WO2018234875A1

WO2018234875A1 - SAFETY SCREEN AGAINST ELECTRIC ARC AND / OR BYPASS

Info

Publication number: WO2018234875A1
Application number: PCT/IB2018/052558
Authority: WO
Inventors: Alessandro SALE
Original assignee: Asg Technics bvba
Current assignee: Asg Technics bvba
Priority date: 2017-06-21
Filing date: 2018-04-12
Publication date: 2018-12-27
Anticipated expiration: 2019-12-21
Also published as: BE1024410B9; BE1024410B1

Abstract

La présente invention concerne un écran de sécurité, comprenant une visière et un ou plusieurs pieds, qui peuvent de préférence être placés sur un câble ou un manchon conducteur, et a pour caractéristique de neutraliser des arcs électriques et/ou un contournement. L'écran de sécurité permet de réaliser en toute sécurité un travail sur un câble ou un manchon conducteur.The present invention relates to a security screen, comprising a visor and one or more feet, which can preferably be placed on a cable or a conductive sleeve, and has the characteristic of neutralizing electric arcs and / or a bypass. The safety screen makes it safe to work on a cable or conductive sleeve.

Description

SAFETY SCREEN AGAINST ELECTRIC ARCS AND/OR FLASHOVER

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention describes a safety screen, comprising a visor and one or several multiple legs which can preferably be placed over a conducting cable or sleeve - and having the characteristic of neutralising electric arcs and/or flashover. The safety screen enables work to be carried out on a conducting cable or sleeve in a safe manner.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Works carried out on electricity cables, electricity sleeves etc. involve significant risks. Incorrect actions can result in electric shocks, serious injuries and even death. During such work-related activities, electric arcs are created, which originate due to powerful discharges between two or more conductors. Due these discharges, the current seeks an arbitrary path, where a plasma arc is created, in the process releasing potentially large amounts of energy. This results in a powerful burst of flame (flashover), which can burn and/or kill the worker.

The worker can protect himself against such electric arcs and/or flashover by wearing specially designed clothing, i.e. a protective suit, thick gloves and a helmet. This equipment is also clearly different from an insulating plate as described in US4707562, which serves the sole objective of insulating the pylon from the conductor when working on a live high-tension transmission line, and is therefore not provided with a visor, which can be positioned on or over a conducting cable or sleeve. In the case of protective clothing, US3458864 describes a protective hood with a veil, in which the veil covers a sufficiently large area of the upper body and so protects the user against bursts of flames etc.

US3427660, US2638592 and US201 100301 14 describe similar hoods with a visor and/or veil in various different embodiments.

However, such helmets make breathing less easy and uncomfortable for humans, are heavy and tend to suffocate the user with sweat quickly on hot summer days. As a consequence, the skilled person will be more inclined to remove his helmet, minimizing face protection and once more increasing the risk of burns and/or injuries.

The present invention therefore describes a safety screen, comprising a visor and one or multiple legs, which can preferably be positioned over a conducting cable or sleeve, and has the characteristic of neutralising electric arcs and/or flashover. The safety screen allows work on a conducting cable or sleeve to be carried out safely, and ensures that the worker can move freely and without hindrance around the conducting cable or sleeve, and does not need to wear a helmet.

A few systems for protecting against electric arcs have already been described:

- US6020560, which describes a cover to protect overhead high-voltage electric wires from flashover caused by contact with an earthed object or other conductor. The cover consists of a flexible panel, the ends of which can be clicked into each other and the inside of which contains an additional cover that firmly encloses the high-voltage cable. - US20102 18988, which describes a cover consisting of two parts that can be oriented at a defined angle with respect to each other, and that enclose a high-voltage wire that is held by grasping (gripping) elements.

However, the above references do not have the same functionality as the invention described below.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention describes a safety screen, comprising a visor and one or several feet on the inside, which can be positioned over an object, preferably a conducting cable or sleeve, and has the characteristic of neutralising electric arcs and/or flashover.

In a well-defined embodiment, the safety screen visor is curved, convex on the outside and concave on the inside. In a specific embodiment, the inside of the visor is positioned over the object in question.

In some well-defined embodiments, the visor is made of plastic, is transparent, adjustable in height, and/or rotatable and/or tiltable with respect to the object in question.

The visor may also be interchangeable. As indicated above, there are one or several legs on the inside of the visor.

In some well-defined embodiments, one or several legs are extendible and/or fitted with clamps for securing the safety screen onto the object in question. A specific embodiment is shown in the figures, in which the visor is curved and is fitted on to the longitudinal ends with legs_T which have anchoring elements that can be clamped over the cable.

