RU2431861C1 - Universal disposable cartridge of bottom station disconnector - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: electricity. ^ SUBSTANCE: cartridge of disconnector is made in the form of a disposable replaceable slot, comprising a body of dielectric installed in a seat of the bottom station body, and the external walls of the dielectric body in the upper part form a cavity to arranged connecting current-conducting elements, which are electrically connected to a current-conducting element. At diametrically opposite walls in the upper part of the body there are slots made to arrange a fusible element in the form of a thread, ends of which are pulled via the cartridge body and are mechanically connected with movable elements of the bottom station disconnector. The current-conducting element is arranged in the form of a spiral from a heat-conducting material with high electric resistance. Ends of spiral are electrically connected with contacts of the bottom station. The external ends of each of two connecting current-conducting elements by means of a sealed input-output provide for spiral connection with a source of electric current, and the internal ends are connected to the opposite ends of the spiral wound around a fusible element to ensure heat transfer from the spiral heated during current passage to a refractory element made of material that ensures tensile load developed by movable elements of the bottom station disconnector. ^ EFFECT: invention provides for reliable actuation of mechanical joint of bottom station for disconnection from ballast, possibility to operate in water with low concentration of salts and simplified operation. ^ 12 cl, 5 dwg

Description

The present invention relates to equipment for technical means of research in the waters of marine geological exploration, marine geophysics, and in particular to devices for an autonomous bottom self-floating station and is intended to free the underwater instrument container from the ballast anchor. In particular, it is designed to break the mechanical connection of the bottom module with the ballast, which makes it possible to rise (ascend) to the surface after the completion of the collection of geophysical (seismic, electrical prospecting, etc.) data. It can also be used in the study and development of ocean resources by autonomous objects held during operation by means of a ballast anchor at the bottom or in the water column, and upon completion of work, dropping ballast anchors and rising to the surface due to positive buoyancy.

Known utility model "Autonomous underwater circuit breaker", patent RU 71447, publ. 03/10/2008, IPC G01S 3/00, G01S 15/87, containing an actuator with pressurized connectors for connection to the instrument container. However, it solves another technical problem, namely autonomy, the ability to control the actuator of the circuit breaker from the instrument container.

The invention is known as "thermal switch", patent RU 2026582, publ. 01/09/1995, IPC H01H 37/76, containing a sheath, two wire electrodes partially included in the housing and a heat-sensitive element. The invention relates to thermal switches designed to protect electronic and electrical devices from overheating in case of malfunctions, improves the reliability of the thermal switch. However, its design does not allow the use of a thermal switch to ensure reliable operation to disconnect the mechanical connection of the bottom station from the ballast.

The invention is known as "thermal switch", patent RU 2190280, publ. 09/27/2002, IPC H01H 37/72, H01H 37/76, containing a sealed dielectric casing, electrodes and a fuse. The invention relates to electronic equipment and is intended for use as a thermal switch in electrical circuits for disconnecting the latter when a certain temperature is exceeded and cannot perform functional actions to disconnect a mechanical connection.

The invention is known "Electric heating element", patent RU 2246186, publ. 02/10/2005, IPC H05B 3/48, H01H 37/32, H01H 37/76, H05B 1/02, containing a spiral made of metal wire with high electrical resistivity, the coils on the thermal link side form the rigid part of the spiral, which is partially worn on the thermal link and is rigidly connected to it, if the critical temperature is exceeded, the thermal link is broken. The invention simplifies the design, reduces the complexity of its manufacture. However, it relates to electrical engineering, namely, to electric heating elements designed to equip tubular electric heaters (TENs), protected from overheating, and does not allow the use of a thermal switch to ensure reliable operation to disconnect the mechanical connection of the bottom station from the ballast.

The invention is known "Thermal switch (options)", patent RU 2189658, publ. 09/20/2002, IPC H01H 37/76, H05B 3/48, containing a thermosensitive element connected by contact elements to its outer surface, and electrical leads made of metal wire in contact with the thermosensitive element. The invention solves the problem of protection against overheating of devices during abnormal operation in conditions of limited heat dissipation, however, it cannot perform functional actions to disconnect the mechanical connection.

