Current measuring device protected against electrical surges when opening the circuit

A current measuring device is protected against electrical surges in the event of the device being open circuit. The device includes a first current transformer, a first connection terminal having connected thereto a first terminal of the first current transformer, a second connection terminal having connected thereto a second terminal of the first current transformer, a protective resistance having a first terminal connected to the second connection terminal, and a load resistance connected between the first and second connection terminals across the terminals of which a voltage is measured from which the current flowing in a circuit passing through the first current transformer is determined. The device also includes a second current transformer connected to the terminals of the protective resistance, and current branch connection structure connected between the first connection terminal and a second terminal of the protective resistance.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to the general field of current measuring instruments, and more particularly to current transformers for fitting on board an aircraft.

The use of current transformers (CT) is common practice in aviation on alternating current (AC) networks operating at 115 volts AC (VAC) or at 230 VAC. CTs are used to measure AC line currents in airplane networks, which are generally three-phase AC networks.

As shown inFIG. 1, a CT is constituted by a magnetic circuit, which is generally in the form of a torus in order to minimize magnetic leakage, and which has a number n of secondary turns wound thereon that are looped via a load resistance. Those turns carry a current written I2. The current, written I1, that is to be measured in the busbar passes through the resulting torus at least once. In the example described herein and as shown in particular inFIG. 2, which is a simplified electrical circuit diagram of a CT, it is assumed that the number of primary turns is equal to one (as is usual in aviation).

A CT complies with Ampere's law, which is written mathematically by the following equation:

∮H→⁢⁢d⁢⁢I→=-I1+nI2
where I1is the current to be measured passing through the torus, I2corresponds to the measurement current obtained by winding n turns around the magnetic core, and H is the magnetic field used for magnetizing the torus.

Ignoring any circulation of the magnetic field in the core, i.e. assuming

∮H→⁢⁢d⁢⁢I→=0,
then the following relationship is obtained: I1=nI2.

The secondary circuit is loaded by a load resistance, written RBinFIG. 2, which makes it possible, by measuring the voltage across the terminals of the load resistance, to deduce the voltage VBacross the secondary of the torus, which is given by

VB=RB⁢I2=RB⁢I1n,
ignoring magnetizing current, and thus to determine the current I1flowing in the busbar passing through the torus.

CTs thus present the advantage of being capable of taking a measurement that is relatively insensitive to the electromagnetic environment within the airplane and transmitting it to the control and protection members, referred to respectively as the general control unit (GCU) and the bus power control unit (BPCU). CTs can thus easily be remote from the decision-taking members, being spaced apart from them by a few tens of centimeters to several tens of meters on board an airplane.

Nevertheless, using CTs raises a problem. When a CT is open circuit (no load resistance), i.e. when the connection between the CT and its receiver, a CGU or a BPCU or even some other member, is interrupted, then a high voltage is generated at the output from the secondary windings of the CT. Specifically, the lack of current flowing in the secondary leads to equality between the primary current and the circulation of the magnetizing field used for magnetizing the torus. This gives

Since the amplitude of the primary current that is to be measured is generally quite high, the induction B in the magnetic circuit becomes saturated very quickly each time the primary current reverses. By applying Lenz's law to the secondary of the CT, V=ndφ/dt, where φ is the electromagnetic flux exchanged between the primary and secondary, it is found that the voltage takes on values that are very large on each sudden change in the magnetizing current. This voltage depends on the number of secondary turns, on the type of the magnetic core, and also on the value of the primary current that is to be measured.

This high voltage, which depends on the value of the measured current, can easily exceed several kilovolts. It can lead to electric arcs being struck at the output from the CT, or even within its windings. The triggering of such phenomena thus depends on the level of current flowing in the lines that are to be measured, and also on the magnetic material used for the CT and on its number of secondary turns.

In an airplane this can lead to non-negligible risk, since these phenomena continue to be maintained so long as they have not been detected, and they can give rise to a fire.

There exist three main types of protection families for protecting CTs: protection by adding a bidirectional peak-limiter; protection by adding a resistance in parallel with the output of the CT; and protection by adding a capacitor.

