Powering wireless components in a heat trace system

摘要

Heat trace system for heating vessels of a piping system comprises a main control system, a plurality of heat trace elements, and a plurality of wireless modules. Each heat trace element is adjacent to one of the vessels of the piping system and connected to an electrical power source of the main control system 16. Each of the wireless modules: (a) is connected to and powered by an associated heat trace element; (b) comprises an energy storage device connected to the associated heat trace element for storing energy from the associated heat trace element to power the wireless module; and (c) comprises an RF module for communicating wirelessly with the main control system via a wireless communication network. The stored energy in the energy storage device can be used to power components of the wireless module, even when no current is flowing in the heat trace element to which the wireless module is connected.

主权项

1. A system comprising:
a piping system comprising a plurality of vessels; a main control system comprising an AC electrical power source; a plurality of heat trace elements, wherein each of the plurality of heat trace elements is adjacent to at least one of the plurality of vessels of the piping system, and wherein each of the plurality of heat trace elements is connected to the AC electrical power source of the main control system to conduct AC current from the AC electrical power source; and a plurality of wireless modules distributed throughout the piping system, wherein each wireless module:
is connected to and powered by an associated heat trace element of the plurality of heat trace elements;comprises an AC-to-DC converter that converts AC voltage from the associated heat trace element to DC voltage;comprises a switch connected to the AC-to-DC converter;comprises a first controller for controlling the switch;comprises a supercapacitor connected to the AC-to-DC converter via the switch, wherein the supercapacitor is for storing energy from the associated heat trace element coupled to the supercapacitor by the AC-to-DC converter and the switch, wherein the energy stored by the supercapacitor from the associated heat trace element is for powering the wireless module, and wherein the first controller controls the switch based on a voltage across the supercapacitor; andcomprises an RF module for communicating wirelessly with the main control system via a wireless communication network.