FR2865037A1 - Single-pole voltage detector for high voltage overhead electrical line, has capacitor placed between contact conductor and Faraday cage for connecting them, and current-voltage converter with terminals connected to cage and counterpoise - Google Patents

Abstract

The detector (30) has a contact conductor (31), a Faraday cage, a detection circuit and a counterpoise, where the cage protects the detection circuit. A capacitor (32) is placed between the conductor and the Faraday cage and electrically connects the conductor with the cage. The detection circuit has a current-voltage converter having respective terminals connected to the cage and the counterpoise.

Description

The present invention relates generally to the control of the

  presence or absence of a voltage on any power line.

  More particularly, but not exclusively, the invention relates to the control of the presence or absence of a voltage on high-voltage overhead power lines, whether they be power distribution lines or power transmission lines. .

  Prior to performing work on a power line, such a unipolar voltage detector is used by an operator to ensure that the line is de-energized.

  It is known in the state of the art a unipolar voltage detector of the usual type comprising a contact electrode, a metal mass called counterweight, a load resistor, a detection circuit, a signaling element and a Faraday cage in a state of the art. which are the load resistance and the detection circuit. The contact electrode is directly connected to a first terminal of the load resistor, a second terminal of which is connected to the counterweight. The detection circuit is connected across the load resistor and controls the signaling element. The contact electrode and the counterweight are outside the Faraday cage. The counterweight is formed by a non-negligible surface plate which extends transversely to the axis of the Faraday cage.

  To control the power line, the detector is mounted at the end of a pole. The operator holding the pole at arm's length comes into contact with the electrical line to be controlled through the contact electrode located at the top of the detector.

  It then forms between the counterweight and the ground, a parasitic capacitance which allows the circulation of a micro-current through the load resistance of the detector.

  The sensing circuit compares the voltage generated across the load resistor with a reference voltage, and the sensing circuit drives the signaling element based on the result of the comparison.

  For example, the signaling element comprises two indicator lights, one red, which is lit in the case of the presence of a voltage, and the other, green, which is lit after a test action and which remains turned on in the absence of a voltage.

  A difficulty in designing a unipolar voltage detector lies in the fact that it must obscure the possible presence of a voltage induced on the controlled power line.

  This induced voltage, due to the presence of surrounding power lines, can in practice reach 10 to 15% of the inductive voltage. The sensitivity of the detector therefore needs to be adjusted and correlatively results in a limitation of the voltage range in which reliable detection is possible.

  Now it is desirable, in particular to limit the number of voltage detectors of different characteristics necessary, that this voltage range is as wide as possible, the detector remains of course capable of satisfying the normative provisions in force.

  In practice, three laboratory tests are defined by the international standard IEC-1243-1 and are supposed to represent the different critical cases to which a unipolar voltage detector must respond. Briefly, these tests are as follows: 1) the signaling element must be excited and indicate a presence of voltage if the voltage to be detected is greater than a fraction, less than half, of the nominal voltage in service; 2) the signaling element shall not be energized if the voltage to be detected is equal to a reduced fraction, between one-tenth and two-tenths, of the rated voltage in service; and 3) the signaling element shall not be energized for a reverse operation of the voltage detector, ie for an interfering field in phase opposition, if the voltage to be controlled is equal to a given fraction, more than half of the rated voltage in service.

  In its French patent FR-2723486, the Applicant has proposed an improved unipolar voltage detector to meet the design constraints and normative provisions indicated above.

  The detector according to FR-2723486, indicated by the reference numeral 11 below, is shown in the form of a simplified diagram in FIG.

  The voltage detector of the prior art 11 is intended to come into contact with an electrical line 10 by a contact electrode 12, while being manipulated at the end of a not shown pole. The flow of a micro-current allowing the detection intervenes through a capacitance 26 between a counterweight 15 of the detector 11 and the ground 13.

  The detector 11 comprises, generally, sheltered from a Faraday cage 14, between the contact electrode 12, which is external to this Faraday cage 14 while being in galvanic connection with it, and a counterweight 15, which is also external to this Faraday cage 14, but without an electrical connection therewith, a load resistor 16 across which a detection circuit 17 driving a signaling element 18 is established.