As shown inFIG. 3, protection by means of a peak-limiter is obtained by connecting a peak-limiter, e.g. such as a tranzorb, between the two outputs of the CT. The peak-limiter is set to a voltage higher than the maximum voltage VCT_outto be measured across the terminals of the load resistance RB. When the CT is open circuit, the power dissipated by the peak-limiter may be written as follows:

Δ⁢⁢t=nS⁢Δ⁢⁢BccVT=f⁡(VT),
and where VTrepresents the peak-limiting voltage, Δt the duration of peak-limiting, ω the angular frequency of the electrical power network, S the effective cross-sectional area of the magnetic material, ΔBccthe maximum peak-to-peak induction of the magnetic material, n the number of secondary turns, and Iprimary_rmsthe primary root mean square (rms) current for which it is desired to protect the CT.

As can be seen inFIG. 4, losses depend on the peak-limiting voltage, and also on the primary current, on the number of turns, on the cross-section of the core, and on the level of saturation of the magnetic material.

For an application on a three-phase network operating at 90 kilovolt amps (kVA) and 400 hertz (Hz), the peak limiting voltage should generally be selected to be greater than 40 volts (V). Thus, if the losses of the CT (ignoring the iron losses of the core) are estimated, then the following distribution is to be found: 0.36 watts (W) for copper losses in the secondary, and 6.25 W for the peak-limiter type protection. Given the very large losses for the peak-limiter type protection, a heatsink must be provided to evacuate the power dissipated by this protection, since the peak-limiter runs the risk of not withstanding the temperature.

As shown inFIG. 5, the circuit conventionally used for providing protection by adding a resistance in parallel with the output of the CT comprises: the CT; a load resistance RBfor measurement purposes; and a resistance Rpconnected in parallel with the load resistance RBat the output from the CT. The losses in the parallel resistance Rpas a function of its resistance value are given by the curve inFIG. 6. This curve was obtained from a digital simulation model.

As shown by the curve inFIG. 7, when the parallel resistance Rp is too high, losses are reduced, however the peak voltage is attenuated very little. In contrast, when the resistance is very low, i.e. of the order of no more than about 100 ohms, losses are low and the output voltage is limited, but under such circumstances, accuracy is not very high. Specifically, the measured current then depends on the line impedance, which has a value that cannot be known with great accuracy.

The current ICToutflowing in the measurement resistance may be expressed as a function of the input primary current:

It should be observed that the error concerning the measured current is of the same order of magnitude as the sum of the accuracies relating to the resistances Rp, Rl, and RB. Although RBand Rpcan be accurate, Rlis subject to inaccuracy concerning knowledge about the length of the line.

As shown inFIG. 8, the circuit conventionally used for providing protection by adding a capacitor comprises: the CT; a load resistance RB; and a capacitor C connected in parallel with the output of the CT.

For this type of protection, it is necessary to choose an appropriate value for the capacitance of the capacitor. In order to determine the optimum value for the capacitance, it is considered that when the load resistance RBis disconnected, the output voltage must be less than the saturation voltage for a given rms current I1rmsflowing in the primary turn (in general the nominal primary current).

An equivalent model is set up as shown inFIG. 9in which the current ICflowing in the capacitor is equal to I1(t)/n, with n being the number of secondary turns in the CT, and including a resistance Rωcorresponding to the resistance of the secondary winding.

The current ICflowing through the capacitance is then given by:

Where C is the capacitance of the capacitor and VCToutis the voltage across the terminals of the CT, and thus across the terminals of the capacitor.

The voltage across the terminals of the windings is given by:

With ICToutbeing the current delivered by the CT, i.e. in the equivalent model, the current flowing in the winding and the resistance Rωof the secondary winding.

The current flowing in the capacitance can also be expressed as a function of the primary current I1rms.

From which it can be deduced:

By writing Lentz's law as follows:

It can be deduced therefrom that:

Which can be developed as follows:

The capacitance actually selected should be greater than the above-determined value in order to avoid saturation of the magnetic core.

