AU2005202406B2 - A Portable Camp and System for the Even Distribution of Electrical Power - Google Patents

Description

11808AUDIV

ORIGINAL

Complete Specification Applicant: Francesco Antonio Martino Title: A Portable Camp and System for the Even Distribution of Electrical Power LESICAR PERRIN, 49 Wright Street, Adelaide, South Australia 5000, Australia Address for Service: The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us: A portable camp and system for the even distribution of electrical power BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a system of providing utility services to a portable camp and in particular to the provision and distribution of electrical power within the camp, to enable not only quick and easy commissioning and de-commissioning of the camp but to evenly distribute the load across the three phases. The present invention in particular relates to the configuration used in the provision electrical power to a plurality of buildings in such a camp.

Camps have been used for many years to provide shelter and accommodation especially in remote areas. This is especially so in the case of remote camps that are assembled using a number of transportable buildings, some of the buildings used as sleeping quarters, others as the kitchen and dining room facility and others still as recreational areas. It is not uncommon for a camp to consist of sixty to eighty buildings that can accommodate several hundred people.

These camps are completely self-contained in that the transportable buildings provide all of the facilities for a small remote community that may be needed in a particular area.

Accordingly these camps include all of the modem day facilities such as electrical power, water, sewerage, and communication. They therefore also include their own power generation systems, water distribution systems, sewerage treatment plants, and communication facilities such as satellite dishes. The camps typically require a considerable amount of skill, time, and effort to assemble and commission. Once constructed these camps can however provide accommodation indefinitely if the infrastructure is maintained..

In some instances the camps have to be portable or mobile. For example, during construction of infrastructure across a vast area, such as roads or pipelines supplying water or gas, a particular location for a camp housing the construction workers, may only be viable for several weeks or months. As the pipeline is progressively constructed, there is a balance between the economic cost of the travel time of workers housed in the camp to the current work site and time spent constructing the actual pipeline. It is therefore accepted in the industry that if the travel time between a camp and the work location is more than an hour, a new camp has to be constructed that is closer to the work location. At that time, a new camp is therefore constructed one hour ahead of the current construction location or generally up to several hundred kilometres away from the existing camp.

A camp for several hundred people takes some time to construct and commission.

Accordingly, construction work on the particular project has to stop for one or two weeks whilst the camp is relocated. Alternatively there are two duplicate camps used so that whilst one camp is being used the other is being de-commissioned from one location to be assembled at another location. Either solution has its disadvantages. The first increases the time for a particular project whilst the second is a duplication of infrastructure that requires significant capital. Furthermore, both solutions require skilled personnel. Thus qualified trades people need to be permanently employed such as licensed plumbers and electricians.

Not only is this a direct cost but also it reduces the ability of the camp to employ local people, a factor very important in remote areas and communities.

In relation to electrical power distribution in particular it is also important that the buildings be wired up so that the load across all the three phases is as even as possible to ensure that the generator does not experience uneven loads. This typically requires a number of highly skilled and experienced operators that have to effectively "tune" the camp.

It is an object of the present invention to overcome at least some of the abovementioned problems or provide the public with a useful alternative.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide for a portable camp comprising of a plurality of transportable building and a method for the successful installation of electrical power.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore in one form of the invention there is proposed A portable camp including: a plurality of buildings; an electrical three-phase power generator adapted to supply electrical power to at least a first of said plurality of buildings; a first electrical connection means connecting said electrical power supplied to said first building to a second building.

In preference said first building includes a phase selection means to select the phase of said three-phase power that is fed to said first and second buildings. Thus the selection of the phase on the first building determines the phase to be fed to the rest of the buildings.

In preference each of said connected buildings includes a phase selection means to select the phase of said three-phase power that is fed to each said building. This enables each building to be independently of any other building.

In preference there are a plurality of electrical power connection means connecting electrical power from said first building to at least some other plurality of buildings in a series arrangement.

In preference said buildings are arranged in a matrix arrangement with the distance between adjoining buildings being the same in a common direction.

Preferably said plurality of electrical connection means are of the same length.

Preferably said electrical connection means is a power cable including a male-mating arrangement at one end and a female mating arrangement at the other end.

In preference said phase selection means further enables a selection of all three phases to be fed to a building.

In a further form of the invention there is propose a portable camp including: a plurality of buildings; a three-phase electrical power generator adapted to supply power to a central distribution means; a first electrical connection means supplying power from said central distribution means to a first building; a second electrical connection means supplying power from said first building to a second building wherein at least one of said first or second buildings includes a phase selection means allowing the user to select the phase of the power that is to be used by that building.