In a further embodiment, one or several feet are made of high-impact polyamide.

Furthermore, a method for safe working on an object is described, preferably on a conducting cable or sleeve, by using a safety screen as described above and below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

With specific reference to the figures, it must be emphasised that the specifics shown here serve only as examples and for the purposes of illustrating the various designs of the invention under consideration. They are being proposed with the aim of furnishing what is regarded as the most useful and instant description of the principles and conceptual aspects of the invention. No attempt has been made in this respect to show more structural details of the invention other than those necessary for a fundamental understanding of the invention. The description in combination with the drawings in the figures enable clarification for experts in the field as to how the various forms of the invention can be executed in practice.

Fig. I : Front view of the safety screen ( I ), in which for this embodiment, the safety screen comprises a visor (2) with two pairs of legs feet (3), each pair of legs foot being situated at the periphery of the screen and each pair of legs ending in a clamp (4), which in this embodiment comprise a conducting cable. The feet are extendible and the visor can be tilted.

Fig. 2: Side view of the embodiment described in figure I

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

This current invention describes a safety screen ( I ), comprising a visor (2) and one or several legs (3), which can be positioned over an object (5), preferably a conducting cable or sleeve, and has the characteristic of neutralising electric arcs and/or flashover.

In a particular embodiment, and as shown diagrammatically in figures I and 2, the visor (2) of the safety screen ( I ) is curved, convex on the outside and concave on the inside, of which the concave inside of the visor is positioned over the object in question. This conformation, with a concave inside, ensures that electric arcs and/or flashovers are absorbed by the screen and conducted away from the worker, thus providing the worker with optimal protection.

The dimensions of the safety screen ( I ) will be adapted to the size of the object over which it is to be positioned and will at least enclose the necessary free working space for the worker. In a preferred application, according to the invention, the safety screen is positioned over a sleeve joint on the electricity grid, and more specifically over sleeve joints on both transmission (high voltage) and distribution networks (medium-voltage and low-voltage distribution networks). Such sleeve joints are typically 40 cm long. For such an application, the safety screen ( I ) will be at least 50 cm long and 40 cm wide. Considering that the legal workable space for such an application is defined at min. I m³, this ensures that the worker has enough room when the screen is positioned onto the electricity sleeve.

In particular embodiments, the visor (2) is made of plastic, preferably polycarbonate, which has the property of being non-conductive and thus prevents the arc from finding a way via the visor to the inside of the screen. Moreover, the visor (2) is transparent, which allows the worker to retain an overview during his activities on the object concerned (5), such as a conducting cable or sleeve. The visor (2) is preferably adjustable in height, so that the safety screen can be positioned over the object (5) such that sufficient working space is retained for the user without jeopardising the safe screening of the object to be processed, in particular a conducting cable or sleeve. The flexibility of use can be further increased by ensuring that the visor (2) is rotatable and/or can be tilted-with respect to the object in question (5). So in one embodiment, in accordance with the invention, the safety screen ( I ) is further characterised by the fact that it is adjustable in height. In another embodiment, in accordance with the invention, the safety screen ( I ) is further characterised by the fact that the visor (2) is rotatable and/or can be tilted with respect to the object in question (5). In a preferred embodiment, in accordance with the present invention, the safety screen ( I ) is further characterised by the fact that it is adjustable in height, and that the visor (2) is rotatable and/or tiltable with respect to the object in question (5). All this ensures that the worker is not hindered in his movements, that he is better able to coordinate his actions and the screen is not unnecessarily in the way. The present embodiments also allow work to be done on overhead power lines.

If the visor (2) is worn (i.e. has cracks, fractures etc.), then the visor can be replaced. The one or several legs are situated preferably on the inside of the visor (2). Again ensuring that the free working space under the safety screen is safeguarded, one or several legs (3), and preferably two or four, are set up at the periphery of the visor, more specifically in the periphery and on the inside (concave side) of the visor. In the specific embodiment as shown in figures I and 2, the visor (2) has a roughly rectangular curved shape and the feet legs (3) are on the short sides of the visor, also called the longitudinal sides of the visor.

