Smart link coupled to power line
A smart link in a power delivery system includes an insulator, which electrically isolates a power line, and a switchable conductance placed in parallel with the insulator. The switchable conductance includes switchgear for sourcing, sinking, and/or dispatching real and/or reactive power on the power line to dynamically in response to dynamic loading, transient voltages and/or currents, and phase conditions or other conditions on the power line.
1 . An assembly, comprising:
a power-line insulator extending from a first end to a second end;
a device disposed in parallel to the power-line insulator between the first end to the second end; and
a switch configured to establish a conducting path from the first end to the second end through the device bypassing the power-line insulator.
2 . The assembly of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the device and/or the switch is co-disposed with the power-line insulator in a common physical structure.
3 . The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the switch is configured to be open in a normal state of the assembly and wherein in the normal state of the assembly a power-line is electrically isolatable by the power-line insulator.
4 . The assembly of claim 3 , wherein the switch is configured to be closed in an active state of the assembly and wherein in the active state of the assembly the conducting path from the first end to the second end through the device bypasses the power-line insulator.
5 . The assembly of claim 4 , wherein the switch is configured to reopen at about zero-voltage crossings in a power line.
6 . The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the switch is configured to be passively switchable.
7 . The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the switch is configured to be actively switchable in response to a power line condition or parameter.
8 . The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the switch is configured to switchable on a power line's cycle or sub-cycle time scale.
9 . The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the switch comprises at least one of a solid-state switch, a semiconductor-based switch, a photo-activated switch, an intrinsic silicon switch with photoinjection, an SCR, an IGBT, a MOSFET, a BJT a thyristor, a gas-or-vacuum based switch, a crossed-field switch, an optoelectronic switch, and/or an Austin-switch.
10 - 11 . (canceled)
12 . The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the device is configured to carry real and/or reactive currents in an active state.
13 . (canceled)
14 . The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the device comprises at least one of a solid-state switch, a semiconductor-based switch, a photo-activated switch, an intrinsic silicon switch with photoinjection, an SCR, an IGBT, a MOSFET, a BJT, a thyristor, a gas-or-vacuum based switch, a crossed-field switch, an optoelectronic switch, and/or an Austin-switch.
15 . The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the device comprises at least one of an active impedance module, a grounding switch, a lightning arrestor, a surge arrestor, an active grounding device, a dynamically insertable current limiter, an inverter, a transformerless reactive compensation device, a phase angle regulator, a variable series capacitor, a static VAR compensator, a varistor, a Zener diode, a nonlinear resistor, and/or a braking resistor.
16 . The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the device is configured to inject power into and/or sink power from a power line.
17 . The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the device is configured to switchably introduce compensation in a power line and/or insulator path to control current values.
18 . The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the device is configured to switchably introduce reactive compensation in a power line and/or insulator path for single phase or multi-phase control.
19 . The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the device is configured to generate a voltage having a phase substantially orthogonal to a phase of a power line current and/or to generate voltages for compensating voltage drops in the power line.
20 . The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the device is configured to regulate an equivalent reactance of a power line and/or suppress power oscillations in the power line.
21 . The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the device comprises a reactive element.
22 - 23 . (canceled)
24 . The assembly of claim 21 , wherein at least a portion of the reactive element is disposed within the power line insulator.
25 . The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the device comprises a resistive element.
26 . The assembly of claim 25 , wherein at least a portion of the resistive element is disposed within the power line insulator.
27 . The assembly of claim 25 , wherein the resistive element comprises an EMF-source.
28 . The assembly of claim 25 , wherein the resistive element comprises a current sink.
29 . (canceled)
30 . The assembly of claim 25 , wherein the resistive element is configured to dissipate lightning bolt energy without a large fractional rise in local voltage driven by the lightning bolt's current-injecting action.
31 . The assembly of claim 25 , wherein the resistive element is further coupled to a heat sink.
32 . The assembly of claim 25 , wherein the resistive element is further coupled to a heat sink material by thermal diffusion.
33 . The assembly of claim 32 , wherein the resistive element comprises a plurality of current-flow paths intermixed with the heat sink material.
34 . The assembly of claim 25 , wherein the resistive element is further coupled to a heat sink made of phase-change materials.
35 . (canceled)
36 . The assembly of claim 1 , further comprising, a fusible element that is configured to open circuit in response to an onset of a low-impedance failure mode.