In preference said central distribution means supplies power to a plurality of groups of buildings, each building in a group connected to the central distribution means and each other in a series arrangement.

In preference each group includes three or more buildings.

In preference said phase selection means further enables a selection of all three phases to be fed to a building.

In preference said phase selection means includes: a three phase power input; 12/07 '06 WED 16:11 FAX 61 8 82119433 Lesicar Perrin [io0 Va O a three phase power output; ca building power input providing power to the building; 3a selection means adapted to select one of the three phases to be fed to said building power input.

Preferably said phase selection means further including a selection means adapted to feed all three phases to said building power input.

O In a yet further form of the invention there is proposed a power selection means to be Cused in portable buildings used in a portable camp as described above said the power Cselection means including; V 10 a three phase power input, a three phase power output, a building power input and a selection O means adapted to select one of the phases to be fed to said building power input.

In preference said selection means further includes a selector position to enable the selection of all three phases to be fed to said building power input BRTEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate several implementations of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the advantages and principles of the invention.

In the drawings; Figure 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating current known ways to electrically connect a portable camp and utilising separate power cables from the generator for each building; Figure 2 is a schematic diagram illustating an alternate cturently used way to electrically connect a portable camp and including a central hub that feeds a particular phase to several building in a series; Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the partial layout of a portable camp illustrating the electrical power connections embodying the present invention; and Figure 4 is a schematic view illustrating the electrical power distribution apparatus connecting separate buildings in the portable camp and allowing the user to select the phase feeding each building; COMS ID No: SBMI-04144773 Received by IP Australia: Time 16:53 Date 2006-07-12 DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED

EMBODIMENTS

The following detailed description of the invention refers to the accompanying drawings. Although the description includes exemplary embodiments, other embodiments are possible, and changes may be made to the embodiments described without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings and the following description to refer to the same and like parts.

Illustrated in Figures 1-3 is a typical camp 10 comprising a plurality of buildings, generally of the transportable type where they can either be transported by loading onto trucks, or alternatively, mounted on wheels that are bolted to the chassis of each building.

For the purposes of the present explanation there is illustrated in Figures 1-3 eight buildings 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, and 26 that are typically used to provide accommodation, each building having four separate rooms, each room having its own access door 28, 30, 32, and 34 respectively. It is however to be understood that the present invention is not limited to accommodation buildings and they it may equally well apply to other types of buildings, such as the kitchen, common rooms and offices.

To function properly, each of the buildings must be provided with the appropriate utilities such as power, water, and sewerage. Typically in each camp there will be one central point for each of these facilities. Thus in a camp it may be expected that there will be a three phase power generator 36 located some distance away from the camp to minimise noise intrusion. There may also be a sewerage treatment plant to collect and processes all of the waste produced by the camp (not shown). However for the purposes of brevity we will limit the initial discussion to electrical power distribution only although it is to be understood that the general principle applies to other utility services as well.

There are currently two methods to feed power from the generator 36 to each of the buildings 12 to 26. The first is illustrated in Figure 1 where each building is fed power from the generator using a unique power cable. Thus building 12 is fed power from generator 36 using cable 12a, building 14 using cable 14a, building 16 using cable 16a and so on. The advantage of such an arrangement is that the operator can control the load on the generator particularly important when one is generating three-phase power to ensure that the three phases are loaded equally. The major disadvantage is that with numerous buildings, numerous cables are required each of a varying length. The reader will appreciate that this will therefore not only take time to set up not only due to physically laying out the cables, but also due to choosing an appropriate cable that is of a desired length. Having numerous cables is also not only expensive but also requires that there be good management and transportation of each cable.

An alternate way of providing power to the camp is illustrated in Figure 2. The generator here provides power using a single (or maybe two or three) cables 36a to a central distribution hub 38 from which power is fed separately to each building. Thus building 14 is provided power through cable 14b, with a separate cable 12b then connecting building 12 in series with building 14. Similarly building 16 is provided power from the central hub 38 using cable 16b, then connecting building 18 in series to building 16 through cable 18b. The advantage of this arrangement is that the number of cables running from the generator 36 is reduced. In addition the operator of the camp has greater flexibility as to which building is fed power from which phase from the central hub assuming that the generator is a three-phase generator. The disadvantage is that different length cables are still needed from the central hub to each building and that once connected, buildings in series are provided power from the same phase.