  In this detector 11, a distance L separating the counterweight 15 from the contact electrode 12, on the one hand, and a useful surface S of the counterweight 15, that is to say its surface in the air, of on the other hand, satisfy jointly the two following inequalities: L> 200 mm mm2 <S <500 mm2 The Faraday 14 cage is in the form of a cylindrical box, closed by a transverse wall to both of them. its ends.

  The contact electrode 12 is located in the center of its top transverse wall 19 and is in direct electrical connection with a first terminal of the load resistor 16.

  Counterweight 15 extends from the opposite side beyond the corresponding base transverse wall.

  For example, the counterweight is formed by means of a wire belonging to a shielded electrical cable 22 whose shield belongs to the Faraday cage 14 forming a tubular extension thereof. As shown in FIG. 1, however, the shielding is shortened and the visible portion of the conductive thread constitutes the counterweight 15.

  The counterweight 15 typically has a length 1 which is about 30 mm.

  Given the dimensions L = 200 mm and I = 30 mm, the detector 11 gives rise to embodiments whose length is greater than 230 mm. In practice, detectors marketed in the voltage range of 10 kV to 30 kV have a total length of about 390 mm and a mass of about 0.800 kg.

  Although the detector of the applicant briefly described above provides a satisfactory technical solution to the difficulties described above, it is however desirable to propose improvements to better meet the normative provisions and expectations of users.

  As noted above, a desirable improvement of the prior art is the ratio of the extreme voltages in the operating voltage range of the detectors.

  Unipolar voltage detectors with an operating voltage range of 10 kV to 30 kV are currently commercially available.

  An extension of this operating voltage range to a voltage above 30 kV would be an appreciable improvement.

  The present invention aims to provide an improved unipolar voltage detector, especially in the direction mentioned above.

  A unipolar voltage detector according to the invention, in particular for an overhead electrical line, comprising a contact electrode, a Faraday cage, a detection circuit and a counterweight, the Faraday cage housing at least the detection circuit, is characterized in that it also includes a high impedance component located between the contact electrode and the Faraday cage and electrically connecting the contact electrode to the Faraday cage.

  It is considered in this application that a high impedance component is a component having an impedance of at least 80 MS2 at the frequency of 50 Hz.

  The detector according to the invention as briefly defined above allows a ratio of about 3.6 between the minimum voltage and the maximum voltage of the operating voltage range.

  It is thus possible, for example, to make a detector having an operating range of 10 to 36 kV.

  The high impedance component limits the effect of a disturbing field in phase opposition and allows the detector to satisfy the test 3) normative provisions.

  Indeed, the current likely to flow between the counterweight and the contact electrode due to the disturbing field is strongly limited by the high impedance component.

  Preferably, the high impedance component is a capacitor.

  According to another characteristic, the capacitor comprises a dielectric material some parts of which are welded and / or osmotically bonded to an electrically insulating material covering the capacitor. Preferably, the dielectric material and the electrically insulating material are one or more polycarbonates. In addition, the electrically insulating material may be that constituting an outer casing of the detector.

  Thanks to the above characteristics, the breakdown voltage of the capacitor is substantially increased.

  Tests performed by the inventive entity have shown satisfactory results for a capacitor having a capacitance of between 4 pF and 40 pF.

  According to a preferred embodiment of the detector according to the invention, the Faraday cage houses said counterweight and comprises an open portion allowing the passage of a detection current between the counterweight and the earth and this unidirectionally in space, the counterweight being disposed substantially at the open portion and having a generally planar and / or concave surface facing the open portion.

  This embodiment allows a significant reduction in the size and weight of the detector.

  Operator fatigue during control operations is thus reduced, especially when the boom is of great length.

  According to yet another preferred embodiment of the detector according to the invention, the detection circuit comprises a current converter having a first current terminal connected to the Faraday cage and a second current terminal connected to the counterweight.

  In this latter embodiment, the charge resistance conventionally included in the prior art detectors can be suppressed.

  The correlative result is a better adaptation of the detector to field conditions by greater insensitivity to dust and mold. Indeed, in the detectors of the prior art, dust and molds on the load resistor tend over time to distort the detection.

  Other characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become apparent on reading the following description, given by way of illustration and without limitation, of a preferred embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: FIG. is a schematic diagram, already described above, of a unipolar voltage detector according to the prior art; Fig.2 is a block diagram of a preferred embodiment of a unipolar voltage detector according to the invention; and Fig.3 is a front view, with a local cutaway, of a practical embodiment of a unipolar voltage detector according to the invention.

