Westinghouse Electric Corporation

William R Wolfe

James R Logan

Raymond M Calfo

George T Mallick, Jr

David Marschik

Theodore R Vasilow

Thomas Kupiszewski

Owen S Taylor

Arthur L Wolfe

John W Wiss

Joseph F Pierre

Eric P Shook

Edward L Cumberledge

An apparatus for directly powering a unipolar electric motor with direct current (DC) power includes a control mechanism, and a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) having a fuel input and an oxidizer input. The control mechanism may control the fuel input and the oxidizer input. The fuel input may utilize a hydrocarbon fuel or, alternatively, an arbitrary mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide. The electric motor may have a field excitation current and the control mechanism may further control the field excitation current. Alternatively, an apparatus may power a vehicle, such as a ship or automobile, and may include an electric motor for powering the vehicle, a fuel cell for providing fuel cell power, a turbine-generator for providing turbine-generator power, and a control mechanism. The electric motor may include a motor power input. The fuel cell may include a fuel input, a fuel cell oxidizer input, a thermal exhaust output, and a fuel cell power output. The turbine-generator may include a compressor for pressurizing oxidizer, a generator for producing a generator power output, and a turbine for driving the compressor and the generator. The generator power output may supplement the fuel cell power output in order to produce power for the motor power input. The turbine may have a thermal exhaust input interconnected with the thermal exhaust output of the fuel cell. The compressor may have a compressor oxidizer input and an oxidizer output interconnected with the fuel cell oxidizer input. The control mechanism may control the fuel input, the compressor oxidizer input or the field excitation current.

Fuel cell powered propulsion system

A protection circuit for a brushless excitation system is provided which directly monitors the output voltage of the diode bridge rectifier of the system. The protection circuit includes a reference signal generator subcircuit which provides a reference signal which tracks the dc output voltage of the diode bridge. The reference signal can vary as the system voltage is varied under certain circumstances. The protection circuit also provides for the calculation of a predetermined percentage of the reference signal voltage to create a tolerance band for testing the actual output voltage of the diode bridge rectifier. The percentage represents an acceptable limit of the ratio of a peak-to-peak ripple of the reference signal to the dc voltage of the reference signal. Using the reference signal and the percentage value to create a tolerance band, a comparator is used to test the actual output voltage of the diode bridge to determine if the output voltage is within the tolerance band. If the output voltage is detected to be outside the tolerance band, then the comparator generates a signal which activates trip circuitry associated with the system to interrupt the system. A subcircuit is also provided to inhibit a trip if the signal being tested is not within a minimum protection range.

Brushless exciter protection circuit

A sonar transmitter includes a source means for providing an actuation signal to drive an electromagnetic transducer projector without the use of bias magnetization. The invention utilizes an offset actuation frequency technique in which electrical driving signals are applied which have a frequency or frequencies other than the desired frequency of the acoustic signal projected into a liquid medium. In presently preferred embodiments, one or two driving signals may be utilized. If one driving signal is utilized, the acoustic signal will be at twice the driving signal frequency. If two driving signals are utilized, the acoustic signal will be at the sum or difference frequency of the driving signal frequency. The actuation signal is applied to coils of the transducer's electromagnets to produce an electromagnetic attractive force having a significant component at the desired frequency of the acoustic signal. The force component urges movement of the electromagnets, causing a radiating surface of the transducer to elastically flex, thereby producing the acoustic signal.

Electromagnetic sonar transmitter apparatus and method utilizing offset

In a method and apparatus for detecting and locating a quench zone in a superconducting coil, a sensor is positioned adjacent to and in heat transfer communication with the entire length of the superconducting coil. When a portion of the superconducting coil becomes normal, the adjacent portion of the sensor becomes resistive. A series of electrical pulses sent along the sensor are reflected back by the discontinuity in impedance which occurs at such a normal zone. The reflected pulses and echo pulses produced by various terminations on the sensor are detected by an associated receiver and processor which calculates the location of the resistive zone along the sensor and the corresponding quench zone along the superconducting coil using information derived from the pulses. A second embodiment provides two sensors which are adjacent to and in heat transfer communication with the coil which are pulsed from opposite ends.

Superconductor quench measuring device which evaluates reflected pulses

The present invention provides a hydraulic sensor for quench detection and location in a superconductor, and particularly a superconductor used to form an inductor or a magnet. The sensor consists of an insulating tube (1) adjacent to and preferably co-wound with the super conductor (2) and filled with a supercooled working fluid (3). When joule heating occurs in the superconducting conductor as a result of a portion of it becoming normal, the heat is transferred directly to the corresponding portion of the adjacent tube (1). This heat causes the vapor pressure of the working fluid (3) at that point in the tube to change. This change in pressure propagates in both directions at the speed of sound in the working fluid. By detecting with sensors (6,7) when a change in pressure arrives at the ends (5,6) of the tube (1) and calculating the difference between the arrival times, not only can a quench be detected, but the exact location of the quench initiation region can be determined.

Hydraulic sensor for quench detection and location in superconductors

A composite circuit breaker includes a plurality of circuit breaker modules inserted in paralleled branches of the main conductor. The branch phase currents associated with each breaker module and a signal representative of the total currents in the main conductor are auctioneered to select the largest of the current for application to the trip circuit of the breaker to provide protection for the individual breakers against current hogging while composite protection is provided for the load/source. The signal representative of each phase of the total current is generated by a primary current transformer which feeds series connected auxiliary current transformers each of which is associated with one of the individual breakers.

Composite circuit breaker system

A face connected instrument transformer is disclosed having a plurality of transformation ratios comprised of two primary windings and a single secondary winding. Each primary winding is electrically connected to a pair of terminals disposed adjacent to opposite faces of the transformer housing for engaging contacts within a molded case circuit breaker housing. The transformation ratio of the instrument transformer is changed by removing the instrument transformer from the circuit breaker housing and inserting the opposite face.

Face connected instrument transformer

An auctioneering circuit is provided which utilizes voltage signals that are representative of current signals passing through secondary windings of current transformers. A voltage signal is provided which is representative of the current passing through two or more current transformers. This voltage signal is passed alternatively through a resistive path or an inverting amplifier. Negative portions of the voltage signal are passed through an inverting amplifier to provide a positive signal to the non-inverting input of an operational amplifier. This non-inverting input of the operational amplifier is also connected through a resistive path to the source of the originating volt signal. The input signals to the operational amplifier represent a full wave rectified signal. Three such circuits are connected together at a common connection point and the common connection point is connected to ground through a load resistor across which the maximum of two or more voltage signals can be measured. The circuit operates as an auctioneering circuit using voltage signals.

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Penn Hills, PA, United States of America

William R Wolfe