AU2017326136B2

AU2017326136B2 - Drive for a waterbound means of transport

Info

Publication number: AU2017326136B2
Application number: AU2017326136A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Jürgen Eckert; Robert Schlappa
Original assignee: Siemens Energy Global GmbH and Co KG
Current assignee: Siemens Energy Global GmbH and Co KG
Priority date: 2016-09-13
Filing date: 2017-07-17
Publication date: 2020-02-20
Anticipated expiration: 2037-07-17
Also published as: KR102227367B1; KR20190046905A; EP3475162A1; EP3475162B1; WO2018050316A1; DE102016217436A1; AU2017326136A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a drive (1), said drive (1) comprising an electrical machine (2), a first coolant pump (4), a second coolant pump (5), a first coolant circuit (19) and a second coolant circuit (20), wherein the first coolant pump (4) or the second coolant pump (5) can be coupled to the first coolant circuit (19) and to the second coolant circuit (20).

Description

Drive for a waterbound means of transport

The invention relates to a drive for a waterbound means of transport. A ship or a submarine are examples of waterbound means of transport.

Submarines or ships are frequently operated with electric drives which drive the screw, in other words, the propeller, of the submarine or the ship.

A coolant pump is provided, for example, to cool the drive. With the aid of the coolant pump, for example, cooling channels of a stator of the electrical machine or a cooling device such as a heat exchanger for cooling air can be fed with coolant. A coolant pump forms a pump unit together with an electric motor. If the cooling pump fails, the drive cannot be operated any longer or only with greatly reducedperformance.

It is an object of the present invention to substantially overcome or at least ameliorate one or more of the above disadvantages.

An aspect of the present disclosure provides a drive of a submarine or a ship which has reliable cooling or enables an increase in the availability of the drive system on a submarine or a ship, in particular without additional pump units. The operational capability, for example, of the submarine or the ship is improved by means of reliable cooling.

An aspect of the present disclosure provides a drive of a waterbound means of transport, wherein the drive comprises an electrical machine, a pump unit having a first coolant pump and a second coolant pump, a first coolant circuit, and a second coolant circuit, wherein the pump unit is coupled to the first coolant circuit and to the second coolant circuit, and wherein, if the first coolant pump or the second coolant pump fails, an output of the remaining operational coolant pump is increased such that the pump unit is operated at more than 80% of maximum output.

Another aspect of the present disclosure provides a waterbound means of transport, wherein the waterbound means of transport has a drive as described above.

Another aspect of the present disclosure provides a method for operating a drive as described above, wherein the first coolant pump or the second coolant pump supplies the first coolant circuit and the second coolant circuit with coolant.

24139659 (IRN: P0004636AU)

PCT/EP2017/068002 / 2015P26779WO

A drive of a waterbound means of transport, such as a submarine or a ship, has an electrical machine, a first coolant pump, a second coolant pump, a first coolant circuit and a second coolant circuit, wherein the first coolant pump or the second coolant pump can be coupled to the first coolant circuit and to the second coolant circuit.

The drive of the waterbound means of transport has an electric motor as an electrical machine. The electric motor can, for example, be operated by a motor, as well as by a generator, and is, for example, used as a drive motor for the shaft of the waterbound means of transport with which a propeller can be driven. Cooling air or a coolant is provided, for example, to cool the electric motor. Cooling with coolant can, for example, take place directly or indirectly. In the case of direct cooling with coolant, this is, for example, routed through cooling channels in the stator of the electrical machine. In the case of indirect cooling with coolant, for example, cooling air is routed through cooling channels in the stator and the cooling air cooled by the coolant in a heat exchanger which is fed with coolant.

In an embodiment of the drive, in the event of the failure of a pump unit which has a coolant pump and a motor to drive the coolant pump, the drive of the ship or the submarine is operated with a remaining pump unit. In this way, the propulsion of the watercraft can be ensured. Without further adjustments of the remaining active pump unit, however, this results in a reduction in the maximum deliverable power of the entire drive motor as the cooling capacity is reduced. This power limit reduces the possible applications of the submarine or ship.

