IP Library Granted Patent US 12,451,674
Granted Patent B2
US 12,451,674 · App. 18/721,024 · Granted Oct 21, 2025

Power device comprising an insulation gas for use in an electric energy power arrangement

Inventors: Peter Stengard (Ludvika, SE); Richard Thomas (Borlänge, SE); Hauke Peters (Hanau, DE); Loic Fave (Fribourg, CH)
Assignee: Hitachi Energy Ltd
H02B7/01H01B3/56H02B3/00
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,451,674
App. No.
18/721,024
Granted
Oct 21, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

A power device includes a gas chamber adapted to include an insulation gas under a set of use conditions including a predetermined installation pressure, and an insulation component including a material in which said insulation gas is soluble and being arranged in relation to said gas chamber so as to be at least partly exposed to said insulation gas when the power device is in said use state. The power device has a delivery state, being a state of said power device before and/or at an installation time at which the power device is installed in said electric energy power arrangement under said set of use conditions including said installation pressure of said insulation gas in said gas chamber, wherein, in said delivery state, said insulation component includes an amount of pre-filled insulation gas which is dissolved in the material of the insulation component.

Claims (34)

1. A power device for use in an electric energy power arrangement, said power device comprising:

a gas chamber, wherein said gas chamber is adapted to, when in a use state in said electric energy power arrangement, contain an insulation gas therein under a set of use conditions, said set of use conditions comprising a use pressure, and at an installation time at a beginning of the use state the use pressure comprises a predetermined installation pressure of said insulation gas in said gas chamber; and

an insulation component comprising a polymer material in which at least some of said insulation gas is soluble, wherein said insulation component is arranged in relation to said gas chamber so as to be at least partly exposed to said insulation gas when the power device is in said use state,

wherein at a delivery time, said power device having a delivery state, being a state of said power device before the installation time at which the power device is installed in said electric energy power arrangement, wherein, in said delivery state, said insulation component comprises a pre-filled amount of the insulation gas being dissolved in the polymer material of the insulation component under a set of predetermined gas dissolving conditions for at least a predetermined gas dissolving time period before the delivery time,

wherein said predetermined gas dissolving conditions comprise a predetermined gas dissolving pressure being greater than said predetermined installation pressure,

wherein when the power device is in said delivery state, said gas chamber comprises said insulation gas under a set of delivery conditions, wherein said set of delivery conditions comprises a delivery pressure, said delivery pressure being lower than said installation pressure, and

wherein said set of predetermined gas dissolving conditions and said predetermined gas dissolving time period is such that the insulation component comprises the pre-filled amount of the insulation gas being such that the use pressure of the insulation gas in said gas chamber follows a generally linear decay from said installation pressure at the installation time, when subject to said use conditions, proportional to the time elapsed from said installation time.

2. The power device according to claim 1 , wherein said generally linear decay is such that, using a first pressure difference being a difference between said predetermined installation pressure and a first pressure value representative of a first pressure of the use pressure in said gas chamber at a first time after said installation time, and a second pressure difference being a difference between said first pressure value and a second pressure value, said second pressure value being representative of a second pressure of the use pressure in said gas chamber at a second time after the installation time, the second time after the first time, wherein a first time difference between the first time and the installation time is equal to a second time difference between the second time and the first time, and wherein said second pressure difference deviates by less than 10% from said first pressure difference.

3. The power device according to claim 2 , wherein said first pressure value is a first average value as determined over a first predetermined measurement time range so as to be representative of the use pressure in the gas chamber at said first time, and/or wherein said second pressure value is a second average value as determined over a first predetermined measurement time range so as to be representative of the use pressure in the gas chamber at said second time.

4. The power device according to claim 2 , wherein the first time difference is at least 5 days.

5. The power device according to claim 1 , wherein said insulation gas comprises SF6 gas, CO2 gas, O2 gas and/or N2 gas.

6. The power device according to claim 1 , said insulation gas comprises CO2 gas.

7. The power device according to claim 1 , wherein said polymer material is an epoxy material.

8. A method for arranging a power device according to claim 1 , comprising, installing said power device in an electrical energy power arrangement adapted to be operated at said set of use conditions.