As already indicated above, the safety screen ( I ) is preferably adjustable in height. For the worker it will be clear that this functionality can be realised in different ways, such as a height-adjustable frame on which the visor (2) is attached, or (a) height-adjustable foot or feet (3), and that each of these known variants belong to the scope of protection of the present invention. Thus, the rotatable and/or tiltable set-up of the visor can be realised in different ways, and each of these solutions known to the worker is included in the scope of protection of the present invention. In a specific embodiment, both of the above characteristics are integrated into the foot or feet (3) of the safety screen ( I ). The integration of the height adjustability and rotatability in the feet (3) saves space, which will only benefit the already limited working space. So in one embodiment, in accordance with the invention, the safety screen ( I ) is characterised by the fact that one or several feet (3) is adjustable in height, preferably extendible. In a further embodiment, the safety screen ( I ) is characterised by the fact that one or several feet (3) have a hinged connection with the visor (2), so that the visor is rotatable and/or tiltable with respect to one or several feet. In a specific embodiment of the present invention, the safety screen ( I ) is characterised by the fact that one or several feet (3) are extendible and the connection to the visor (2) is hinged. In the embodiment as shown in figures I and 2, the feet (3) are adjustable in height and setting up the visor by (2) rotating and/or tilting is achieved by the clamps (4), which are fitted with means known to the worker so as to be rotatable with respect to the electricity cable. So in a further embodiment, one or several feet, and preferably two pairs of feet, are extendible and fitted with clamping devices, which are rotatable with respect to the object on which the safety screen is positioned. Specifically, the feet can be hinged with respect to the visor, are extendible and fitted with a clamping device, which is rotatable with respect to the object on which the safety screen is positioned.

The safety screen ( I ) is positioned over an object (5) such that when working on the object, the manipulator is protected against hazards of working on the object, such as particles or chips such as dust or splinters; liquid splashes, e.g. when working with hazardous liquids; infrared or UV radiation; flames such as electric arcs and/or flashover when working on a sleeve joint in the electricity grid, and more specifically on sleeve joints on both transmission (high voltage) and distribution networks (medium-voltage and low-voltage distribution networks.

Such hazards can be accompanied by high amounts of energy such as with an electric arc or flashover, so that the safety screen should be anchored to prevent the screen from being thrown aside when such a hazard occurs. So in a further embodiment of the present invention, the safety screen ( I ) is fitted with one or more anchoring elements (4), such as clamps, pins and similar. In one particular embodiment, one or several feet (3) are fitted with anchoring elements (4).

For the application of a sleeve joint in the electricity grid, and more specifically of sleeve joints on both transmission (high voltage) and distribution networks (medium-voltage and low-voltage distribution networks), the anchoring elements (4) will preferably consist of clamps, which can be fixed around the electricity cable; more specifically clamps on the free ends of one or several feet. According to one embodiment of the present invention, by clamping the cable at both ends of the sleeve, such safety screens prevent the cable from swinging in an uncontrolled manner when an electric arc or flashover occurs, thus increasing the safety for the user.

In particular embodiments, one or several feet (3) are extendible, so that the safety screen ( I ) can cover any cable or sleeve optimally, and/or they are fitted with clamps (4) to fix the safety screen onto the object in question (5) and that it can be guaranteed that the screen always stays firmly in place and does not fall over. These feet also provide additional groundingv In the version as shown in Figure I , the clamps (4) are moreover rotatable with respect to the electricity cable and they ensure or contribute to the rotatability and/or tiltability of the safety screen ( I ) with respect to the object (5) (sleeve) over which it is placed. In a further embodiment, one or several feet (3) are made of high-impact polyamide.

Furthermore, a method for safe working on an object (5) is described, preferably on a conducting cable or sleeve, by using a safety screen ( I ) as described above and below.

Claims

A safety screen ( I ), which can be placed over an object (5), preferably a conducting cable or sleeve, and that has the property of neutralising electric arcs and/or flashover, comprising a visor (2) with one or several feet (3) on the inside of the visor, which can be placed on or over the object in question.

A safety screen ( I ) as described in claim I , the visor (2) of which is curved with a convex outer surface and a concave inner surface.

A safety screen ( I ) as described in one of the previous claims, the visor (2) of which is made of plastic.

A safety screen ( I ) as described in one of the previous claims, the visor (2) of which is transparent.

A safety screen ( I ) as described in one of the previous claims, the visor (2) of which is adjustable in height.

A safety screen ( I ) as described in one of the previous claims, the visor (2) of which is rotatable and/or tiltable with respect to the object in question (5).

A safety screen ( I ) as described in one of the previous claims, the visor (2) of which is exchangeable.

A safety screen ( I ) as described in one of the previous claims, with one or several feet (3), which are extendible.

A safety screen ( I ) as described in one of the previous claims, with one or several feet (3), which are fitted with anchoring elements (4) to attach the safety screen to the object in question (5).

10. A safety screen ( I ) as described in one of the previous claims, with one or several feet (3), which are made of high-impact polyamide.

1 1. A method for safe working on an object (5), preferably on a conducting cable or sleeve, by using a safety screen ( I ) as described in one of the previous claims.