  With reference to the simplified diagram of FIG. 2, the general structure and operation of a preferred embodiment of a unipolar voltage detector according to the invention is now described.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the detector 30 essentially comprises a contact electrode 31, a high impedance component 32, a Faraday cage 33, an independent DC voltage source 34, a detection and signaling circuit 35, and a counterweight 37.

  The contact electrode 31 is intended to come into contact with the electrical line 10 and is electrically connected to a first terminal 321 of the high impedance component 32.

  In this preferred embodiment, the high impedance component 32 is a capacitor. In other embodiments, the high impedance component 32 may take the form of an ohmic resistor, an inductive coil or a combination of capacitive, inductive and / or resistive elements.

  A second terminal 322 of the high impedance component 32 is electrically connected to the Faraday cage 33 and to a first measurement terminal 350 of the detection and signaling circuit 35.

  A second measurement terminal 351 is electrically connected to the counterweight 37.

  The Faraday cage 33 houses in particular the detection and signaling circuit 35 and the counterweight 37. The contact electrode 31 and the high impedance component 32 are located outside the Faraday cage 33.

  The Faraday cage 33 is generally bell-shaped and has a closed side skirt wall 330, a top transverse wall 331 and an open bottom 332. The walls 330 and 331 are of course electrically conductive.

  The top transverse wall 331 is electrically connected to the high impedance component 32.

  The autonomous DC voltage source 34 is for example a 9 volt electric battery.

  In this embodiment, the negative polarity terminal of the DC voltage source 34 is electrically connected to the Faraday cage 33 and to a negative power supply terminal of the detection and signaling circuit 35. The positive polarity terminal of the DC voltage source 34 is electrically connected to a positive supply terminal of the detection and signaling circuit 35.

  36V green and 36R red indicator lights and a sound indicator 36B are in a known manner controlled by the detection and signaling circuit 35.

  The 36V and 36R LEDs allow the operator to read test and control results. A test switch 36 is used by the operator to verify, before a voltage check, the proper functioning of the detector 30, in particular dependent on the state of the DC voltage source 34.

  In this preferred embodiment of the invention, the measuring terminals 350 and 351 of the detection and signaling circuit 35 are respectively connected to current terminals (not shown) of a current-voltage converter (not shown) forming a measurement input stage in the circuit 35.

  This current-voltage converter is achievable by means of an operational amplifier, in a manner known to those skilled in the art, and has the advantage of rendering useless the load resistor 16 conventionally incorporated in the unipolar voltage detectors of FIG. the prior art.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the counterweight 37 generally has a planar shape transverse to the longitudinal axis of the detector 30 and comprises a generally planar surface facing the open bottom portion 332.

  According to an alternative embodiment, the surface of the counterweight 37 opposite the open bottom portion 332 is generally of concave shape.

  The counterweight 37 is disposed substantially at the opening of the Faraday cage 33, that is to say at the bottom open portion 332.

  The counterweight 37 is mounted slightly indented inside the Faraday cage 33. The side wall 330 thus has a length overhang D downwardly relative to the transverse plane of the counterweight 37.

  Exceeding D has the essential function of preventing on the counterweight 37 undesirable electrical disturbances. These disturbances are in particular those induced by the electric fields of live electrical lines 30 close to the electrical line 10.

  There is thus obtained a certain directivity of the counterweight 37 which constitutes one of the armatures of the parasitic capacitor 26, the other armature of the parasitic capacitor 26 being constituted by the earth 13.

  The lower open portion 332 allows the passage of a sensing current between the counterweight 37 and the earth 13 and this unidirectionally in space.

  Preferably, the excess D is included, without limitation, in a range of 10 to 20 mm. Typically, the excess D is equal to 15 mm.

  In a particularly preferred embodiment, the counterweight 37 is formed by a conductive portion in a printed circuit, analogous to a ground plane.

  With reference also to FIG. 3, a preferred embodiment of the high impedance component 32 is now described.

  With the exception of the contact electrode 31, the other functional elements 32 to 37 of the detector 30, described above with reference to FIG. 2, are contained inside an outer envelope 38.

  The outer casing 38 has an elongated bell shape which is closed at its base by a closure cap 39.

