General Electric Company

Abb Schweiz Ag

Thomas F Papallo

Ertugrul Berkcan

Gregory Paul Lavoie

William James Premerlani

David Geer Fletcher

Roger N Castonguay

Emad Andarawis Andarawis

Marcelo Esteban Valdes

Randall Lee Greenberg

John James Dougherty

Dave S Christensen

Radoslaw Narel

John S Vandevanter

Robert Allan Morris

Scott Charles Evans

Raymond K Seymour

Dean A Robarge

Daniel White Sexton

James L Rosen

Dennis J Doughty

Austars Raymond Schnore, Jr

James I Smith

Brent Charles Kumfer

Marc Robert Pearlman

Girish Mruthunjaya Hassan

Mark Fredrick Culler

Samantha Rao

Charles Scott Sealing

Terry Michael Topka

Ramakrishna Rao

Shobhana Mani

Hemant K Mody

Brian Frederick Mooney

Theodore Drummond Hill, Iii

Eugene Joseph Orlowski, Jr

Stefan Kranz

Somashekhar Basavaraj

Mingxiao Jiang

Joseph Yuan Rao

Daniel Lawrence Morrill

Rahul Gore

Carmine G Giglio

Indra Purkayastha

Steve L Mecker

Nataniel De Jesus Barbosa Vicente

Jane Barber

Ellen E Spahr

Anand S V Sirivella

Rahul "Omkar" Plot No 10 Teacher's Colony Gore

Jr Eugene Joseph Orlowaki

Robert Pearlman Marc

David Fletcher

A thermal trip unit for a circuit breaker having a primary conductive path for conducting a load current is provided. The thermal trip unit comprises a shape memory alloy (SMA) member adapted to change from a first shape to a second shape at a predetermined thermal condition, a holding member coupled electrically in series with the circuit breaker primary conductive path, said holding member arranged to operatively support said SMA member, wherein said SMA member is configured and disposed within the circuit breaker to trigger a trip response of the circuit breaker at said predetermined thermal condition.

Shape memory alloy actuated circuit breaker

A method to protect a circuit having at least a first circuit breaker, and a second circuit breaker arranged upstream of said first circuit breaker, said first circuit breaker having configuration settings selectable between a normal mode and an alternate mode, the alternate mode setting including a reduced energy let-thru (RELT) mode setting having a RELT mode trip time delay. The method including determining if said first circuit breaker is configured in said RELT mode, determining a. dynamic delay time for opening said second circuit breaker, wherein said dynamic delay time is based at least in part on said RELT mode trip time delay of said first circuit breaker, and triggering said second circuit breaker to open after said dynamic delay time has elapsed.

Protection system having reduced energy let-through mode and zone selectivity

A method and apparatus is disclosed for providing protection against arc flash during maintenance on a low voltage power circuit including a circuit breaker having a specified trip function for responding to a fault is provided. The specified trip function is overridden with a maintenance trip function that results in reduced arc energy in the fault during a trip over arc energy during a trip with the specified trip function. The specified trip function is restored following maintenance.

Circuit protection system

A circuit protection system is provided that utilizes a single state definition for each of the zones of protection of the circuit to increase computational efficiency. Multiple zone protective functions can be performed on a single zone of protection and can reference the single state definition.

A centrally controlled protection system is provided. The system includes a plurality of circuit breakers, a plurality of modules, and a central computer. Each of the plurality of breakers are in electrical communication with a respective one of the plurality of modules. The central computer is in communication with each of the plurality of modules via a network. The central computer controls the plurality of circuit breakers in either a normal mode or a reduced energy let-through mode.

Centrally controlled protection systems having reduced energy let-through mode

A circuit protection system is provided that provides dynamic zones of protection for the circuit. The zones of protection can be based in part upon the topology of the circuit. The protection system can perform various dynamic zone protective functions for the zones of protection.

