# US 9,520,221 B2 · Method for function monitoring and/or control of a cooling system, and a corresponding cooling system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 9,520,221 B2 - Document ID: US9520221B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 13/174,069 - Filed: 2011-06-30 - Published: 2012-01-05 - Granted: 2016-12-13 - Earliest claimed: 2010-07-01 - Assignees: ABB Schweiz AG - Applicants: Benjamin Weber; Bhavesh Patel; Jens Tepper; Bruno Agostini; Marcos Bockholt; Michael Luckey - Inventors: Benjamin Weber; Bhavesh Patel; Jens Tepper; Bruno Agostini; Marcos Bockholt; Michael Luckey - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9520221B2 ## CPC - H01F 27/18: by evaporating liquids - F28D 15/02: in which the medium condenses and evaporates, e.g. heat pipes {(heat pipes used in solar heat collectors F24S10/95; in radiators F28D1/0226; in nuclear reactors G21C15/257)} - F28D 15/06: Control arrangements therefor - F28F 27/00: Control arrangements or safety devices specially adapted for heat-exchange or heat-transfer apparatus (control arrangements in general G05) - H01F: MAGNETS; INDUCTANCES; TRANSFORMERS; SELECTION OF MATERIALS FOR THEIR MAGNETIC PROPERTIES - F28D: HEAT-EXCHANGE APPARATUS, NOT PROVIDED FOR IN ANOTHER SUBCLASS, IN WHICH THE HEAT-EXCHANGE MEDIA DO NOT COME INTO DIRECT CONTACT (fluid heaters having heat generating means and heat transferring means F24H; furnaces F27; details of heat-exchange apparatus of general) - F28F: DETAILS OF HEAT-EXCHANGE AND HEAT-TRANSFER APPARATUS, OF GENERAL APPLICATION (water and air traps, air venting F16) ## Abstract Exemplary embodiments relate to a system and method for monitoring functional operational reliability of a cooling system having at least one thermosyphon for transformers provided with at least one evaporator and with at least one condenser. The cooling system using a coolant which can be vaporized and a gaseous medium, as a heat carrier. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for monitoring the function and the operational reliability of a cooling system having at least one thermosyphon, for transformers, the cooling system including at least one evaporator and at least one condenser, and using a coolant which can be vaporized in the at least one condenser and a gaseous medium, as a heat carrier in the at least one evaporator, the method comprising: determining a heat exchanger effectiveness of the cooling system wherein a global effectiveness ε of the at least one thermosyphon is determined using the relationship ɛ = ( T env - T condens out ) ( T env - T evap in ) or ɛ = ( T evap in - T evap out ) ( T evap in - T env ) which is a ratio of a difference between temperatures at a condenser inlet (Tenv) and at a condenser outlet (Tcondensout) to a difference between a temperatures at the condenser inlet (Tenv) and at an evaporator inlet (Tevapin), comparing the evaporator inlet temperature with plural temperature threshold values; comparing the global effectiveness ε of the at least one thermosyphon with plural effectiveness threshold values; and generating a warning signal when comparison results based on the plural temperature threshold values and comparison results based on the plural effectiveness threshold values are outside predetermined limits, wherein temperature measurements are carried out one of sequentially to reduce a number of measurement channels used to record temperature characteristic values or at a same time. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein in the event of a disturbance, the flow of the gaseous heat carrier is interrupted at times to rectify the disturbance. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein in the event of a disturbance, the flow direction of the gaseous heat carrier is reversed at times to rectify the disturbance. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the condenser and the evaporator are heated. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, comprising: comparing the global effectiveness of the at least one thermosyphon with a lower effectiveness threshold and an upper effectiveness threshold. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method according to claim 5, comprising: comparing the evaporator inlet temperature with a first temperature threshold. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method according to claim 6, comprising: determining that the cooling system is serviceable, if the global effectiveness of the at least one thermosyphon is within a range of the lower and upper effectiveness thresholds and the evaporator inlet temperature is within the first temperature threshold. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The method according to claim 7, wherein when the global effectiveness is outside a range of the lower and upper effectiveness thresholds and the evaporator inlet temperature is outside the first temperature threshold, the method comprising: comparing the evaporator inlet temperature with a second temperature threshold; and generating a warning signal if the global effectiveness of the at least one thermosyphon is outside the range of the lower and upper effectiveness thresholds and the evaporator inlet temperature is outside the second temperature threshold. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method according to claim 8, comprising: at least one of inspecting and repairing the cooling system if the evaporating inlet temperature is above the second temperature threshold. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The method according to claim 8, comprising: inspecting the cooling system if the global effectiveness of the at least one thermosyphon is above the upper effectiveness threshold; and repairing the cooling system if the global effectiveness of the at least one thermosyphon is below the lower effectiveness threshold.