Adjustable Current-collecting Mechanism Patents (Class 322/54)
  • Patent number: 7892304
    Abstract: An apparatus for producing hydrogen having compressor motor speed control. The apparatus includes a hydrogen generator for producing a product comprising hydrogen and a compression unit for compressing the product. The hydrogen generator can include a fuel processor having an oxidizer and a reformer. The compression unit has an induction motor and means for regulating the speed of the motor. The means for regulating the speed of the motor can include a variable frequency drive or soft start device having a plurality of switches and an adjustable ramp timer. A downstream unit including one or more of a purification unit, a second compression unit, and a storage unit is disposed downstream of the compression unit. A method for producing hydrogen is provided that includes generating a product comprising hydrogen in a hydrogen generator, compressing the product in a compression unit having an induction motor and regulating the speed of the motor in response to transient operations of the hydrogen generator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2011
    Assignee: Texaco Inc.
    Inventor: Masoud Hajiaghajani
  • Patent number: 7667439
    Abstract: A power converter arrangement for connecting an induction generator to an electric power network comprises a first path provided for transferring electric power from the induction generator to the electric power network during a first operation condition, and a second path provided for transferring electric power from the induction generator to the electric power network during a second operation condition, where the first path includes an AC-AC converter and the second path includes a switch. A capacitor arrangement is interconnected between the induction generator and the first and second paths and a first AC reactor device is interconnected between the capacitor arrangement and the first and second paths, where the capacitor arrangement is provided for compensating for a magnetization current of the induction generator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2010
    Assignee: ABB Research Ltd.
    Inventors: Lars Gertmar, Erik Koldby, Hans C. Christensen, Jouko Niiranen, Leif-Erik Wraae, H{dot over (a)}kan Korske, legal representative
  • Patent number: 7595612
    Abstract: A device and method for controlling the output of a wide speed range high reactance permanent magnet machine based PGS is provided. The windings of a permanent magnet machine are coupled to a three-phase diode bridge. A transistor is used for temporarily short-circuiting said diode bridge. A capacitor smoothes the voltage at a voltage detection point. A control unit generates a signal that switches the transistor in response to a voltage detected at the voltage detection point. The control unit signal modifies the duty cycle of the switching of the transistor in response to variations in the speed of the power generator to maintain a desired voltage at the voltage detection point.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2009
    Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
    Inventors: Evgeni Ganev, Andrew R. Druzsba, Addy Fouad Alkhatib
  • Patent number: 7531992
    Abstract: In a control system for controlling a power generator based on a command value associated with a control parameter, a receiver receives the command signal, a detector detects the command value included in the received command signal, and a determiner determines whether a duration of the detected command value being invariant within a predetermined range exceeds a predetermined allowed duration. In the control system, a controller controls an output of the power-generator based on a predetermined default value within the predetermined range in place of the command value when it is determined that the duration of the detected command value being invariant within the predetermined range exceeds the predetermined allowed duration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2009
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Takatoshi Inokuchi, Koji Tanaka
  • Patent number: 7486053
    Abstract: An electrical power generator includes a controller for making a full power capacity of the generator available for consumption by at least one intelligent load coupled to an output of the generator. The controller obtains data from which both a present output power of the generator and a power capacity of the generator can be determined. The controller then provides the intelligent load with data indicative of both the present output power and the power capacity of the generator for use by the load in controlling its power consumption.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2009
    Assignee: Hamilton Sundstrand Corporation
    Inventors: Wei Wei Qi, Michael Rubbo, Richard Wainwright
  • Patent number: 7400117
    Abstract: An electromechanical power transfer system that transfers power between a prime mover and a direct current (DC) electrical system, comprises: a permanent magnet machine (PMM) that has a permanent magnet (PM) rotor coupled to the prime mover, a stator with a multiphase alternating current (AC) winding coupled to an AC bus and a control coil with a winding that has a configuration to generate a magnetic field with flux that varies the reactance of the stator winding with the application of control coil current; a control coil current sensor for generating a control coil current signal that is representative of the level of electrical current in the control coil; an electrical current sensor for generating a DC bus current signal that is representative of the level of DC current through the DC bus; an electrical potential sensor for generating a DC bus potential signal that is representative of the level of DC potential on the DC bus; a fixed pattern active rectifier and inverter system coupled between the AC bu
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 15, 2008
    Assignee: Hamilton Sundstrand Corporation
    Inventors: Gregory I. Rozman, Vijay K. Maddali, Kevin Dooley
  • Patent number: 7321221
    Abstract: A method of operating a wind turbine, wherein the wind turbine may include rotor windings of an induction generator, which includes stator coils coupled to a voltage grid, fed with rotor currents by a feed-in unit are driven by a rotor of the wind turbine; wherein the frequencies of the fed-in rotor currents are controlled depending on the rotor rotation frequency and the feed-in unit is electrically decoupled from the rotor windings in the case predetermined variations of the grid voltage amplitude and the rotor current feed-in is resumed after the decoupling caused by the variation of the grid voltage amplitude, when the currents generated in the motor windings by the variation have declined to a predetermined value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2008
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Andreas Bücker, Wilhelm Janssen, Henning Lütze
  • Patent number: 7292012
    Abstract: When drive control of a generator is performed, PWM control of a switching circuit comprising an FET and a diode connected to the opposite ends of a winding is performed. In the vicinity of a moment in time Lmax where the winding has a maximum inductance L, an alternating mode for repeating a supply mode and a reflux mode alternately is performed through PWM control. After the alternating mode is performed, the reflux mode is performed temporarily in order to increase the quantity of current, and then a regenerative mode is performed. The regenerative mode is performed by increasing the current level as much as possible when the reflux mode is started while suppressing the brake force of the rotor in the alternating mode. From a position advancing in angle by a time Tah from the moment in time Lmax where the winding has a maximum inductance L, a first alternating mode C1 for repeating the supply mode P and the reflux mode Q alternately is performed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2007
    Assignee: Mitsuba Corporation
    Inventor: Koji Sasaki