on the test close indicates that the fault has likely cleared. The test-boost approach can typically be implemented through a software and calibration upgrade to a conventional single-coil recloser, accomplishing results comparable to a dual-actuator recloser at a much lower cost. The recloser may perform iterative and feedback learning feedback processes to automatically improve its operation over time in response to measured fault and non-fault conditions and its success in predicting whether faults have cleared.

Test-boost electric power recloser

An alternative gas current pause circuit interrupter with an internally switched resistor-varistor impedance. The varistor limits the voltage rise across the main contactor limiting restrikes, while the resistor limits the current through the interrupter. The values of the resistor and varistor are selected to creates a current pause in the current. In a representative embodiment, the current pause performance is less than 10% of the rated line current for at least 15% of the half-cycle period allowing a plain break butt impedance contactor to be utilized without excessive arcing. For another embodiment the current pause performance is less than 5% of the rated line current for at least 20% of the half-cycle period. SF6 free alternative gas current pause circuit interrupters using a 60% CO2 blend can achieve similar or improved transient voltage performance compared to similarly sized conventional SF6 gas interrupters operating at the same voltage rating.

Alternative gas current pause circuit interrupter

A system or method for monitoring an electric power lightning arrester including an arrester current sensor providing an arrester current measurement, and an arrester voltage sensor providing an arrester voltage measurement. The system detects a switching signature based on the arrester current measurement or the arrester voltage measurement distinguished from background noise and lightning signatures and computes a measured arrester impedance based on the arrester current and arrester voltage measurements. The system then compares the measured arrester impedance to a nominal or historical arrester impedance, determines that the arrester is faltering based on the comparison of the measured arrester impedance to the nominal or historical arrester impedance, and places an order for replacement of the arrester based on the determination that the arrester is faltering. The system operator then replaces the arrester during a fair-weather, typically off-peak period to avoid failure of the arrester during a lightning strike.

Arrester performance monitoring and maintenance system

An electric power disconnect switch and associated vacuum circuit interrupter with a modular, removable contactor unit housing a modular, removable vacuum bottle unit. The vacuum circuit interrupter may be mounted on a bracket adjacent to the jaws of a disconnect switch, where the blade of the disconnect switch moves the actuator arm of the vacuum circuit interrupter during operation of the disconnect switch. A technician carries a spare contactor unit to the disconnect switch location, where the technician removes and replaces the contactor unit. The vacuum circuit interrupter includes a separable connection between the drive unit housing and a contactor unit housing, which allows the contactor unit to be rotated with respect to the drive unit to unscrew the connecting rod of the contactor unit from the drive shaft of the drive unit. A replacement contactor unit is then installed and the circuit interrupter is returned to service.

Modular vacuum circuit interrupter

A high voltage electric switch includes contacts with graphite carbon electrode forming the arc gap. In addition, the carbon contacts are located in a chamber containing at least 60% carbon dioxide (CO2) as a dielectric gas to achieve improved arc interrupting performance. In conventional switches, the metallic contacts introduce metallic vapors into the arc plasma that inhibits the ability of the dielectric gas to interrupt high voltage, high current arcs. As the element carbon is inherently present in CO2 gas, the addition of vapors from the carbon electrodes into the dielectric gas does not significantly interfere with the dielectric arc-interrupting performance of the CO2 dielectric gas.

High voltage electric power switch with carbon arcing electrodes and carbon dioxide dielectric gas

A quick-set clevis joint for a three-phase electric disconnect switch linkage includes a clevis housing having a spring chamber axially aligned and disposed around a linkage pipe extending through the clevis housing. A spring positioned within the spring chamber provides play in the linkage. First and second thrust disks compress the spring in a first axial direction with the first thrust disk pushed against a first spring chamber end wall when the linkage pipe moves in the first axial direction while the clevis housing is blocked from moving in the first axial direction. In addition. the first and second thrust disks compress the spring in the second axial direction with the second thrust disk pushed against the second spring chamber end wall when the linkage pipe moves in the second axial direction while the clevis housing is blocked from moving in the second axial direction.