Known utility model "Autonomous underwater circuit breaker", patent RU 90219, publ. 12/27/2009, IPC G01S 3/00, containing a wire that breaks down when a voltage is applied and connected to a current source and with movable devices for fixing rods, while the ends of the wire contact through a relay with a current source. The utility model allows to guarantee the simultaneous release of rods and the reliability of the system of destruction of the wire, as well as the ability to use replaceable cartridges instead of the laborious work of threading the wire. However, it does not provide the possibility of operation of the circuit breaker in water with a low concentration of salts, regardless of the density of the liquid medium, as well as in fresh water.

Closest to the proposed technical solution is the utility model "Pop-up buoy", patent RU 90040, publ. 12/27/2009, IPC B63B 22/06, containing a breaker with wire staples, a running end, a ring of a breaker cartridge and a root end, the breaker is triggered by a signal from a ship, is removable, installed inside the station. The disconnector allows you to work with water salinity of only 5 to 35%, the electrical leads partially enter the contact tubes and are electrically connected to them. However, the circuit breaker is based on the electrochemical destruction of the wire, which does not allow the circuit breaker to operate in water with a low salt concentration, regardless of the density of the liquid medium, as well as in fresh water. In addition, restrictions on the environmental characteristics and the need for an electrochemical process of wire destruction does not provide reliable response to disconnect the mechanical connection of the bottom station from the ballast at the required time and without unjustified delays, since the course of the electrochemical process is difficult to control or calculate for a given response time.

To ensure the lifting of the bottom station with positive buoyancy, accurate, reliable and quick execution of the ascent command received from the vessel is necessary. To do this, the bottom station disconnector must provide reliable operation for disconnecting the mechanical connection of the bottom station from the ballast during remote control. The electrochemical methods used to destroy the circuit breaker-holding elements could not be applied to water with a low salt concentration, as well as to fresh water, since the rate of the electrochemical reaction depends on the salinity of the surrounding water.

At the same time, for reliable operation of the cartridge and ease of operation of the circuit breaker (its settings), a cartridge with elements that do not require consideration of the characteristics of the external environment and are easy to operate is required. The design of the cartridge should take into account the human factor, insuring operator errors when equipping the bottom station. When using the proposed design of the cartridge, it is necessary to close the electric circuit from the power source to the low-melting element, which is very easy to check when equipping the station. In the absence of a cartridge, the electric circuit will be opened and, therefore, the disconnector mechanism will be blocked, which without this cannot be brought into working position.

The proposed technical solution allows to achieve the following technical result:

- providing reliable response to the separation of the mechanical connection of the bottom station from the ballast,

- the ability to operate the circuit breaker in water with a low concentration of salts, regardless of the density of the liquid medium, as well as in fresh water,

- simplification of the operation process, including the simplicity of the circuit breaker equipment, reducing the risk of operator error, environmental friendliness (the possibility of disposal).

The claimed technical result is provided as follows.

The universal disposable cartridge of the bottom station disconnector comprises a housing installed in a socket of the bottom station housing, a conductive element, a low-melting element and connecting conductive elements. Its differences are that the cartridge is made in the form of a disposable plug-in connector, consisting of a body made of a dielectric, the outer walls of which in its upper part form a cavity for placement of connecting conductive elements (contacts) in it, electrically connected to a conductive element (spiral ), on diametrically opposite walls in the upper part of the housing, slots are made to accommodate a fusible element in them and the housing is equipped with seats on the outer surface; a conductive element made in the form of a spiral, the ends of which are electrically connected to the contacts of the bottom station; and a fusible element made in the form of a thread, the ends of which are threaded through the cartridge housing and mechanically connected to the movable elements of the bottom station disconnector. At the same time, at least in each of the two connecting conductive elements, the outer ends by means of a sealed I / O provide a spiral connection to an electric current source, and the inner ends of each of them are connected to the opposite ends of the spiral (conductive element), spiral (conductive element) made of a heat-conducting material with high electrical resistance, wound around a low-melting element with heat transfer through thermal radiation and / or and heat conduction from the spiral (current-conducting element) heated during the passage of current to the low-melting element, and the low-melting element is made of material providing the tensile force created by the moving elements of the bottom station disconnector. In addition, the seats can be made in the form of annular grooves in which rubber rings are embedded and the cavity of the cartridge housing can be filled with electrical insulating and / or thermal insulation material. As an electric and thermal insulation material, for example, a compound of the T-1 oil paraffin brand (GOST 23683-89) is used. The housing can be made of electrical and heat-insulating material and, for example, is sealed. The spiral can be made of nichrome wire, for example, the spiral is made of nichrome wire grade 0,100-2-Х20Н80 GOST 8803-89. In this case, the resistance of the spiral is taken, for example, at least every 5 turns - at least 2.5 ohms. The spiral forms around the fusible thread, for example, from 5 to 7 turns, and the thread is made, for example, of a fusible alloy or polymer with a diameter of 0.7 to 1.0 mm. The fusible element is designed to hold tensile forces, for example, not less than 3-4 kg, depending on the type of station, and wrapped in a spiral, for example, on a section from 1.0 to 1.5 mm long.