9. An electric energy power arrangement, comprising one or more power devices, out of which each of at least one of the one or more power devices is in accordance with claim 1 .

10. A method for manufacturing a power device for subsequent installation in an electric energy power arrangement,

the power device comprising:

a gas chamber, wherein said gas chamber is adapted to, when in a use state in said electric energy power arrangement, contain an insulation gas therein under a set of use conditions, the set of use conditions comprise a use pressure, and at an installation time at a beginning of the use state said use pressure comprises a predetermined installation pressure of said insulation gas in said gas chamber; and

an insulation component being arranged in relation to said gas chamber so as to be at least partly exposed to said insulation gas when the power device is in said use state,

said insulation component comprising a polymer material in which at least some of said insulation gas is soluble, and

the method comprising the step of:

prior to installing said power device in said use state, subjecting said insulation component to said insulation gas under a set of predetermined gas dissolving conditions for at least a predetermined gas dissolving time period,

wherein said predetermined gas dissolving conditions comprise a predetermined gas dissolving pressure being greater than said predetermined installation pressure, such that said insulation component is prefilled with an amount of said insulation gas being dissolved in the polymer material of the insulation component, and

wherein said set of predetermined gas dissolving conditions and said predetermined gas dissolving time period is such that the insulation component is pre-filled with said amount of said insulation gas being such that the use pressure of the insulation gas in said gas chamber follows a generally linear decay from said predetermined installation pressure at an installation time, when subject to said set of use conditions.

11. The method according to claim 10 , further comprising forming said power device that comprises said insulation component before said step of subjecting said insulation component to said insulation gas under the set of predetermined gas dissolving conditions for said at least said predetermined gas dissolving time period.

12. The method according to claim 10 , wherein said step of subjecting the insulation component to said insulation gas under said set of predetermined gas dissolving conditions for said at least said at least said predetermined gas dissolving time period is performed with the insulation component being comprised in said power device and comprises:

filling said gas chamber with said insulation gas and maintaining said insulation gas in said gas chamber under said set of predetermined gas dissolving conditions of said power device for said at least said predetermined gas dissolving time period, so as to form said power device being in a delivery state before said use state wherein said insulation component comprises an amount of the pre-filled of said insulation gas being dissolved in the polymer material of the insulation component before connection to the electric energy power arrangement.

13. The method according to claim 10 , wherein said set of predetermined gas dissolving conditions further comprises a predetermined gas dissolving temperature.

14. The method according to claim 13 , wherein said set of use conditions further comprises a predetermined use temperature range and said predetermined gas dissolving temperature is higher than said predetermined use temperature range.

15. The method according to claim 10 , comprising the step of, after said at least said predetermined gas dissolving time period, setting said power device to a set of predetermined storage conditions.

16. The method according to claim 15 , wherein the set of predetermined storage conditions comprises a storage pressure being less than said predetermined gas dissolving pressure.

17. The method according to claim 15 , wherein the set of predetermined storage conditions comprises a storage pressure being less than said predetermined installation pressure.

18. The method according to claim 10 , wherein said insulation gas comprises CO2 gas.

19. The method according to claim 10 , wherein said polymer material is an epoxy material.

Assignments (3)
CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE NAME OF INVENTOR RICHARD STENGARD PREVIOUSLY RECORDED ON REEL 67747 FRAME 369. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE ASSIGNMENT. Recorded Jun 27, 2024
From: STENGARD, PETER; THOMAS, RICHARD; PETERS, HAUKE; FAVE, LOIC
To: HITACHI ENERGY SWITZERLAND AG
Reel/Frame 067956/0550 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 17, 2024
From: STENGARD, RICHARD; THOMAS, RICHARD; PETERS, HAUKE; FAVE, LOIC
To: HITACHI ENERGY SWITZERLAND AG
Reel/Frame 067747/0369 →
MERGER Recorded Jun 17, 2024
From: HITACHI ENERGY SWITZERLAND AG
To: HITACHI ENERGY LTD
Reel/Frame 067747/0465 →
Priority Claims (1)
EP 21215486 · Dec 17, 2021 · regional
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20240421569A1 · Dec 19, 2024
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