Quick-set clevis joint for a three-phase electric disconnect switch linkage

A time-admittance fault detection and isolation system includes a series of time-admittance switches spaced apart along the power line, each including a respective time-admittance function. Together, the time-admittance functions define a cascade trip sequence in a downstream-to-upstream direction, which autonomously causes a closest upstream time-admittance switch to a fault to trip to isolate the fault on an upstream side of the fault without communication with the time-admittance switches. The fault detection and isolation system may also include a radio communicating a trip signal from the closest upstream time-admittance switch to the fault to a closest downstream time-admittance switch to the fault. The trip signal causes the closest downstream time-admittance switch to the fault to trip to isolate the fault on a downstream side of the fault. A tie switch closes to back-feed a portion of the electric power line downstream from the closest downstream time-admittance switch to the fault.

Time-admittance fault detection and isolation system

An instrumented electric power voltage arrester includes a temperature sensor, wireless transmitter, and a visual over-temperature indicator. A disk shaped module, a replacement varister block, or a dummy block containing the sensor/transmitter is placed between varister blocks inside the arrester housing. A strap-on module is attached to the outside of the arrester housing. The sensor/transmitter utilizes a harvesting power supply that draws electric power for the electronics from the power line protected by the arrester. An ambient temperature sensor may be utilized to enhance accuracy. The temperature sensor/transmitter typically sends arrester monitoring data wirelessly to an RTU or handheld unit located outside the arrester, which relays the monitoring data to an operations control center that scheduled replacement of the arrester based on the monitoring data. A surge counter keeps track of the number of equipment and lightning related temperature surges experienced by the arrester.

Arrester temperature monitor

A smart switch allows distributed generators to 'ride through' non-three-phase faults by very quickly detecting a non-three-phase phase fault, locating the fault, identifying the 'responsive sectionalizer switches' that will be involved in clearing or isolating the fault, and selecting one of the responsive sectionalizer switches to direct back-feed tie switch operations. The responsive sectionalizer switches trip only the faulted phase(s), and the selected sectionalizer switch instructs a back-feed tie switch to close to back-feed the distributed generators prior to conducting the typical fault response operation. This typically occurs within about three cycles, and is completed before the normal fault clearing and isolation procedures, which momentarily disconnect all three phases to the distributed generators from the normally connected feeder breaker. The looped connection to an alternate feeder breaker during these operations allows the distributed generators to &#x201c;ride through&#x201d; the normal fault clearing and isolation procedures.

Non-three-phase fault isolation and restoration systems

A fault-preventing circuit recloser includes a ballast impedance, power line current and voltage monitors, and controller that operates the switch based on measurements obtained from the current and voltage monitors. The controller aborts the closing (i.e., reopens the switch) when the controller detects that the switch has closed into faulted line. The circuit recloser temporarily introduces the ballast impedance into the circuit during the closing operation to limit the current spike and voltage dip caused by initially closing the switch into the faulted line. The circuit recloser also temporarily introduces the ballast impedance into the circuit during the opening operation to limit the voltage transient that can be caused by initially opening a load-carrying power line. Different ballast resistor insertion times are applied depending on the type of recloser operation (opening or closing) and whether a fault is detected.

Fault-preventing circuit recloser

Fault detection, isolation and restoration systems for electric power systems using 'smart switch' points that autonomously coordinate operations to minimize the number of customers affected by outages and their durations, without relying on communications with a central controller or between the smart switch points. Each smart recloser can be individually programmed to operate as a tie-switch, a Type-A (normal or default type) sectionalizer, or a Type-B (special type) sectionalizer. The Type-A recloser automatically opens when it detects a fault, uses a direction-to-fault and zone-based distance-to-fault operating protocol, and stays 'as is' with no automatic opening when power (voltage) is lost on both sides of the switch. The Type-B sectionalizer does the same thing and is further configured to automatically open when it detects that it is deenergized on both sides for a pre-defined time period, and to operate like a tie-switch once open.

Autonomous electric power fault detection, isolation and restoration systems

Growing community of inventors

McDonough, GA, United States of America

Joseph R Rostron