37 . (canceled)
38 . The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the first end is configured to be connectable to a power line and the second end is configured to be connectable to least one of a ground, a neutral, another power line, and/or another insulator assembly.
39 . The assembly of claim 1 , further comprising, a controller that is configured to operate the switch to establish a conducting path from the first end to the second end through the device bypassing the power-line insulator.
40 . The assembly of claim 39 , wherein the controller comprises a processor configured to process assembly data, environment or weather data, and/or power line data.
41 - 42 . (canceled)
43 . The assembly of claim 42 , wherein the algorithm to operate the switch is based on at least one of a time parameter, an environmental parameter, an assembly parameter, and/or a power line parameter.
44 . The assembly of claim 43 , wherein the time parameter comprises at least one of a time-of-day and/or time-of-season values.
45 . The assembly of claim 43 , wherein the power line parameter comprises at least one of an instantaneous and/or a time-averaged power line loading value.
46 . The assembly of claim 43 , wherein the assembly parameter comprises a property of the power line insulator.
47 . (canceled)
48 . The assembly of claim 39 , wherein the controller is further configured to operate the assembly to source, sink, and/or dispatch real and/or reactive power on a power line in response to dynamic loading of the power line and/or in response to transient voltages and/or currents on the power line.
49 . (canceled)
50 . A device, comprising:
an insulator configured to electrically isolate a power line; and
a switchable conductance coupled to the insulator and placed in parallel with the insulator.
51 . (canceled)
52 . The device of claim 50 , wherein at least a portion of the switchable conductance is disposed within the insulator.
53 . The device of claim 50 , wherein the switchable conductance comprises, a resistive device, a resistor and/or varistor.
54 . The device of claim 50 , wherein the switchable conductance comprises a switching element.
55 . The device of claim 50 , wherein the switchable conductance comprises at least one of a solid-state switch, a semiconductor-based switch, a photo-activated switch, an intrinsic silicon switch with photoinj ection, an SCR, an IGBT, a MOSFET, a BJT, a thyristor, a gas-or-vacuum based switch, a crossed-field switch, an optoelectronic switch, and/or an Austin-switch.
56 . The device of claim 50 , wherein the switchable conductance comprises at least one of an active impedance module, a grounding switch, a lightning arrestor, a surge arrestor, an active grounding device, a dynamically insertable current limiter, an inverter, a transformerless reactive compensation device, a phase angle regulator, a variable series capacitor, a static VAR compensator, a varistor, a Zener diode, a nonlinear resistor, and/or a braking resistor.
57 . The device of claim 50 , wherein the switchable conductance is configured to be switched off in a normal state and switched on in an active state.
58 . The device of claim 57 , wherein the switchable conductance is configured divert a current around the insulator in the active state.
59 . The device of claim 57 , wherein the switchable conductance is configured divert a current around the insulator in the active state in response to a breakdown and/or an anticipated breakdown of the insulator.
60 . The device of claim 57 , wherein the switchable conductance is configured divert a current around the insulator in the active state in response to a rise and/or a predicted rise in voltage across the insulator.
61 . The device of claim 60 , wherein the predicted rise in voltage across the insulator is based on line measurements proximate and/or remote to the device.
62 . The device of claim 61 , wherein the switchable conductance is configured divert a current around the insulator in its active state in response to an environmental event and/or predicted environmental event proximate and/or remote to the device.
63 . The device of claim 62 , wherein the environmental event is a lightning strike and/or an atmospheric potential disturbance.
64 . The device of claim 57 , wherein the switchable conductance is configured to be reopened after a switching on event.
65 . The device of claim 64 , wherein the switchable conductance is configured to be reopened at about a voltage zero-crossing in the power line.
66 . The device of claim 65 , wherein the switchable conductance is configured to be reopened in response to a magnetic field effect.
67 . The device of claim 65 , wherein the switchable conductance is configured to be reopened in response to a cessation of photo-injection.
68 . The device of claim 50 , wherein the switchable conductance is coupled to a heat sink.
69 . The system of claim 68 , wherein the switchable conductance is thermally coupled to material that absorbs heat by phase change.
70 . The device of claim 50 , wherein the switchable conductance is configured to inject power into or sink power from the power line.
71 . The device of claim 50 , further configured to be directly or indirectly coupled to a power line.
72 - 262 . (canceled)