The major drawback of this solution is that it is difficult to use for providing differential protection. Specifically, in the event of a short circuit, the capacitor currents can be identified by the differential protection as being a differential fault current.

Other kinds of protection also exist that generally make use of active electronics, thereby reducing the overall reliability of the current measuring device including the CT. That is why this type of protection is not used.

Adding protection, such as resistances, for example, to the CT generally leads to a loss of accuracy in the final output measurement. This loss of accuracy then gives rise to a need to raise the fault detection thresholds, in particular for differential faults.

Furthermore, such protection is generally not capable of withstanding a permanent fault. It can thus likewise lead to overheating and starting a fire.

OBJECT AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention seeks to provide effective protection for protecting both operators and also a current measuring device that includes a current transformer, while conserving accuracy that is sufficient to satisfy the requirements of aircraft manufacturers.

For this purpose, the invention provides a current measuring device that is protected against electrical surges in the event of the circuit of said device being open circuit, the device comprising a first current transformer, a first connection terminal having connected thereto a first terminal of the first current transformer, a second connection terminal having connected thereto a second terminal of the first current transformer distinct from said first terminal of the first current transformer, a protective resistance having a first terminal connected to the second connection terminal, and a load resistance connected between the first and second connection terminals across the terminals, of which a voltage is measured from which the current flowing in a circuit passing through the first current transformer is determined.

According to a general characteristic of the invention, the measuring device comprises a second current transformer connected to the first and second terminals of the protective resistance, and current branch connection means connected between said first connection terminal and the second terminal of the protective resistance.

The present invention makes it possible to compensate for the loss of accuracy due to adding protection against electrical surges of resistive or capacitive type while, in the event of the CT going open circuit, eliminating any risk of generating a dangerous high voltage. Specifically, the voltage that is generated is a voltage that is not destructive for the CT and that is low enough not to electrocute an operator (V<40V).

The measuring device of the invention can be implemented on any equipment on board an airplane that is not easy to access, such as for example nacelle-mounted generators, thereby avoiding any dismantling and repair in a factory as a result of an open circuit fault in the secondary of the CT.

The accuracy that is obtained by the present invention enables the device to be compatible with the needs of an airplane for which differential fault detection levels must be very low, i.e. of the order of about ten amps, e.g. as in a “carbon-fiber” airplane.

The present invention also provides lower losses when the circuit is open circuit compared with a prior art solution making use merely of a parallel connected peak-limiter. The invention thus makes it possible to withstand greater current overloads in the event of a fault.

The load resistance or measurement resistance may correspond to the internal resistance of measurement means coupled between the first and second connection terminals of said current measuring device.

In a first aspect of the current measuring device that is protected against electrical surges in the event of going open circuit, the protective resistance may possess a resistance value corresponding, to within 20% and more particularly to within 10%, to the sum of the resistance value of the load resistance plus the resistance value of the line impedance corresponding to the resistance of the electric line coupling the load resistance to the first and second connection terminals.

In this configuration, the potential at the first connection terminal is identical or nearly identical to the potential at the second terminal of the protective resistance to which the capacitor and the second current transformer are connected. The two terminals of the capacitor thus take up potentials that are identical or nearly identical so no, or practically no, current flows through the branch connection means in nominal operation, i.e. so long as the CT is not open circuit.

Consequently, all of the current delivered by the first current transformer is transmitted to the load resistance, thereby improving the accuracy with which current is measured.

In a second aspect of the current measuring device protected against electrical surges in the event of going open circuit, the first and second current transformers are preferably identical magnetic toruses possessing in particular the same magnetic cores and the same number of turns.

The toroidal shape of the current transformer serves to minimize magnetic leakage.

Having identical current transformers makes it possible to have identical currents delivered at the output of the two magnetic toruses, thus making it possible to minimize or even eliminate any interfering current passing through the current branch connection means.

In a third aspect of the current measuring device protected against electrical surges in the event of going open circuit, the current branch connection means may comprise a capacitor.

In a variant, the current branch connection means may comprise peak-limiter means such as a tranzorb.

In another variant, the current branch connection means may comprise a parallel connection having a first branch with a number k of diodes connected in series to conduct in a first direction and a second branch comprising the same number k of diodes connected in series to conduct in a second direction opposite to the first direction.

In yet another variant, the current branch connection means may comprise a series connection of two zener diodes connected opposite ways round.

In a fourth aspect of the current measuring device protected against electrical surges in the event of going open circuit, the device may further comprise a fault detection device for detecting a fault in the current measuring means for measuring the voltage across the terminals of the load resistance.

Thus, for applications that do not require differential protection, such as for example measuring currents on ground power units, the measuring device makes it possible to avoid any problem associated with the secondary circuit going open circuit, while avoiding a hidden fault in the “current measuring function”. The fault detector device can be quite simple and can be implemented in the measurement electronics. The fault detector device may for example include a pull-up resistance connected to the load resistance.

The invention also provides a three-phase measurement system for measuring current flowing in the three phases of a three-phase circuit, the system comprising three measuring devices as defined above, the second connection terminals of the devices being connected together.

The invention also provides an aircraft including at least one current measuring device as defined above.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

InFIG. 10, there is shown an electrical circuit diagram of a current measuring device in a first embodiment of the invention.

The current measuring device1comprises a first current transformer in the form of a magnetic torus2possessing a first number N1of loops, i.e. of turns, and a second current transformer in the form of a magnetic torus3possessing a second number N2of loops equal to the first number N1of loops. The cores of the first magnetic torus2and of the second magnetic torus3are made of the same material and they have the same dimensions. Thus, the first and second magnetic torus2and3are identical.

The first magnetic torus2presents a first coupling terminal21and a second coupling terminal22. The second magnetic torus3presents a first coupling terminal31and a second coupling terminal32.

The current measuring device1also comprises a first connection terminal4and a second connection terminal5, together with a load resistance6connected between the first and second connection terminals4and5. The load resistance6makes it possible to measure a voltage in order to determine the current flowing in a circuit passing through the first magnetic torus2.

The first connection terminal4is also connected to the first coupling terminal21of the first magnetic torus2, while the second connection terminal5is also connected to the second coupling terminal32of the second magnetic torus3and to the second coupling terminal22of the first magnetic torus2.

The current measuring device1also has a protective resistance7and the current branch connection means that are formed in the first embodiment shown inFIG. 10by a capacitor8.

The protective resistance7presents a first terminal71connected to the second connection terminal5, and a second terminal72connected to the first coupling terminal31of the second magnetic torus3.

The capacitor8presents a first terminal81connected to the first connection terminal4, and a second terminal82connected to the first coupling terminal31of the second magnetic torus3, and thus to the second terminal72of the protective resistance7.

The interconnection node formed by connecting together the first coupling terminal31of the second magnetic torus3, the second terminal72of the protective resistance7, and the second terminal82of the capacitor8is given numerical reference9.

In nominal operation, the first magnetic torus2generates a first current I2, referred to as the “measurement current”, and the second magnetic torus3generates a second current I2′. The second current I2′ is injected essentially into the protective resistance7. Since the first and second magnetic toruses2and3are identical and since they have the same circuit passing through them carrying the current I1that is to be measured, the first and second currents I2and I2′ are identical or nearly identical.

The protective resistance7is selected to be equal to, or to have a value that is as close as possible to, the sum of the load resistance6plus the line impedance, represented in the circuit diagram by a resistance61.

Because the first current I2and the second current I2′ are equal, and because the protective resistance7and the sum of the load resistance plus the line impedance61are equal, it is possible to have a voltage VRacross the terminals71and72of the protective resistance7that is equal to the measured voltage VCToutbetween the first connection terminal4and the second connection terminal5. Since the potential at the interconnection node9is equal to, or very nearly equal to, the potential of the first connection terminal4, the voltage VCacross the terminals81and82of the capacitor8is zero or almost zero, and thus the current ICpassing through the capacitor is likewise zero or almost zero.

This thus makes it possible to minimize, or even to eliminate, interfering capacitive current ICpassing through the capacitor8during nominal operation of the current measuring device1, where nominal operation corresponds to operating in a closed circuit making it possible to measure the current I1of the circuit passing through the first and second magnetic toruses2and3.