PCT/EP2017/068002 / 2015P26779WO

To increase the reliability of the drive, the redundancy of the components used in the drive can also be increased. An increase in the number of pump units is thus possible. However, spatial integration must be taken into consideration for this, especially as, for example, conditions are cramped on a submarine. Increased redundancy as a result of additional components such as more pump units, for example, leads to increased pipework as well as to increased costs.

In an embodiment of the drive, the first coolant circuit can be coupled to the second coolant circuit via a valve. Two independent internal cooling circuits of the drive of a ship or submarine can be connected to one another via a coupling valve so that the remaining pump unit supplies both cooling circuits with coolant. Without further adjustment, for example, an increase in the output torque, that is to say, the cooling capacity from approx. 50% to approx. 65% is therefore possible .

In an embodiment of the drive, the first coolant circuit and/or the second coolant circuit is provided to cool the electrical machine. The cooling circuit (s) can also be provided to cool one or more power converters.

In an embodiment of the drive, the first coolant pump can be operated both with the first coolant pump supply and with the second coolant pump supply. The coolant pump supplies have a power supply for the electrical machine of the respective coolant pump. The power supply has an inverter, for example, which supplies the electrical machine of the respective coolant pump.

PCT/EP2017/068002 / 2015P26779WO

In an embodiment of the drive, not only the first coolant pump can be operated both with the first coolant pump supply and with the second coolant pump supply but the second coolant pump can also be operated both with the first coolant pump supply and with the second coolant pump supply.

This enables a redundant coolant pump connection to the drive. This is feasible, for example, in the case of permanentmagnet-excited synchronous machines as a drive for a submarine .

An increase in the functional availability of the drive motor for the waterbound means of transport in the event of a malfunction of a coolant pump supply or a coolant pump can be obtained by means of a redundant coolant pump connection. Thus, for example, it is possible to prevent the cooling capacity of this cooling circuit from failing completely in the event of a malfunction of a coolant pump supply. This would namely lead to a reduction in the maximum output power of the entire traction motor (drive motor). This power limit reduces the possible applications of the waterbound means of transport, for example, as represented by a submarine.

In an embodiment of the drive, the first coolant pump supply has a power converter which is interconnectable with the first coolant pump and/or with the second coolant pump. The power converter is in particular an inverter. The power converter can also be referred to as the first power converter hereinafter. Interconnection takes place, for example, by means of contactors. The first coolant pump alone can therefore be supplied by the power converter of the first coolant pump supply, or the second coolant pump supplied alone or the first and the second coolant pump supplied together.

PCT/EP2017/068002 / 2015P26779WO

In an embodiment of the drive, the second coolant pump supply has a further power converter which can be interconnected with the first coolant pump and/or with the second coolant pump.

The further power converter can also be referred to as a second power converter hereinafter. The further power converter is also in particular an inverter. Interconnection takes place, for example, by means of contactors. The first coolant pump alone can be supplied by the further power converter, that is to say, the power converter second coolant pump supply, or the second coolant pump alone supplied or the first and the second coolant pump supplied together.

In an embodiment of the drive, the first pump unit with the first coolant pump and the associated first pump drive motor, and the second pump unit with the second coolant pump and the associated second pump drive motor are designed in such a manner that the respective pump drive motor is designed in such a manner that the latter can drive the coolant pump continuously at a flow rate of more than 80% of the maximum flow rate.

A waterbound means of transport, in particular, a submarine or a ship, has a drive according to one of the embodiments described in order to better ensure the operational capability of the watercraft, even in the event of a malfunction. A possible malfunction is, for example, the failure of a coolant pump or the failure of a pump drive motor. This can incorporate one of the methods described.

According to a method for operating a drive, the first coolant circuit and the second coolant circuit is supplied with coolant by the first coolant pump or by the second coolant

PCT/EP2017/068002 / 2015P26779WO pump. The coolant is, in particular, a liquid such as water.

