US3894138A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Apparatus for measuring coolant leakage in electrical power generating machines
Assignee: Kraftwerk Union AG
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Filing: 1974-03-12
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Granted: 1975-07-08
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Expires: 1994-03-12
Abstract
Abstract In an electrical power generating machine employing several coolant streams employing a water stream to cool the stator and a gaseous stream for cooling the machine housing. One of the two coolants is supplied with a coolant leakage indicating medium such as helium or tritium, such that, the presence of a coolant leak is ascertained by the passage of the leakage indicating medium from one coolant stream to another and is thereafter detected. A measuring device such as an iostope counter, is employed to measure the amount of indicating medium that is transferred due to leakage.
Inventors
- 👤 Jurgen Klaar
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-01 00:26
CPC Classifications
H; H02; H02K; H02K9/00; H02K9/24
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 14
Claim 1
Independent Claim
101 words
A DEVICE FOR DETECTING COOLING WATER LEAKAGE IN THE COOLING WATER CYCLE OF TUBEORGENERATORS WHICH ARE COOLED BY WATER IN THE STATOR AND THE ROROTOR AND ARE PROVIDED WIH ADDITIONAL COOLIMG BY HYDROGEN GAS WITHIN THE HOUSING OF SAID TURBOGENCRATOR COMPRISING INLET MEANS FOR INTRODUCING TRITIUM INTO THE WATER IN THE COOLING WATER CYCLE, DISCHARGE MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID HOUSING FOR WITHDRAWAL OF A PORTION OF HYDROGEN CONTAINED IN THE HOUSING, AN ISOTOPE MEASURING DEVICE CONNECTED TO SAID DISCHARGE MEANS TO MEASURE TRITIUM WHICH DURING A LEAKAGE PENETRATES FROM SAID COOLING WATER CYCLE INTO SAID HYDROGEN GAS CONTAINED IN SAID HOUSING.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
101 words
A DEVICE FOR DETECTING COOLING WATER LEAKAGE IN THE COOLING WATER CYCLE OF TUBEORGENERATORS WHICH ARE COOLED BY WATER IN THE STATOR AND THE ROROTOR AND ARE PROVIDED WIH ADDITIONAL COOLIMG BY HYDROGEN GAS WITHIN THE HOUSING OF SAID TURBOGENCRATOR COMPRISING INLET MEANS FOR INTRODUCING TRITIUM INTO THE WATER IN THE COOLING WATER CYCLE, DISCHARGE MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID HOUSING FOR WITHDRAWAL OF A PORTION OF HYDROGEN CONTAINED IN THE HOUSING, AN ISOTOPE MEASURING DEVICE CONNECTED TO SAID DISCHARGE MEANS TO MEASURE TRITIUM WHICH DURING A LEAKAGE PENETRATES FROM SAID COOLING WATER CYCLE INTO SAID HYDROGEN GAS CONTAINED IN SAID HOUSING.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
62 words
Device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said turbogenerator has a bilaterally sealed, evacuated air gap between said stator and said rotor, and wherein exhaust means are connected to said air gap, and an isotope measuring device connected to said exhaust means for determining tritium which penetrates into said air gap and passes through said exhaust means into said isotope measuring device.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
23 words
Device as claimed in claim 2 wherein said exhaust means and said discharge means are connected in parallel relationship to vacuum pump means.
Claim 5
Independent Claim
174 words
An apparatus adapted to detect the presence of a coolant leakage in the cooling water cycle of an electrical power generating machine, said machine including a machine housing; a stator disposed in said housing; a first inlet means connected to said housing, adapted to introduce a coolant hydrogen gas stream under pressure into said housing, said machine housing having first exhaust means for introducing a controlled amount of said hydrogen coolant stream into an isotope counter; additional inlet means for introducing tritium; water coolant supply means connected to the additional inlet means; conduit means surrounding said stator providing passage for a supply of water coolant from the water coolant supply means at a pressure lower than said hydrogen gas stream, sufficient to cool said stator; a second inlet means connected to said housing adapted to introduce helium into said hydrogen gas stream; an expansion vessel means adapted to receive water coolant; and a coolant leakage measuring apparatus, said measuring apparatus being responsive to the presence of helium gas transferred into said water coolant stream.
Claim 6
Independent Claim
174 words
An apparatus adapted to detect the presence of a coolant leakage in the cooling water cycle of an electrical power generating machine, said machine including a machine housing; a stator disposed in said housing; a first inlet means connected to said housing, adapted to introduce a coolant hydrogen gas stream under pressure into said housing, said machine housing having first exhaust means for introducing a controlled amount of said hydrogen coolant stream into an isotope counter; additional inlet means for introducing tritium; water coolant supply means connected to the additional inlet means; conduit means surrounding said stator providing passage for a supply of water coolant from the water coolant supply means at a pressure lower than said hydrogen gas stream, sufficient to cool said stator; a second inlet means connected to said housing adapted to introduce helium into said hydrogen gas stream; an expansion vessel means adapted to receive water coolant; and a coolant leakage measuring apparatus, said measuring apparatus being responsive to the presence of helium gas transferred into said water coolant stream.