According to the present invention and as illustrated in Figure 3 there is provided a unique way of providing electrical power to and through a portable camp. The generator 36 feeds three-phase power through cable 38 to the first building 12. Each of the buildings is then fed in series from building 12 so that building 14 is fed power using cable 14c from building 12, building 16 is then fed power through cable 16c from building 14, building 18 is fed power from building 16 using cable 18c, building 20 is fed power from building 18 using cable 20c and so on.

The advantage of such an arrangement is that, with the exception of the main cable from the generator 36 to the first building 12, all of the other cables are one of two lengths.

The reason for this is that in most camps, the buildings are positioned in a matrix arrangement with the distances between adjacent rows and adjacent columns being the same. Thus cables 14c, 16c, and 18 c are all of the same length joining across several buildings, the other length of cable being 20c joining buildings across their ends.

This provides a significant advantage over hitherto known methods of electrically connecting buildings. First, only two lengths of cable are needed meaning that cables are not building specific and when the camp is being installed time is not spent searching for an appropriate cable. This is extremely important for one of the major costs in setting up portable camps is in transporting them to a new location. The present invention greatly simplifies this by enabling the operator to quickly set-up/dismantle a portable camp reducing the overall cost of labour. Secondly, the cables between buildings are advantageously of the male and female plug type arrangement. This enables the power between buildings to be connected using semi-skilled labour reducing the reliance on skilled electrical tradesmen.

Whilst some of the work will still require skilled electrical people, this is greatly reduced.

Of course, in a camp where there are a large number of buildings, it would not be feasible to distribute power in one series across all of the buildings. To do so would require heavy-duty cables with significant capacity to ensure that they are not overloaded. Such camps may therefore have a central hub that feeds clusters of buildings, the distribution of power in between clusters as described above with reference to Figure 3.

As discussed earlier, typically the power provided by a remote generator is alternating current three-phase power. It is therefore quite an important task to wire up a camp so that no single power cable is used to draw excessive current and exceed its capacity, but also that power use is evenly distributed or balanced across the three phases. One therefore needs to pay extremely important attention as to how the camp is electrically wired up and in particular in the situation where buildings may be connected in series, to ensure that the consumption of power by the buildings is not limited to a particular phase. This task therefore normally requires a highly skilled electrical person who is able to also keep an accurate record of not only how the buildings are wired up but what phase supplies power to what device in each building, since some devices such as air conditioning units draw substantially more current than do others such as lights. Such a configuration also requires a number of individual power cables extending between the central hub and each of the buildings that are therefore of various lengths. Not only does this add to the cost of the infrastructure but it makes the cables building specific so that when the camp is relocated one has to take great care as to what cable goes where.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided for each building a power distribution box that enables the operator to select the phase that is being fed to that particular building whilst all of the phases are still routed to the next building in series.

That is, each building is fed three-phase power and each building has an individual selector switch that enables one to select which phase is to power that particular building. Each building then feeds power separately from that selected phase to each room to provide power for the lights, general power outlets, and air conditioning, as well as to provide power to a central hot water heating unit.

Such a distribution box 40 is illustrated positioned centrally on each building in Figure 3 and in more detail in Figure 4. The distribution box 40 includes an input 42 and an output 44, the input 42 being a male input adapted to feed power from cable 38. Input 42 includes 5 pins, three pins being the three phases, one pin being earth and the other neutral.

The output 44 is female type socket having five individual bores corresponding to the input pins. A cable 46 includes plug 48 having five male members or pins (not shown) that engage the bores of the output 44. The socket 48 includes a weather-protecting sleeve 50 that engages a circular groove 52 around the socket 44. Together with lip 54 of the box 40, the sleeve 50 protects the socket connection.

Each distribution box includes a distribution cable 56 that electrically connects the distribution box 40 with the particular building housing the box. Normally cable 56 would not be seen since it would feed into the building directly downward from the box. Each distribution box 40 further includes a power selector switch 58 that controls the power feed to cable 56 and that has typically four settings, and "III". The setting means that no power is fed from the distribution box to the particular building through cable 56, that is, the building's power is cut. Selecting feeds power from the first phase to the building through cable 56, whilst selecting "II" and "III" feeds power from either the second and third phases respectively to the building through cable 56.

Accordingly, even though each distribution box receives three phases one can select which phase is to power each building by feeding that phase only to the building main power cable.

Although not shown, the distribution box may be a secure box that requires a special tools or a key to operate the selector switch. Also, there may very well be an internal sensor that disables operation of the selector switch when there is current being drawn.

