Portable Synchro Check Relay for Fast Grid Relay Replacement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing synchro check relays are typically installed in fixed configurations, making them impractical for temporary or remote use, leading to significant downtime when failures occur, as sourcing and installing exact replacements can be time-consuming and costly.
Innovation Solution
A portable synchro check relay system that includes a housing with electrical input and output ports, a synchronization check relay, and indicators, allowing for temporary or permanent replacement of failed relays by comparing voltage, phase angle, and frequency differences between electrical signals before enabling interconnection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If synchro check relays are installed in fixed configurations, then reliability of synchronization is improved, but adaptability and ease of deployment deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The synchro check relay system is divided into modular components: a portable control unit with relay logic, separate power transducers, and interchangeable housings. This segmentation allows the core synchronization functionality to be transported and deployed flexibly while maintaining reliable operation, resolving the contradiction between fixed installation requirements for reliability and portability needs for adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a portable intermediary device that can be temporarily connected between existing electrical systems to provide synchronization checking. This intermediary approach allows the relay to function reliably without requiring permanent installation, enabling deployment flexibility while maintaining synchronization reliability through standardized connection interfaces.
2Reliability
If exact replacement relays are sourced and installed, then system reliability is maintained, but downtime increases
Solution Approach 1:
The portable synchro check relay is designed as a universal device that can replace multiple types of fixed relays across different applications. By consolidating various relay functions into a single portable unit with standardized interfaces, the system eliminates the need to source specific replacement models, dramatically reducing downtime while maintaining reliability through proven synchronization logic.
Solution Approach 2:
The portable relay unit can be prepared and tested in advance at a remote location before failure occurs, or kept in standby ready for immediate deployment. This preliminary preparation eliminates the time required for on-site configuration and testing when failures occur, reducing downtime while ensuring reliability through pre-validated synchronization parameters.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple relay types are stocked for replacement, then adaptability is improved, but inventory complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The portable synchro check relay serves as a universal replacement that can handle multiple relay types and configurations through standardized interfaces and programmable parameters. This eliminates the need to maintain inventories of various specific relay models, reducing inventory complexity and cost while maintaining adaptability to different applications through a single versatile unit.
Data Source
AI summary
The subject matter of this specification can be embodied in, among other things, an apparatus having a housing, a first electrical input port, a second electrical input port, at least one trigger output port, and a synchronization check relay arranged at least partly within the housing and in electrical communication with the first electrical input port, the second electrical input ports, and the at least one trigger output port.