  In a known manner, the closure cap 39 carries an adaptation cap 40 for a pole (not shown), the signaling lamps 36V and 36R, as well as the sound indicator 36B and the test switch 36 which are not visible in Fig.3.

  Of course, the outer casing 38 and the closure cap 40 are made of electrically insulating material. Preferably, the outer casing 38 and the closure cap 40 are made of synthetic material.

  The high impedance component 32 is shown in Fig. 3 at a local tear-off of the view.

  As seen above, the high impedance component 32 is formed of a parallel two-electrode capacitor 321 and 322, here separated by a dielectric material 323. The electrodes 321 and 322 have circular planar shapes. The dielectric material 323 is formed of a circular cylindrical block.

  Tests performed by the inventive entity have shown that it is interesting to select the capacitance of the capacitor 32 in the range of 4 to 40 pF.

  The electrode 321 comprises a flat bottom portion 321E forming a capacitor electrode strictly speaking and bearing against the dielectric material 323. The electrode 321 also comprises a threaded upper part 321 C in which the contact electrode 31 is screwed.

  The electrode 322 comprises a flat upper part 322E forming a capacitor electrode strictly speaking and resting against the dielectric material 323. The electrode 322 also comprises a lower part 322C forming a contact pad and intended to ensure electrical contact with the wall transversal transversal 331 of the Faraday cage 33.

  As shown in Fig.3, the diameter of the dielectric material 323 is slightly greater than that of the electrode portions 321E and 322E.

  The upper diameter of the dielectric material 323 allows the formation therein, on upper and lower faces, of two housings in which are respectively inserted the electrode portions 321E and 322E. Respective circular edges of the electrode portions 321E and 322E are thus covered by the dielectric material 323.

  In this preferred embodiment, the dielectric material 323 and the insulating material of the outer shell 38 are both selected as polycarbonates and the two materials are welded or osmotically bound at adjacent portions 328. These adjacent portions 328 include all surfaces of the dielectric material 323 not covered by the electrode portions 321E and 322E.

  Tests carried out by the inventive entity show that the welding, or osmosis, of the polycarbonates in the adjacent portions 328 allows a significant increase in the breakdown voltage of the capacitor 32.

  In a variant not shown, the capacitor 32 is replaced by a high impedance component of another nature, for example the combination of a capacitor and a resistor.

  Many other variants are possible depending on the circumstances, and it is recalled in this regard that the invention is not limited to the examples described and shown.

Claims (11)

  1. A unipolar voltage detector, especially for an overhead power line, comprising a contact electrode (31), a Faraday cage (33), a detection circuit (35) and a counterweight (37), said Faraday cage (33). ) housing at least said detection circuit (35), characterized in that it also comprises a high impedance component (32) located between said contact electrode (31) and said Faraday cage (33) and electrically connecting said electrode contact (31) to said Faraday cage (33).   2. Detector according to claim 1, characterized in that said high impedance component (32) is a capacitor.   3. Detector according to claim 2, characterized in that said capacitor (32) comprises a dielectric material (323) some parts (328) of which are welded and / or osmotically bonded to an electrically insulating material (38) covering said capacitor ( 32).   4. Detector according to claim 3, characterized in that said dielectric material (323) and said electrically insulating material (38) are one or more polycarbonates.   5. Detector according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that said electrically insulating material (38) is the one constituting an outer envelope (38) of said detector (30).   6. Detector according to any one of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that said capacitor (32) comprises first and second planar electrodes (321E, 322E) and a block of dielectric material (323) generally cylindrical interposed between said first and second electrodes (321E, 322E).   The detector of claim 6, characterized in that side edges of said first and second electrodes (321E, 322E) are covered by portions of said block of dielectric material (323).   8. Detector according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that said electrodes (321E, 322E) and said block of dielectric material (323) are circular in shape.   9. Detector according to any one of claims 2 to 8, characterized in that said capacitor (32) has a capacitance of between 4 pF and 40 pF.   10. Detector according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that said Faraday cage (33) houses said counterweight and comprises an open portion (332) allowing the passage of a detection current between said counterweight (37). and the earth (13) unidirectionally in space, said counterweight (37) being disposed substantially at said open portion (332) and having a generally planar and / or concave surface facing said open portion (332).   11. The detector as claimed in claim 1, wherein said detection circuit comprises a current-voltage converter having a first current terminal connected to said Faraday cage. and a second current terminal (351) connected to said counterweight (37).