One can now appreciate that connecting buildings in such a series arrangement overcomes the problems of having cables of different lengths and enables some of the electrical connections to be assembled by semi-skilled workers. As each building is assembled on a new campsite, one simply electrically joins the building to the previous one using one cable. Of course, care must be taken to ensure that the total load on the main power feed 38 from the generator to the power box 40 on the first building does not exceed its rating, something that can be easily calculated.

The configuration discussed above enables buildings to be connected regardless of the phase that is being provided. Such a system may relate to one phase only or indeed a DC Voltage supply. However, as discussed above, typically the power generated in portable camps is three-phase power producing alternating current that is 120 degrees apart.

Although not shown, it is to be understood that there may very well be a fourth selection on the switch one that provides power from all of the three phases to the building.

Such a selection may be required, for example, in units that consume large amounts of power including large three-phase air conditioners or kitchen appliances.

Of course it is t be understood that some of the buildings may still be separately connected to the power generator. Such buildings are those that may require significant power, such as the kitchen, mess and the laundry facilities. The selector means then enables the end user to ensure that the phase distribution across the camp is a balanced one.

Further advantages and improvements may very well be made to the present invention without deviating from its scope. Although the invention has been shown and described in what is conceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is recognized that departures may be made therefrom within the scope and spirit of the invention, which is not to be limited to the details disclosed herein but is to be accorded the full scope of the claims so as to embrace any and all equivalent devices and apparatus.

In any claims that follow and in the summary of the invention, except where the context requires otherwise due to express language or necessary implication, the word "comprising" is used in the sense of "including", i.e. the features specified may be associated with further features in various embodiments of the invention.

Claims (19)

1. A portable camp including: a plurality of buildings; an electrical three-phase power generator adapted to supply electrical power to at least a first of said plurality of buildings; a first electrical connection means connecting said electrical power supplied to said first building to a second building.

2. A portable camp as in claim 1 wherein said first building includes a phase selection means to select the phase of said three-phase power that is fed to said first and second buildings.

3. A portable camp as in claim 1 wherein each of said connected buildings includes a phase selection means to select the phase of said three-phase power that is fed to each said building.

4. A portable camp as in any one of the above claims further including a plurality of electrical power connection means connecting electrical power from said first building to at least some other plurality of buildings in a series arrangement.

A portable camp as in any one of the above claims wherein said buildings are arranged in a matrix arrangement with the distance between adjoining buildings being the same in a common direction.

6. A portable camp as in claim 5 wherein said plurality of electrical connection means are of the same length.

7. A portable camp as any one of the above claims wherein said electrical connection means is a power cable including a male-mating arrangement at one end and a female mating arrangement at the other end.

8. A portable camp as in any one of claims 2 to 7 wherein said phase selection means further enables a selection of all three phases to be fed to a building.

9. A portable camp including: a plurality of buildings; a three-phase electrical power generator adapted to supply power to a central distribution means; a first electrical connection means supplying power from said central distribution 12/07 '06 WED 16:11 FAX 61 8 82119433 Lesicar Perrin [1012 12 NO means to a first building; Sa second electrical connection means supplying power from said first building to a second building wherein at least one of said first or second buildings includes a phase ,Z selection means allowing the user to select the phase of the power that is to be used Cn 5 by that building. A portable camp as in claim 9 wherein said central distribution means supplies power \QO to a plurality of groups of buildings, each building in a group connected to the central Sdistribution means and each other in a series arrangement.

O

11. A portable camp as in claim 10 wherein each group includes three or more buildings. In O 10

12. A portable camp as in claim 9 wherein said phase selection means further enables a C selection of all three phases to be fed to a building.

13. A portable camp as in any one of claims 2 to 12 wherein said phase selection means inuludes: a three phase power input; a three phase power output; a building power input providing power to the building; a selection means adapted to select one of the three phases to be fed to said building power input.

14. A portable camp as in claim 13, said phase selection means further including a selection means adapted to feed all three phases to said building power input.

A power selection means to be used in portable buildings used in a portable camp as described in any one of the above claims the power selection means including: a three phase power input; a three phase power output; a building power input; a selection means adapted to select one of the phases to be fed to said building power input.

16. A power selection means as in claim 15 wherein said selection means further includes a selector position to enable the selection of all three phases to be fed to said building power input.

17. A portable camp substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings- COMS ID No: SBMI-04144773 Received by IP Australia: Time 16:53 Date 2006-07-12 13

18. A portable building substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

19. A power selection means substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.