Claim 7
Independent Claim
196 words
An apparatus adapted to detect the presence of a coolant leakage in the cooling water cycle of an electrical power generating machine, said machine including a machine housing bi-laterally sealed and having a protective atmosphere therein; a stator disposed in said housing; a rotor disposed in said housing; water coolant supply means; a first inlet means connected to said housing, adapted to introduce a coolant hydrogen gas stream under pressure into said housing; conduit means surrounding said stator and said rotor providing passage for supply of water coolant from the water coolant supply means at a pressure lower than said hydrogen gas stream, sufficient to cool said stator and said rotor; a second inlet means connected to said housing adapted to introduce helium into said hydrogen gas stream; an expansion vessel means adapted to receive water coolant; exhaust means provided with means for ascertaining an amount of coolant leakage from the respective coolant streams; vacuum pump means connected to said exhaust means and in parallel relationship with an evacuated air gap in said housing; and a coolant leakage measuring apparatus, said measuring apparatus being responsive to the presence of helium gas transferred into said coolant stream.
Claim 8
Independent Claim
196 words
An apparatus adapted to detect the presence of a coolant leakage in the cooling water cycle of an electrical power generating machine, said machine including a machine housing bi-laterally sealed and having a protective atmosphere therein; a stator disposed in said housing; a rotor disposed in said housing; water coolant supply means; a first inlet means connected to said housing, adapted to introduce a coolant hydrogen gas stream under pressure into said housing; conduit means surrounding said stator and said rotor providing passage for supply of water coolant from the water coolant supply means at a pressure lower than said hydrogen gas stream, sufficient to cool said stator and said rotor; a second inlet means connected to said housing adapted to introduce helium into said hydrogen gas stream; an expansion vessel means adapted to receive water coolant; exhaust means provided with means for ascertaining an amount of coolant leakage from the respective coolant streams; vacuum pump means connected to said exhaust means and in parallel relationship with an evacuated air gap in said housing; and a coolant leakage measuring apparatus, said measuring apparatus being responsive to the presence of helium gas transferred into said coolant stream.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
32 words
An apparatus as claimed in claim 5, further comprising a rotor disposed in said housing, and wherein the conduit means surrounds the rotor and provides water coolant sufficient to cool said rotor.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
97 words
Device for detecting cooling water leakage in the cooling water cycle of turbogenerators which are cooled by water in the stator and are provided with additional cooling by hydrogen gas within the housing of said turbogenerator, comprising inlet means for introducing tritium into the water in the cooling water cycle, discharge means connected to said housing for withdrawal of a portion of hydrogen contained in the housing, an isotope measuring device connected to said discharge means to measure tritium which during a leakage penetrates from said cooling water cycle into said Hydrogen gas contained in said housing.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
97 words
Device for detecting cooling water leakage in the cooling water cycle of turbogenerators which are cooled by water in the stator and are provided with additional cooling by hydrogen gas within the housing of said turbogenerator, comprising inlet means for introducing tritium into the water in the cooling water cycle, discharge means connected to said housing for withdrawal of a portion of hydrogen contained in the housing, an isotope measuring device connected to said discharge means to measure tritium which during a leakage penetrates from said cooling water cycle into said Hydrogen gas contained in said housing.
Claim 12
Independent Claim
147 words
An apparatus adapted to detect the presence of a coolant leakage in the cooling water cycle of an electrical power generating machine, said machine including a machine housing; a stator disposed in said housing; a first inlet means connected to said housing, adapted to introduce a coolant hydrogen gas stream under pressure into said housing; a second inlet means connected to said housing adapted to introduce tritium into said hydrogen gas; water coolant supply means; conduit means surrounding said stator providing passage for a supply of water coolant from the water coolant supply means at a pressure lower than said hydrogen gas stream, sufficient to cool said stator; an expansion vessel means adapted to receive water coolant; exhaust means for the discharge of gas from said expansion vessel; an isotope measuring device connected to said exhaust means to measure tritium in said gas from said expansion vessel.
Claim 13
Independent Claim
147 words
An apparatus adapted to detect the presence of a coolant leakage in the cooling water cycle of an electrical power generating machine, said machine including a machine housing; a stator disposed in said housing; a first inlet means connected to said housing, adapted to introduce a coolant hydrogen gas stream under pressure into said housing; a second inlet means connected to said housing adapted to introduce tritium into said hydrogen gas; water coolant supply means; conduit means surrounding said stator providing passage for a supply of water coolant from the water coolant supply means at a pressure lower than said hydrogen gas stream, sufficient to cool said stator; an expansion vessel means adapted to receive water coolant; exhaust means for the discharge of gas from said expansion vessel; an isotope measuring device connected to said exhaust means to measure tritium in said gas from said expansion vessel.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
21 words
Apparatus as claimed in claim 8 wherein said housing also contains a rotor with conduit means for passage of water coolant.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1978-07-07 | 1979-01-06 | 1979-07-08 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1982-07-07 | 1983-01-06 | 1983-07-08 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1986-07-07 | 1987-01-06 | 1987-07-08 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |