Automatic flashover protection for locomotive traction motors

• Main Authors: BAILEY; RONALD B, BALCH; EDGAR T, LAUKAITIS; JOSEPH A, BROWN; HERBERT J, HUCZKO; ROGER D, SMITH; MYRON L
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 14.09.1993
• Subjects: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TOTRANSPORTATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER; ELECTRIC EQUIPMENT OR PROPULSION OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLEDVEHICLES; ELECTRICITY; ELECTRODYNAMIC BRAKE SYSTEMS FOR VEHICLES, IN GENERAL; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERATION; MAGNETIC SUSPENSION OR LEVITATION FOR VEHICLES; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS; TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINSTCLIMATE CHANGE; TRANSPORTING; VEHICLES IN GENERAL

Flashover protection is provided for a locomotive propulsion system including a plurality of d-c traction motors each having a commutator subject to flashovers, a traction alternator having armature and field windings and a rotor driven by a prime mover, a controllable source of excitation current connected to the alternator field, and means including an electric power rectifier for connecting the alternator to the motor commutators. It comprises means for producing a fault signal whenever a flashover occurs in any motor, a solid-state controllable electric valve connected between the excitation current source and the alternator field and having alternative conducting and non-conducting states, and means for changing the valve from conducting to non-conducting states in response to a fault signal being produced, whereupon the magnitude of excitation current in the alternator field is rapidly reduced toward zero and the alternator's output current is correspondingly decreased whenever a flashover occurs.