Transformer apparatus

Abstract: A transformer apparatus whose transformer (14) and a plurality of circuit-breakers (12, 18) are individually accommodated in a plurality of different casings (20, 22, 24). The casings are stacked one above each other in a plurality of stages with gaps (48) between two subsequent casings and between the casing (24) in the lowermost stage and the floor surface (46) on which the apparatus is mounted. When a specific casing (22) among the plurality of casings which is in an intermediate stage is to be dismounted, support columns (52) are disposed on the outside of the specific casing with their respective ends inserted into the relevant gaps (48) in such a manner that the support columns support the upper subsequent casing (20), thereby enabling the intermediate casing (22) to be dismounted and remounted.

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention: The present invention relates to a transformer apparatus and, more particularly, to a transformer apparatus which may be suitably used as equipment in an electric power substation. Description of the Related Art: An electric power substation generally includes electric equipment such as a gas-blast circuit-breaker, a transformer, a plurality of enclosed switchboards, and circuit-breakers provided on the switchboards. The gas-blast circuit-breaker receives power from a generator, and the transformer lowers the voltage of the received power. The power whose voltage has been lowered is supplied through the enclosed switchboards and the switchboard circuit-breakers to various loads. In a conventional substation, however, not much consideration has been given to reducing the installation area. Hence, electric equipment, such as a gas-blast circuit-breaker, a transformer and enclosed switchboards, is installed on a horizontal surface. Such horizontal arrangement of electric equipment requires a relatively great installation area, and also requires a support structure to be built for the purpose of introducing power from a generating station to the gas-blast circuit-breaker. Another disadvantage is that electric equipment, which is heavy, has to be moved or dismounted and remounted with difficulty each time the equipment is to be checked, for instance, after a fault has occurred. Such equipment of a substation is described, for example, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 60-62806. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a transformer apparatus capable of reducing the installation area thereof, and facilitating the dismounting and remounting of electric equipment. The invention accomplishes this object by the transformer arrangement defined in claim 1. Preferred embodiments of the invention are set forth in the dependent claims. A method for dismounting one of the components of a transformer arrangement according to the invention is defined in claim 9. Since the transformer, the high-voltage electric equipment and the low-voltage electric equipment are individually accommodated in a plurality of casing which are stacked one above each other in a plurality of stages, it is possible to reduce the installation area. When any of the casings which is not the casing in the uppermost stage is to be dismounted, support members or support columns are disposed on the outside of the specific casing in such a manner that: one of the respective ends of each support member or column is fixed to either the top surface of a subsequent casing below the specific casing or the floor surface on which the apparatus is mounted; and the other ends support the bottom surface of another subsequent casing above the specific casing, thereby enabling the specific casing to be easily dismounted. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 is a diagram for illustrating a manner of dismounting a casing of a transformer apparatus according to the present invention; Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the transformer apparatus according to the present invention; Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the external appearance of the transformer apparatus according to the present invention; Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view of an example of a container; and Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view of another example of a container. DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. Referring to Figs. 1 to 3, an electric power substation 10 includes electric equipment such as an extra-high-voltage circuit-breaker 12, a transformer 14, enclosed switchboards 16, and switchboard circuit-breakers 18. Such pieces of electric equipment are accommodated in a plurality of different box-shaped casings 20, 22 and 24, as will be described below. The casings 20, 22 and 24 have substantially the same length, width and height. Liners 26 of substantially the same configuration and dimension are fixed to four corner portions of the bottom surface of each of the casings 20, 22 and 24. The extra-high-voltage circuit-breaker 12 is accommodated in the casing 20, and is arranged such that the circuit-breaker 12 can be connected via a disconnector section 28 to bushings 30. The transformer 14 is accommodated in the casing 22 together with a radiator 32, and is arranged such that the transformer 14 can be cooled by the radiator 32. The primary and the secondary sides of the transformer 14 are provided with conductive connecting-terminals 34 and 36, respectively. The enclosed switchboards 16 and the switchboard circuit-breakers 18 are accommodated in the casing 24. These circuit-breakers 18 are connected via a power bus 38 to a connecting terminal 40, and are also connected with cables 42 for supplying power to various loads. As shown in Fig. 4, cooling fins 44 are provided on the respective wall surfaces of the casings 20, 22 and 24. The electric equipment having the above construction is installed in the substation 10 in the following manner. The casing 24 is mounted on a floor surface 46, then, the casing 22 is stacked above the casing 24, and finally, the casing 20 is stacked above the casing 22, thereby stacking the plurality of casings 20, 22 and 24 one above each other in a plurality of stages. In this stacked condition of the casings 20. 22 and 24, a gap 48 is provided between the bottom surface of the casing 24 in the lowermost stage and the floor surface 46, another gap 48 is provided between the casing 24 and the casing 22 in the intermediate stage, and still another gap 48 is provided between the casing 22 and the casing 20 in the uppermost stage. Thereafter, the bushings 30 are connected with distribution cables 50, the extra-high-voltage circuit-breaker 12 is connected with the primary-side connecting terminal 34 of the transformer 14, and the secondary-side connecting terminal 36 of the transformer 14 is connected with the connecting terminal 40, thereby electrically connecting the circuit-breaker 12 and the switchboard circuit-breakers 18 with each other through the transformer 14. Thus, according to this embodiment of the present invention, since the casings 20, 22 and 24, each accommodating the associated electric equipment, are stacked one above each other in a plurality of stages, it is possible to reduce the installation area. Furthermore, since the extra-high-voltage circuit-breaker 12 is located at a relatively high position, there is no need to provide a supporting structure. When the transformer 14 is to be dismounted for the purpose of, for example, maintenance, checking or operation required after the occurrence of a fault, support columns 52 are disposed, as shown in Fig. 1. The support columns 52 are disposed at positions substantially at four corners on the outside of the intermediate casing 22 with the respective ends of the support columns 52 being inserted into the gaps 48 on the upper and lower sides of the intermediate casing 22. Each of the support columns 52 has a substantially U-shaped cross-section. When the support columns 52 are disposed as described above, they extend between the gaps 48 on the upper and lower sides of the casing 22 while defining a casing dismounting space between these gaps 48. When the respective ends of the support columns 52 are inserted in the relevant gaps 48 as described above, the ends in the lower gap 48 are fixed to the top surface of the casing 24, and the ends in the upper gap 48 support the bottom surface of the casing 20. In the above-described condition, therefore, the casing 20 in the uppermost stage 20 is supported by the support columns 52 at the four-corner positions. Accordingly, when the casing 22 is moved in the X direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1, only the casing 22 can be dismounted without moving the casing 20. When dismounting the casing 22, if the support members 52 are disposed at four-corner positions on either depthwise side of the casing 22, the casing 22 can be dismounted by moving it in the lateral side direction (a horizontal direction perpendicular to the X direction). Further, since the casings 20, 22 and 24 have substantially the same dimensions, the casing 24 can be dismounted by causing the same support columns 52 to support the casing 22 in the following manner: the support columns 52 are disposed with their respective ends inserted into the gap 48 on the upper side of the casing 24 and the gap 48 on the lower side of the casing 24. Dismounting a casing is, of course, performed after wires connecting together the respective pieces of electric equipment accommodated in the casings have been disconnected. Although in the above-described embodiment the casings accommodating the various pieces of equipment comprise box-shaped casings, the casings may comprise frame-shaped bodies. Further, if each casing to be dismounted is dismounted by moving it in a certain fixed direction, the support columns 52 may comprise, instead of column-shaped members, plate-shaped members. Still further, the enclosed switchboards 16 and the switchboard circuit-breakers 18 may be accommodated in mutually different casings. In this case, also, the adoption of an arrangement where casings are stacked one above each other in a plurality of stages makes it possible to reduce the installation area. Further, the manner of accommodating the various pieces of electric equipment in the casings is not limited to that described above (in which the circuit-breaker 12 is arranged in the uppermost stage and the transformer 14 is arranged in the lower subsequent stage). The stage position of the various pieces of equipment may be appropriately changed in accordance with the place of installation and/or the method of wiring. As shown in Fig. 5, the casings 20, 22 and 24 may have wall surfaces configured into a wave-shape so as to reinforce the casings. As has been described above, according to the present invention, various pieces of electric equipment are accommodated in a plurality of casings which are stacked one above each other in a plurality of stages. When support members are disposed on the outside of a specific casing, the specific casing can be dismounted and remounted. Thus, it is possible to reduce the installation area, and to smoothly dismount and remount a part of the electric equipment.

Claims: A transformer arrangement comprising a transformer (14), high voltage equipment (12, 28) for supplying power from a high-voltage distribution line (50) to the transformer, and low-voltage equipment (16, 18) for supplying the output power of the transformer to a group of low-voltage distribution lines (42), characterised in that said transformer (14), said high-voltage equipment (12, 28), and said low-voltage equipment (16, 18) are accommodated in individual casings (20, 22, 24) stacked upon each other with a gap (48) between each pair of adjacent casings and between the lowermost casing (24) and a floor surface (46) on which said stack is mounted, and in that support members (52) are provided for disposition on the outside of a casing (22) which is to be removed from said stack, each support member (52) having ends insertable into the gaps (48) at the upper and lower sides of the casing to be removed, to define a dismounting space between said upper and lower gaps (48), the ends of said support members (52) insertable in a lower gap being adapted for fixing to either the top surface of a subsequent casing (24) located below the casing (22) to be removed or said floor surface (46), and the ends of said support members (52) insertable in an upper gap being adapted for fixing to the bottom surface of another subsequent casing (20) located above the casing (22) to be removed. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein said low-voltage equipment includes a plurality of pieces (16, 18) accommodated in different casings. The arrangement of claim 1 or 2, wherein said support members are support columns (52) adapted to be disposed at the four corners of the casing (22) to be removed. The arrangement of any preceding claim, wherein said high-voltage equipment is accommodated in the uppermost casing (20) of the stack. The arrangement of any preceding claim, wherein said transformer (14) is accommodated in a casing (22) below the uppermost one (20). The arrangement of any preceding claim wherein said casings (20, 22, 24) are box-shaped or frame-shaped. The arrangement of any preceding claim, wherein said casings (20, 22, 24) have substantially identical heights and all said gaps (48) are substantially the same. The arrangement of any preceding claim wherein said casings (20, 22, 24) have cooling fins (44) on their side walls. A method for dismounting one of the components of a transformer arrangement, which arrangement comprises a transformer (14), high-voltage equipment (12, 28) for supplying power from a high voltage distribution line (50) to the transformer, and low-voltage equipment (16, 18) for supplying the output power of the transformer to a group of low-voltage distribution lines (42), wherein said high-voltage equipment (12, 28), said low-voltage equipment (16, 18) and said transformer (14) are accommodated in individual casings (20, 22, 24) stacked upon each other with a gap (48) between each pair of adjacent casings and between the lowermost casing (24) and a floor surface (46) on which said stack is mounted, in which method the ends of a plurality of support members (52) are inserted into the gaps below and above the casing (22) containing the component to be dismounted, the lower ends of the support members (52) are fixed to the top surface of the next casing (24) below or to the floor surface (46) on which the stack is mounted, and the upper ends are made to support the bottom surface of the next casing (20) above.

Inventors: IZUMI TOSHIAKI, TANIMIZU TOORU, IZUMI, TOSHIAKI, TANIMIZU, TOORU
Applicants: HITACHI LTD, HITACHI, LTD.
Application year: 1992
Main classification: H02B7
IPC codes: H02B5, H02B1, H02B7, H02B13