There is disclosed a protection system for a power distribution system. The system has a processor, a breaker; a network coupled to the processor, a first module coupled to the network and the breaker, a second module coupled to the network, and an algorithm. The algorithm monitors for a permission to trip request. If a plurality of permission to trip requests are received during a given time period, the algorithm issues a permission granted command to the first module and a hold command to the second module.

Protection system for power distribution systems

There is provided a method of controlling circuit breakers in a multi-phase power system. The method includes (a) recognizing a concurrent presence of a first fault in a first phase of the power system and a second fault in a second phase of the power system, where the power system includes a first circuit breaker situated to conduct a fault current between the first and second phases, (b) controlling a second circuit breaker to open so that the fault current is interrupted, where the second circuit breaker, when closed, provides current to the first circuit breaker, and (c) controlling the first circuit breaker to remain closed until the second circuit breaker is opened.

Control of circuit breakers in a multi-phase power system

A circuit protection system is provided that provides a dynamic delay time to an upstream circuit breaker if a fault is detected in a circuit where the dynamic delay time can be based upon the location of the fault, such as the nearest downstream circuit breaker. A control processing unit can determine a dynamic delay time for opening a first circuit breaker if a fault is detected in the circuit. The control processing unit delays opening the first circuit breaker until after the dynamic delay time has elapsed to provide an opportunity for the nearest circuit breaker to clear the fault.

A method and apparatus for monitoring a centrally controlled power distribution system is provided. The method includes sampling an electrical current flow in the centrally controlled power distribution system, transmitting the sampled current signals to a central control processing unit, determining a ground fault presence and location based on the current signals received from all of the node electronics units, and isolating the determined ground fault by opening circuit breakers supplying power to the fault. The apparatus is configured to sample an electrical current flow in the centrally controlled power distribution system, transmit the sampled current signals associated with each circuit breaker to a central control processing unit, determine a ground fault presence and location based on the current signals received from all of the node electronics units in the power distribution system, and isolate the determined ground fault by opening circuit breakers supplying power to the fault.

Method and apparatus for ground fault protection

A circuit breaker lockout device is provided that prevents the breaker contacts from being closed when the circuit breaker is in a lockout state in response to a lockout signal and permits the breaker contacts to be closed when the circuit breaker is an enable state in response to an enable signal.

Circuit breaker lockout

A data sample and transmission module for a power distribution system is provided. The module has a microprocessor and a network interface. The microprocessor samples first signals indicative of a condition of power in the power distribution system. The network interface places the microprocessor in communication with a data network. The microprocessor samples the first signals based in part upon a synchronization signal transmitted on the data network.

Data sample and transmission modules for power distribution systems

A protection system for a power distribution system is provided. The protection system includes a central computer, a plurality of data modules, and a data network. The data modules are each in communication with a different circuit breaker of the power distribution system. The data network communicates between the central computer and the plurality of data modules. The central computer sends an instruction to the plurality of data modules over the data network to aid in synchronization of sampling of a power condition at the plurality of data modules.

A method of performing energy calculations in a power distribution system is provided. The method includes sampling a first voltage at a first module in the power distribution system; communicating the first voltage from the first module to a central controller; performing an energy calculation in the central controller based at least in part on the first voltage; and applying the energy calculation to a second module in the power distribution system. In some embodiments, the energy calculation is also based upon a second current from the second module.

Energy calculation methods in power distribution systems

There is provided a computer-implemented method for configuring a centralized circuit breaker protection system. The method includes determining configuration data for a processor in the centralized circuit breaker protection system in accordance with a parameter relating to an operation of the centralized circuit breaker protection system, and configuring the processor with the configuration data. There is also provided an apparatus for configuring a centralized circuit breaker protection system, and a storage media containing instructions for controlling a computer for configuring a centralized circuit breaker protection system.

Configuring a centrally controlled circuit breaker protection system

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Farmington, CT, United States of America

Thomas F Papallo