The line impedance61can be considered as being the resistance of the wire both between the first connection terminal4and the load resistance6, and also between the load resistance6and the second connection terminal5. Specifically, the impedance due to the inductance of the wiring is negligible compared with the resistance of the wire.

Assuming that it is possible to know the line resistance with a certain amount of tolerance of the order of 10% to 20%, and that the load resistance can be known with tolerance that is less than or equal to 1%, it is possible to determine the maximum measurement error generated by the current measuring device1.

In the event of the load resistance6becoming disconnected, the measurement current I2of the current measuring device1passes in full through the capacitor8. The current IRflowing through the protective resistance is then doubled.

The output current ICToutdelivered at the output from the first connection terminal4to the load resistance6can be expressed as a function of the input primary current I1, i.e. as a function of the current in the circuit passing through the first and second magnetic toruses, and ignoring the magnetizing current.

This gives the following equations:

Where R is the value of the protective resistance7, Rlis the value of the line impedance61, RBis the value of the load resistance6, C is the value of the capacitance of the capacitor8, and x corresponds to the ratio of the number of turns of the two toruses (x=N1/N2) given that in theory N1=N2.

From this system of equations, the following transfer function can be obtained:

The ratio of the moduluses is written as follows:

And the phase difference is given by:
φ=Arctan(RCω)(1+x))−Arctan((Rl+RB+R)Cω)

The current ICflowing through the capacitor is written as follows:

Knowledge of this interfering current Icmakes it possible to set the differential protection threshold.

FIG. 11shows a set of curves plotting along the ordinate axis the error percentage concerning measurements of the primary current I1for different values of R, satisfying the relationship R=y(Rl+RB), for the protective resistance7of the current measuring device1, where Rlhas a value of 8.5 ohms (Ω) and RBhas a value of 3Ω. The capacitance of the capacitor in microfarads is plotted along the abscissa. Each curve shows the error percentage as a function of the capacitance for a different value of y. The value of y is expressed as a percentage in the legend in the FIG. (0%, 10%, 40%, 70%, 80%, 90%, 100%, 110%, 120%). The curve with y=0% corresponds to the representation for a circuit that does not have a resistance7(value of R is zero). Furthermore, in this set of curves, the value of the ratio x of the number of turns in the two toruses was set to 1, which means that the number of turns in both magnetic toruses2and3is equal.

It can be observed that starting from the coefficient y having a value of 60% (y=0.6), the current measuring device1in the first embodiment of the invention minimizes the measurement error compared with a solution known in the prior art using a current transformer and a single capacitor, corresponding to the curve with y=0.

FIG. 12shows a set of curves plotting along the ordinate axis the phase difference in degrees between the current I1to be measured and the measured current for different values of R satisfying the relationship R=y(Rl+RB) for the protective resistance7of the current measuring device, with Rlbeing 8.5Ω and Rbbeing 3Ω. The capacitance of the capacitor is plotted along the abscissa in microfarads. Each curve shows the phase difference as a function of the capacitance of the capacitor for a different value of y. The value of y is expressed as a percentage in the legend ofFIG. 12(0%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 100%). The curve with y=0% corresponds to a circuit that does not include the resistance7(the value of R is zero).

It can be seen that for the coefficient y having a value greater than 80% (y>0.8), which corresponds to having knowledge of Rl+RBto within better than 20%, a significant improvement is obtained in terms of phase difference. The phase difference is significantly reduced compared with a conventional solution of the prior art using a current transformer and a capacitor on its own, which corresponds to the curve for y=0.

For the windings of the magnetic toruses2and3having a resistance of 12Ω, the protective resistance7having a resistance R of 11.5Ω, the number of turns N1and N2of each of the first and second magnetic toruses2and3equal to 1500 turns, and a current that is to be measured I1rmsof 260 amps (A), the current measuring device1presents, in nominal operation, i.e. when the load resistance6is properly connected, power losses that are reduced since they are of the order of 1.06 W that is distributed as follows: 0.34 W via the protective resistance7and 0.36 W via each of the two magnetic toruses2and3. With the same operating parameters, and when operating with the load resistance6disconnected, the current measuring device1presents power losses that are likewise reduced for fault operation since they are of the order of 2.1 W that is distributed as follows: 1.38 W via the protective resistance7and 0.36 W via each of the two magnetic toruses2and3.