The proposed technical solution is illustrated by drawings. However, the presented drawings do not cover all possible modifications to the design of this cartridge.

Figure 1 shows the cross section of the cartridge without installing it in the socket of the station body;

Figure 2 shows a top view of the cavity of the cartridge housing with the spiral and thread installed, the compound is not conventionally shown;

Figure 3 shows a longitudinal section of a cartridge with a filled compound and installed sealing rings, which is inserted into the socket of the body of the bottom station;

Figure 4 shows the slots through which the fusible thread is passed, the compound is not conventionally shown;

figure 5 shows a cartridge mounted in the circuit breaker of the housing of the bottom station and mechanically connected to it with a low-melting element.

The cartridge has the following design.

The cartridge case (1) is inserted into the socket of the bottom station body (2), the cartridge is electrically connected to the bottom station by means of two conductive elements (3), which are electrically connected to the conductive element (4) of the cartridge (1) (Figure 3). The conductive element (4) in the form of a spiral is wound on a low-melting element (5) in such a way that it forms at least 5 turns (Figure 2). The opposite ends of the conductive spiral element (4) are connected to the upper ends of each of the two conductive connecting elements (3), which are inserted into the socket of the station building (2).

The fusible element (5) is made in the form of a thread that holds the tension of the levers (6) of the bottom station disconnector. The thread is made of, for example, fishing line, which is threaded freely through the slots “A” and stretched between the levers (6), mechanically fixing them.

The cartridge case (1) is made of dielectric and has a cavity “B”, in which the upper ends of the connecting conductive elements (3) are placed and the conductive element (4) wound with a spiral on the low-melting element (5). The cavity "B" is filled with a compound. On the outer surfaces of the cartridge housing (1) there are seats “C” into which rubber rings (7) are inserted.

The operator inserts a disposable replaceable cartridge into the circuit breaker into the appropriate slot on the body (2) of the self-priming bottom station in preparation for operation, and then the cartridge is disposed of after the station has been lifted aboard. The simplicity of operations with the circuit breaker during the preparation of the station, as well as the manufacture and assembly of all elements in the factory reduce the risk of operator error.

The main difference between this disconnect cartridge and other similar devices is the principle of burning (melting) the nylon filament (fishing line) by heating an electric spiral of nichrome wire wound on a fishing line while passing an electric current through the spiral.

The cartridge works as follows.

The operation of the levers (6) of the disconnector occurs after the breakdown of the fusible element (5) - fishing line, which breaks under the action of heating from the turns of the conductive element (4) when applying electrical voltage to the contacts - two connecting conductive elements (3) with a power source located in the housing station. The conductive connecting elements (3) are electrically connected to a power source. The power source supplies voltage to the contacts after the station receives a sonar command to ascend from the ship. The tightness of the connection is achieved through the use of a rubber sealing element (7).

When the thread is broken, the self-floating bottom station is separated from the load and rises to the surface of the water due to its own positive buoyancy. A thread (5), for example a fishing line, is burned using a spiral of nichrome wire (4) wound around it. The nichrome wire (4) is attached to the contacts (3), hermetically glued into the housing along the “D” surfaces. To protect the nichrome element from the action of water, the upper cavity in the housing is filled with a compound. After thermal destruction of the thread (fishing line), the levers (6) of the disconnector operate to separate the cargo from the bottom station. The amount of water falling into this area is small and is not able to absorb the amount of heat essential for the problem being solved. Thus, the fishing line (5) is not fixed in the cartridge case (1), but is only threaded through the “A” slots. The insertion point of the contacts (3) into the housing (2) is hermetic.