Thus, two coolant circuits can be operated by a coolant pump, that is to say, by a pump unit.

In an embodiment of the method, a motor which drives the coolant pump is operated at overload when the first cooling circuit and the second cooling circuit is supplied with this coolant pump alone. Thus, the cooling capacity can be kept close to the rated cooling capacity for at least a short time.

In an embodiment of the method, a pump unit which has a coolant pump which supplies the first cooling circuit and the second cooling circuit is operated at more than 80% of maximum output. Even though efficiency is not optimal at an output of 80% of maximum output, at least the cooling capacity can be kept at a high level. In particular, this is continued until a failed, decommissioned and/or faulty further pump unit is replaced or repaired.

In the event of the failure of a pump unit, the cooling circuits of a drive can be connected. Thus, by increasing the rotational speed of the remaining pump unit, the volume flow and consequently the cooling capacity can be increased so that in particular, the reduction of the maximum possible output torque is minimized. The cooling capacity, which is increased, relates to that which is provided by the remaining pump unit. The speed increase is, for example, enabled by reducing the excitation current or by increasing the inverter frequency.

By increasing the output torque of the pump unit to >90% in the event of the failure of another pump unit, the operational readiness of a ship or a submarine can be maintained to a large extent.

PCT/EP2017/068002 / 2015P26779WO

By means of an altered supply of the pump motors as a result of reducing the excitation current or of increasing the inverter frequency, the cooling capacity for the drive of the ship or the submarine can be maintained at a high level. The increased output torque of the drive motor in the event of a malfunction, i.e. in the event of the failure of a pump unit, is advantageous during the operation of the ship or submarine compared to a case in which, in the event of a malfunction, the operation of the remaining pump unit is unchanged.

In an embodiment of the method, a pump unit having a coolant pump which supplies the first cooling circuit and the second cooling circuit is operated in a range in which the efficiency of the pump unit declines as the power consumption increases. This means that, for example, in normal operation two pump units are operated highly efficiently at least close to an operating point. If one of the units fails, the output of the remaining pump unit is increased in order to obtain at least only a small decline in the cooling capacity. For this purpose, cooling circuits which were previously assigned to the pump units individually can be combined and only assigned to one functioning pump unit any more.

The invention is described in an exemplary manner hereinafter with reference to figures. The figures show:

FIG 1	A drive with redundant cooling or with a redundant coolant pump supply;
FIG 2	A submarine with a drive and
FIG 3	A ship with a drive.

The illustration according to FIG 1 shows a drive 1 with

PCT/EP2017/068002 / 2015P26779WO redundant cooling or with a redundant coolant pump supply 6 and 7. The drive 1 has an electric motor 2 as an electrical machine which, for example, can be operated by a motor or generator. The electric motor 2 drives a propeller, for example, but this is not shown in FIG 1. A first coolant pump 4 and a second coolant pump 5 is provided to cool the electrical machine 2. The first coolant pump 4 is assigned a first pump drive motor 17. The second coolant pump 5 is assigned a second pump drive motor 18. The first coolant pump 4, together with the first pump drive motor 17, forms a pump unit 3. The second coolant pump 5, together with the second pump drive motor 18, also forms a pump unit 3'. The electric motor 2, which has a stator and a rotor which are not shown, has a first cooling circuit 19 and a second cooling circuit

20. The first cooling circuit 19 can be coupled to or decoupled from the second cooling circuit 20 via a coupling valve 24. The first cooling circuit 19 and the second cooling circuit 20 can be connected in parallel or in series for coupling. If the cooling circuits 19 and 20 are decoupled, the first cooling circuit 19 is fed by the pump unit 3 with the first coolant pump 4 and the first pump drive motor 17 and the second cooling circuit 20 is fed by the pump unit 3' with the second coolant pump 5 and the second pump drive motor 18. The coolant is, for example, a liquid such as water or an oil. For cooling, the drive 1 has a first power converter 10 and a second power converter 11 for the pump units 3 and 3'. The power converters 10 and 11 are in particular, inverters or converters. The pump units 3 and 3' are supplied with electrical energy by the power converters 10 and 11 via power cables 29. The first power converter 10 is connected to the first pump drive motor 17 via a first main contactor 12 and a first circuit breaker 21. The second power converter 11 is connected to the second pump drive motor 18 via a second main

