Heating system and method of heating a process medium
AssigneeChromalox, Inc.
InventorsRichard Mark Trussler, Walter Thomas Robinson, Jie Chen
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present disclosure relates to a heating system comprising: a heating arrangement for heating a process medium; an inverter configured to receive an input direct-current voltage from a power supply and to produce an intermediate alternating-current voltage; a transformer configured to receive the intermediate alternating-current voltage produced by the inverter and to supply an output alternating-current voltage to the heating arrangement; a sensor arrangement configured to generate a first sensor output signal indicative of a thermodynamic parameter of the process medium or the heating arrangement; and a controller configured to control the inverter based on the first sensor output signal.
Claims20
A heating system comprising:
- a heating arrangement for heating a process medium;
- an inverter configured to receive an input direct-current voltage from a power supply and to output an intermediate alternating-current voltage;
- a transformer coupled to the heating arrangement and configured to receive the intermediate alternating-current voltage outputted by the inverter and to supply an output alternating-current voltage to the heating arrangement;
- a sensor arrangement configured to generate a first sensor output signal indicative of a thermodynamic parameter of the process medium or the heating arrangement;
- and
- a controller configured to output a pulse width modulated control signal to control the intermediate alternating-current voltage of the inverter based on the first sensor output signal, wherein the controller is further configured to output the pulse width modulated control signal to control the inverter such that the intermediate alternating-current voltage has a constant frequency which matches a predetermined operating frequency of the transformer, the predetermined operating frequency of the transformer being greater than 60 Hz.
A method of retrofitting a heating system comprising a heating arrangement for heating a process medium, the method comprising:
- providing an inverter to the heating system, wherein the inverter is configured to receive an input direct-current voltage from a power supply and to output an intermediate alternating-current voltage;
- coupling a transformer to the heating arrangement and to the inverter, wherein the transformer is configured to receive the intermediate alternating-current voltage from the inverter and to supply an output alternating-current voltage to the heating arrangement;
- positioning a sensor arrangement within the heating system, wherein the sensor arrangement is configured to generate a first sensor output signal indicative of a thermodynamic parameter of the process medium or the heating arrangement;
- and
- coupling a controller to the inverter and to the sensor arrangement, wherein the controller is configured to output a pulse width modulated control signal to control the intermediate alternating-current voltage of the inverter based on the first sensor output signal, and wherein the controller is further configured to output the pulse width modulated control signal to control the inverter such that the intermediate alternating-current voltage has a constant frequency which matches a predetermined operating frequency of the transformer, the predetermined operating frequency of the transformer being greater than 60 Hz.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.