ELECTRIC CONDUCTOR ASSEMBLY

Abstract

An electrical conductor assembly includes an electrical conductor, an electrically insulating jacket disposed around a conductor section of the electrical conductor, an electrically conductive sleeve disposed around a first insulating jacket section of the insulating jacket, and an electrically conductive yarn for realizing an electric field control. The electrically conductive yarn is wound around a second insulating jacket section of the electrically insulating jacket in adjacent relation to the first insulating jacket section.

Claims

1.-14. (canceled)

15. An electrical conductor assembly, comprising: an electrical conductor; an electrically insulating jacket disposed around a conductor section of the electrical conductor; an electrically conductive sleeve disposed around a first insulating jacket section of the insulating jacket; and an electrically conductive yarn for realizing an electric field control, said electrically conductive yarn being wound around a second insulating jacket section of the electrically insulating jacket in adjacent relation to the first insulating jacket section.

16. The conductor assembly of claim 15, wherein the electrically conductive yarn includes a yarn end section which is bonded to a sleeve end section of the sleeve.

17. The conductor assembly of claim 16, wherein the yarn end section is adhesively bonded to the sleeve end section.

18. The conductor assembly of claim 15, wherein the electrically conductive yarn is helically wound around the second insulating jacket section.

19. The conductor assembly of claim 18, wherein a helical winding of the electrically conductive yarn has different pitches.

20. The conductor assembly of claim 15, wherein the electrically conductive yarn has a specific electrical conductivity which is lower than a specific electrical conductivity of the sleeve.

21. The conductor assembly of claim 15, wherein the electrically conductive yarn has an electrical resistance in the range between 1 MΩ/m and 100 MΩ/m.

22. The conductor assembly of claim 15, wherein the electrically conductive yarn is made of a polyamide fiber sheathed with an electrically conductive carbon-containing material.

23. The conductor assembly of claim 15, wherein the electrically conductive yarn is made of a fiber blend comprising a polyamide fiber and an electrically conductive carbon fiber.

24. The conductor assembly of claim 15, wherein the electrically conductive yarn is made of a metallic fiber.

25. The conductor assembly of claim 15, further comprising a protective layer or protective wrapper placed in surrounding relation to the electrically conductive yarn.

26. The conductor assembly of claim 15, wherein the electrically conductive yarn is fixed to the second insulating jacket section by a curing or curable resin.

27. A method for manufacturing a conductor assembly, said method comprising: disposing an electrically insulating jacket around a conductor section of an electrical conductor; applying a curing or curable resin to an insulating jacket section of the electrically insulating jacket to fix an electrically conductive yarn to the insulating jacket section; and winding the electrically conductive yarn around the insulating jacket section on the curing or curable resin before the resin has completely cured.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising: disposing an electrically conductive sleeve around another insulating jacket section of the electrically insulating jacket in adjacent relation to the insulating jacket section; and bonding a yarn end section of the electrically conductive yarn to a sleeve end section of the electrically conductive sleeve

29. The method of claim 27, wherein the electrically conductive yarn is helically wound around the insulating jacket section.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein a helical winding of the electrically conductive yarn has different pitches.

31. The method of claim 27, further comprising placing a protective layer or protective wrapper in surrounding relation to the electrically conductive yarn.

32. The method of claim 27, wherein the electrically conductive yarn is fixed to the insulating jacket section by a curing or curable resin.

33. An electrical bushing through an enclosure opening of an enclosure of an item of electrical equipment, said bushing comprising: a conductor assembly comprising an electrical conductor, an electrically insulating jacket disposed around a conductor section of the electrical conductor, an electrically conductive sleeve disposed around a first insulating jacket section of the insulating jacket, and an electrically conductive yarn for realizing an electric field control, said electrically conductive yarn being wound around a second insulating jacket section of the electrically insulating jacket in adjacent relation to the first insulating jacket section, wherein the electrically conductive sleeve is electrically connected to the enclosure and fed through the enclosure opening together with the electrical conductor and the first insulating jacket section of the electrically insulating jacket.

34. A cable, comprising a conductor assembly as set forth in claim 15.

Description

[0023] The above-described features, characteristics and advantages of the present invention, as well as the manner in which they are achieved, will become clearer and more readily comprehensible in connection with the following description of exemplary embodiments which will be explained in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

[0024] FIG. 1 shows a partially sectional view of an exemplary embodiment of an electrical conductor assembly,

[0025] FIG. 2 shows a partially sectional view of an exemplary embodiment of an electrical bushing,

[0026] FIG. 3 a partially sectional view of an exemplary embodiment of a cable.

[0027] Mutually corresponding parts are provided with the same reference characters in the figures.

[0028] FIG. 1 shows an exemplary embodiment of an electrical conductor assembly 1 according to the invention in a partially sectional view, wherein the upper part of FIG. 1 is a sectional view of the conductor assembly 1. The conductor assembly 1 comprises an electrical conductor 3, an electrically insulating jacket 5, an electrically conductive sleeve 7, an electrically conductive yarn 9 for electrical field control, a resin layer 11 and a protective layer 13.

[0029] The insulating jacket 5 is disposed around a conductor section 3.1 of the conductor 3. The sleeve 7 is disposed around a first insulating jacket section 5.1 of the insulating jacket 5. The resin layer 11 is applied to an outer surface of a second insulating jacket section 5.2 of the insulating jacket 5 adjacent to the first insulating jacket section 5.1. The yarn 9 is helically wound around the second insulating jacket section 5.2 on the resin layer 11. The resin layer 11 fixes the yarn 9 to the second insulating jacket section 5.2. A yarn end section 9.1 of the yarn 9 is electrically connected conductively to a jacket end section 7.1 of the jacket 7 and is cohesively fixed to the jacket end section 7.1 by an adhesive 15. The jacket end section 7.1 has an outer diameter which decreases conically toward the second insulating jacket section 5.2. The protective layer 13 is disposed around the yarn 9 and the resin layer 11. The protective layer 13 is shown as transparent, but may also be made opaque.

[0030] The conductor 3 is made of copper, for example. The insulating jacket 5 is made e.g. of polyetheretherketone (PEEK), cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE), polyvinylchloride (PVC) or a comparable polymer, oil-paper, ceramic, silicone, resin-impregnated mica tape, or synthetic resin. The sleeve 7 is made e.g. of a stainless steel. The yarn 9 is made e.g. of a polyamide fiber sheathed with an electrically conductive carbon-containing material, a fiber blend comprising at least one polyamide fiber and an electrically conductive carbon fiber, or a this metallic fiber. The resin layer 11 is made of a curing or curable resin, e.g. epoxy resin. The protective layer 13 is also made of a curing or curable resin, e.g. in particular the same resin as the resin layer 11.

[0031] The yarn 9 has a lower specific electrical conductivity than the sleeve 7. For example, the wound yarn 9 has an electrical resistance in the range between 1 MΩ/m and 100 MΩ/m.

[0032] For manufacturing the conductor assembly 1, a base body comprising the conductor 3, the insulating jacket 5 and the sleeve 7 is first produced. Resin for the resin layer 11 is then applied to the second insulating jacket section 5.2. Thereafter, the yarn 9 is wound around the jacket end section 7.1 and around the second insulating jacket section 5.2 while being pressed against the resin and bonded to the jacket end section 7.1 by the adhesive 15. Finally, material for the protective layer 13 is applied to the yarn 9 and the resin layer 11.

[0033] FIG. 2 shows a partially sectional view of an exemplary embodiment of an inventive electrical bushing 17 through an enclosure opening 19.1 of an electrically conductive enclosure 19 of an item of electrical equipment. The electrical equipment is, for example, an electrical machine such as a motor, a generator or a transformer, or an electrical switching device such as a circuit breaker or disconnector. The bushing 17 incorporates a conductor assembly 1 as illustrated in FIG. 1 and a seal 21. The enclosure 19 and the seal 21 are shown in a sectional view, and the conductor assembly 1 is shown in a partially sectional view as in FIG. 1. The insulating jacket section 5.2 of the conductor assembly 1 is disposed inside the enclosure 19. The sleeve 7 protrudes from the enclosure opening 19.1. The seal 21 extends annularly around the sleeve 7, electrically connecting the sleeve 7 conductively to the enclosure 19 and sealing the enclosure opening 19.1. The sleeve 7 is made of a graphite-containing material, for example. The conductor 3 is connected or connectable to a current path of the electrical equipment (for example, if the electrical equipment is an electrical machine, the conductor 3 is connected to a winding of the machine; if the electrical equipment is an electrical switching device, the conductor 3 is connected e.g. to a switching contact of the switching device). The sleeve 7 and the enclosure 19 are connected to ground potential, for example.

[0034] Similarly to FIG. 1, FIG. 3 shows a partially sectional view of an exemplary embodiment of a cable 23 according to the invention. The cable 23 comprises a conductor assembly 1, implemented as in FIG. 1, which forms a first end of the cable 23, wherein the insulating jacket 5 extends around the conductor 3 to a second end (not shown) of the cable 23. The second cable end can be of the same design as the first cable end.

[0035] The exemplary embodiments of conductor assemblies 1 shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 can be modified in a variety of ways. In particular, the helical winding of the yarn 9 can have locally different pitches in order to vary the electrical resistance of the winding along its course and to adapt it to suit the field control requirements. In addition, instead of a protective layer 13, a protective wrapper can be provided which covers the yarn 9 and the resin layer 11. Further exemplary embodiments of a conductor assembly 1 according to the invention do not have a resin layer 11 and/or a protective layer 13 at all. In other exemplary embodiments, the yarn 9 is not electrically connected to the sleeve 7, but is only capacitively coupled to the sleeve 7.

[0036] Although the invention has been illustrated and described in detail by preferred exemplary embodiments, the invention is not limited by the examples disclosed and other variations will be apparent to persons skilled in the art without departing from the scope of protection sought for the invention.