PCT/EP2017/068002 / 2015P26779WO contactor 13 and a second circuit breaker 22. The first power converter 10 can be connected to the second pump drive motor 18 via a first changeover contactor 14 and the second circuit breaker 22. The second power converter 11 can be connected to the first pump drive motor 17 via a second changeover contactor 15 and the first circuit breaker 21. The first main contactor 12 is in series with the first circuit breaker 21. The second main contactor 13 is in series with the second circuit breaker 22. The first changeover contactor 14 is between the first power converter 10 and a node 38. The node 38 is between the second main contactor 13 and the second circuit breaker 22. The first main contactor 12 is in series with the first circuit breaker 21. The second changeover contactor 15 is between the second power converter 11 and a node 39. The node 39 is between the first main contactor 12 and the first circuit breaker 21. In this manner, the first power converter 10 can be electrically connected to the first pump drive motor 17 and/or to the second pump drive motor 18. In this manner, the second power converter 11 can also be electrically connected to the first pump drive motor 17 and/or to the second pump drive motor 18. In this way, the power converters 10 and 11 can be designed redundantly as both are able to supply the coolant pumps 4 and 5 with electricity. In an embodiment, with regard to their output, the power converters 10 and/or 12 are designed in such a way that only together they guarantee to operate one of the pump units at at least 80% of maximum output. For fault-free operation, the power converters 10 and 12 are designed in such a way that in each case, they can supply current to the pump units 3 and 3' in the range of maximum efficiency.

The power converters 10 and 11 can, for example, be connected via a communications link 28. This can, for example, be used

PCT/EP2017/068002 / 2015P26779WO for synchronization. The first power converter 10 is supplied via a first pre-load contactor 8. The second power converter 11 is supplied via a second pre-load contactor 9. The adjustment and/or control of the first power converter 10 and the second power converter 11 takes place by means of a control system 16. For this, the first power converter 10 and the second power converter 11 is in each case connected via a communications link 27, such as for example, a communications cable, to the control system 16.

The first coolant pump supply 6 has the first pre-load contactor 8, the first power converter 10, the first main contactor 12, the first circuit breaker 21 and the first changeover contactor 14. The second coolant pump supply 7 has the second pre-load contactor 9, the second power converter 11, the second main contactor 13, the second circuit breaker 22 and the second changeover contactor 15. The interconnection of main contactors 12, 13 and changeover contactors 14, 15 produces an interconnection 40.

In the event of the detection of a fault in a coolant pump supply, it is possible to connect the faulty coolant pump supply line to the coolant pump supply still available by means of the connection logic shown in FIG 1. The concept of the design of the supply units, that is to say, in particular, of the power converters, is ensured. Thus, the first power converter 10 can be designed in such a way that the first coolant pump 4 and the second coolant pump 5 can be operated at rated output with said power converter. However, the second power converter 11 can also be designed in such a way that the first coolant pump 4 and the second coolant pump 5 can be operated at rated output with said power converter. Thus, despite a malfunction of a coolant pump interface connection,

PCT/EP2017/068002 / 2015P26779WO or a power converter, or a coolant pump supply 6, 7, it is possible for the electrical machine 2, that is to say, for example, a drive motor of a submarine, not to be restricted any longer. The restriction would result from, for example, insufficient cooling for the rated operation of the drive motor or for operation of the drive motor at maximum output. The drive motor can also be, for example, a drive motor of a ship, such as for example, a container ship, a passenger ship, a frigate, a freighter or the like. The coolant pump supply 6, 7 is redundantly designed and implemented.

The reference characters used in FIG 1 are also used in the following descriptions of the additional figures, wherein the same reference characters are used for identical elements.

