Cooling device for cooling medium-voltage switchgear by means of live heat pipes

Abstract

A cooling device including an evaporator operating with a phase-change heat-transfer fluid surrounding electrical switchgear operating at high voltage and connected to one or more condensers placed on a roof of a sheath in which the electrical switchgear is placed. The condensers are supported in this location by insulating elements that include side partitions that are to the side relative to a box, placed above the sheath and / or a central portion of the roof of the sheath. The cooling device consumes very little energy and does not require an electrically insulated cooling system to be designed and can be used, for example, for application to medium-voltage generator circuit breakers.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]The invention relates in particular to the field of circuit breakers or disconnectors for medium-voltage generators, placed in a protective sheath, and using cooling devices called “heat pipes” that operate with a phase-change heat-transfer fluid.PRIOR ART AND PROBLEM POSED[0002]The constant concern of makers of that type of equipment is to increase the ability of such gear to conduct higher and higher currents, in particular for circuit breakers and disconnectors placed inside busbars at the outlets of power stations for producing or distributing electricity. That applies particularly for alternator circuit breakers.[0003]A method that is generally used consists in making more uniform the temperature of the air that is in contact with the various heating and heated parts of the circuit breaker concerned. The cooling inside such a protective sheath may take place by natural or forced convection of the air enclosed therein and in which the circuit breaker ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0027]The advantages of the device of the invention are that it does not consume energy and that its development and implementation do not require an insulating cooling system to be designed, thereby saving time when developing such an installation.

Problems solved by technology

The cooling inside such a protective sheath may take place by natural or forced convection of the air enclosed therein and in which the circuit breaker is to be found, the prevailing temperature inside the protective sheath being considerably higher than the prevailing temperature outside, by 30° C. to at least 40° C. However, the use of such auxiliary gear, such as ventilators, presents various drawbacks, which are: high electricity consumption on the main circuit, risk of losing auxiliary ventilators and consequently the need for duplicating them or for providing for degraded operating modes, noise, and considerable bulkiness.

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