Thus, in the particular event of the current measuring device1failing as a result of the current transformer being open circuit, the device1of the invention presents smaller losses than does a prior art solution, e.g. using a peak-limiter.

In other embodiments, the current branch connection means may be other than a capacitor. For example, said means may be a tranzorb, or a peak-limiter, or indeed a series connection of two zener diodes connected opposite ways round, or indeed a parallel connection of a first branch having a number k of diodes connected in series to conduct in a first direction and a second branch comprising the same number k of diodes connected in series to conduct in a second direction opposite to the first direction.

FIG. 13is a circuit diagram of an electrical circuit of a current measuring device in a second embodiment of the invention.

Elements of the current measuring device10that are identical to the current measuring device1of the first embodiment shown inFIG. 10are given the same numerical references.

The current measuring device10in the second embodiment differs from the current measuring device1in the second embodiment shown inFIG. 10in that the capacitance8forming the current branch connection means has been replaced by a parallel circuit comprising a first branch of three diodes connected in series to conduct in a first direction and a second branch likewise comprising three diodes connected in series but to conduct in a second direction opposite to the first direction.

Since the value R of the protective resistance7is selected to be as close as possible to the sum of the value Rlof the line impedance61plus the value RBof the load resistance6, in nominal operation of the current measuring device10, the voltage across the terminals of the diodes is not sufficient for them to conduct.

Thus, no additional measurement error results from this embodiment.

In the event of the load resistance6being disconnected, the measurement current I2forces three diodes to conduct in the direction in which current flows in the secondary winding of the first magnetic torus2.

The number k of diodes to be connected in series in each branch of the current branch connection means in the second embodiment is given by the following relationship:

For the windings of the magnetic toruses2and3having a resistance of 12Ω, the protective resistance7having a value R of 11.5Ω, each of the first and second magnetic toruses2and3having a number N1and N2of turns equal to 1500, and a current that is to be measured I1rmsof260A, the current measuring device1in nominal operation, i.e. when the load resistance6is correctly connected, presents power losses that are small, since they are of the order of 1.06 W, which is equal to the losses in nominal operation of the current measuring device in the first embodiment. Using the same operating parameters, and operating with the load resistance6disconnected, the current measuring device1presents power losses that are likewise small for fault operation since they are about 2.725 W distributed as follows: 1.38 W via the protective resistance7, 0.36 W via each of the magnetic toruses2and3, and 0.625 W via the diode connection.

Thus, in the event of the current measuring device10failing, in particular by causing the current transformer to be open circuit, the device10of the invention likewise presents losses that are smaller than in a prior art solution, e.g. using a peak-limiter.

Protecting a CT against electrical surges in the event of the secondary circuit being open circuit has a cost, in particular in terms of weight. The conventional solutions described above show that if a circuit is to be capable of withstanding that type of fault on a permanent basis, it is necessary at least to double the weight of the measuring means, and thus potentially also its price, in particular because of the heat energy dissipation means that need to be provided.

The subject matter of the invention that is proposed also doubles the price and the weight of a conventional unprotected CT. Nevertheless, it provides all of the following advantages together:

protection for operators in the event of a CT fault, in particular in the event of the secondary circuit of the CT being open circuit;

compatibility with a carbon fiber structure airplane concerning the minimum current thresholds of faults that are to be detected; and

ability to withstand a CT fault on a permanent basis.

These solutions can be envisaged for three-phase networks having powers greater than 90 kVA, which is not necessarily true of solutions making use of peak-limiters, which are limited by the power that can be dissipated.

The weight saving due to a “carbon-fiber” airplane can justify the increase in the weight and the cost of this solution, it being understood that it is the only solution compatible with the requirement for accuracy associated with this new “carbon-fiber” technology and it also provides effective protection in the event of a fault both for an operator and for the equipment in which it is installed.