This ensures a technical result - a reliable response to the separation of the mechanical connection of the bottom station with ballast due to burning of the thread. The cartridge housing provides a tight connection of the cartridge in the housing of the bottom station, which eliminates the ingress of water to the contacts; this ensures that the circuit breaker can operate in water with a low salt concentration, regardless of the density of the liquid medium, as well as in fresh water. The presence of a pair is a conductive element (4), which heats up when current is passed through it, and a low-melting element (5), which is burned when heated, provides reliable operation, the compound that this unit is flooded to minimize water ingress to it. This also ensures the environmental friendliness of the cartridge, the possibility of its disposal. The simplicity of the design allows the cartridge to be manufactured in the factory for the required loads and response time, which greatly simplifies the process of its operation. So, the operator uses a ready-made replaceable disposable cartridge when equipping the bottom station breaker, this significantly reduces the risk of operator error.

In addition, thanks to the standardized elements for connecting the cartridge to the station socket, the cartridge can be used as an independent product not only in bottom stations of a certain type, but in bottom seismic and hydrophysical stations, sonar beacons, systems of submerged hydroacoustic antennas, submerged fishing nets, traps, etc. P.

Claims (12)

1. A universal disposable cartridge for a bottom station disconnector, comprising a housing mounted in a socket of the housing of the bottom station, a conductive element, a low-melting element and connecting conductive elements, characterized in that the cartridge is made in the form of a disposable interchangeable connector consisting of a housing made of a dielectric, and the outer walls of which in its upper part form a cavity for placement of connecting conductive elements in it, electrically connected to the conductive element, on a dia sweeping the opposite walls of the upper housing portion slits for placement of fusible element and the housing is provided on the outer surface of the seats;
a conductive element made in the form of a spiral, the ends of which are electrically connected to the contacts of the bottom station;
and a fusible element made in the form of a thread, the ends of which are threaded through the cartridge housing and mechanically connected to the movable elements of the bottom station disconnector, while at least in each of the two connecting conductive elements the outer ends by means of a sealed input-output provide a spiral connection to an electric source current, and the inner ends of each of them are connected to opposite ends of the spiral,
the spiral is made of a heat-conducting material with high electrical resistance, wound around a low-melting element to ensure heat transfer through heat radiation and / or thermal conductivity from a spiral heated to a low-melting element while transmitting current, and the low-melting element is made of a material that provides tensile forces created by moving elements bottom station breaker. 2. The universal disposable cartridge of the circuit breaker according to claim 1, characterized in that the seats are made in the form of annular grooves in which rubber rings are embedded. 3. The universal disposable cartridge of the circuit breaker according to claim 1, characterized in that the cavity of the cartridge housing is filled with electrical insulating and / or thermal insulation material. 4. The universal disposable cartridge of the circuit breaker according to claim 3, characterized in that a paraffin oil compound is used as an electric and thermal insulation material. 5. The universal disposable cartridge of the circuit breaker according to claim 1, characterized in that the housing is made of electrical and thermal insulation material. 6. The universal disposable cartridge circuit breaker according to claim 4, characterized in that the housing is sealed. 7. The universal disposable cartridge of the circuit breaker according to claim 1, characterized in that the spiral is made of nichrome wire. 8. The universal disposable circuit breaker cartridge according to claim 7, characterized in that the resistance of the coil at least every 5 turns is not less than 2.5 Ohms. 9. The universal disposable circuit breaker cartridge according to claim 7, characterized in that the spiral forms around 5 to 7 turns around the low-melting thread. 10. The universal disposable cartridge of the circuit breaker according to claim 7, characterized in that the thread is made of a fusible alloy or polymer with a diameter of 0.7 to 1.0 mm. 11. The universal disposable cartridge of the circuit breaker according to claim 1, characterized in that the fusible element is designed to hold tensile forces of at least 3-4 kg in an unheated state. 12. The universal disposable cartridge of the circuit breaker according to claim 1, characterized in that the low-melting element is wrapped with a spiral in a section from 1.0 to 5 mm long.

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