The illustration according to FIG 2 shows a submarine 30 with a drive 1 with an electrical machine 2 to drive a propeller 33. The electrical machine 2 can be cooled by means of a heat exchanger 32 via a primary coolant circuit 36. The pump units 3 and 3' drive secondary coolant circuits 34 and/or 35. The coolant pump supplies 6 and 7 assigned to the pump units 3 and 3' are redundantly interconnected. The secondary coolant circuits 34 and 35 can be coupled or decoupled via coupling valves 25 and 26. The drive 1 according to FIG 2 can also be realized in a ship.

The illustration according to FIG 3 shows a ship 31 with an electrical machine 2 to drive a propeller 33. The electrical machine 2 can be supplied with current via a drive power converter. The pump units 3 and 3' drive the coolant circuits 19 or 20. The pump units 3, 3' can be supplied with current via the respective coolant pump supply 6 and 7. The coolant pump supply 6 and 7 are controlled and/or adjusted via the

PCT/EP2017/068002 / 2015P26779WO control system 16. The electrical machine 2 can be cooled via the coolant circuits 19 and 20. The coolant circuits 19 and 20 can be combined via a coupling valve 24 so that both coolant circuits can also only be operated by a pump unit 3, 3'. In order to avoid having to reduce the cooling capacity by approx, half in the event of the failure of a pump unit, the remaining operational pump unit is operated close to the maximum output limit, although efficiency is impaired as a result. The drive power converter 23 is also connected to coolant circuits 19 and 20. The coupling valves 25 and 26 are provided for this purpose. A power converter cooling circuit 37 can be coupled to the pump units 3 and 3' via the coupling valves 25 and 26. The drive of the ship 31 according to FIG 3 can also be realized in a submarine.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A drive of a waterbound means of transport, wherein the drive comprises an electrical machine, a pump unit having a first coolant pump and a second coolant pump, a first coolant circuit, and a second coolant circuit, wherein the pump unit is coupled to the first coolant circuit and to the second coolant circuit, and wherein, if the first coolant pump or the second coolant pump fails, an output torque of the remaining operational coolant pump is increased such that the pump unit is operated at more than 80% of maximum output.
2 The drive as claimed in claim 1, wherein the output torque of the remaining operational coolant pump is more than 90% of the maximum output torque of the remaining operational coolant pump.
3. The drive as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the first coolant circuit can be coupled to the second coolant circuit via a valve.
4. The drive as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the first coolant circuit and/or the second coolant circuit is provided to cool the electrical machine.
5. The drive as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a first coolant pump supply and a second coolant pump supply, wherein the first coolant pump can be operated both with the first coolant pump supply and with the second coolant pump supply.
6. The drive as claimed in claim 5, wherein the second coolant pump can be operated both with the first coolant pump supply and with the second coolant pump supply.
7. The drive as claimed in claim 6, wherein the first coolant pump supply has a power converter which can be interconnected with the first coolant pump and/or with the second coolant pump.
8. The drive as claimed in any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein the second coolant pump supply has a further power converter which can be interconnected with the first coolant pump and/or with the second coolant pump.

24139659 (IRN: P0004636AU)

2017326136 28 Jan 2020
9. A waterbound means of transport, wherein the waterbound means of transport has a drive as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8.
10. The drive as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8 or the waterbound means of transport of claim 9, wherein the waterbound means of transport is any one of a submarine and a ship.
11. A method for operating a drive as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the first coolant pump or the second coolant pump supplies the first coolant circuit and the second coolant circuit with coolant.
12. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein a motor which drives the coolant pump which supplies the first coolant circuit and the second coolant circuit is operated at overload.
13. The method as claimed in any one of claims 11 to 12, wherein the pump unit which supplies the first coolant circuit and the second coolant circuit is operated in a range in which the efficiency of the pump unit declines as the power consumption increases.
14. The method as claimed in any one of claims 10 to 13, wherein the drive is used in a submarine or a ship.