CA2031334C - Hybrid medium voltage circuit breaker - Google Patents
Hybrid medium voltage circuit breaker Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- CA2031334C CA2031334C CA002031334A CA2031334A CA2031334C CA 2031334 C CA2031334 C CA 2031334C CA 002031334 A CA002031334 A CA 002031334A CA 2031334 A CA2031334 A CA 2031334A CA 2031334 C CA2031334 C CA 2031334C
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- circuit breaker
- cartridge
- contacts
- enclosure
- arcing
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired - Fee Related
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Classifications
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
- H01H33/00—High-tension or heavy-current switches with arc-extinguishing or arc-preventing means
- H01H33/60—Switches wherein the means for extinguishing or preventing the arc do not include separate means for obtaining or increasing flow of arc-extinguishing fluid
- H01H33/66—Vacuum switches
- H01H33/664—Contacts; Arc-extinguishing means, e.g. arcing rings
- H01H33/6641—Contacts; Arc-extinguishing means, e.g. arcing rings making use of a separate coil
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
- H01H33/00—High-tension or heavy-current switches with arc-extinguishing or arc-preventing means
- H01H33/02—Details
- H01H33/04—Means for extinguishing or preventing arc between current-carrying parts
- H01H33/12—Auxiliary contacts on to which the arc is transferred from the main contacts
- H01H33/121—Load break switches
- H01H33/122—Load break switches both breaker and sectionaliser being enclosed, e.g. in SF6-filled container
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
- H01H33/00—High-tension or heavy-current switches with arc-extinguishing or arc-preventing means
- H01H33/60—Switches wherein the means for extinguishing or preventing the arc do not include separate means for obtaining or increasing flow of arc-extinguishing fluid
- H01H33/66—Vacuum switches
- H01H33/666—Operating arrangements
- H01H33/6661—Combination with other type of switch, e.g. for load break switches
Abstract
The circuit breaker comprises main contacts 26,30 and a vacuum cartridge 38 in parallel which performs breaking, the assembly being contained in an enclosure 10 filled with sulphur hexafluoride. The cartridge is designed for dielectric withstand in this gas. The contacts of the cartridge 38 are made of refractory material and a coil generates an axial magnetic field in the arcing zone.
Description
HYBRID MEDTUM VOLTAGE CIRCUIT BREAKER
The invention relates to a medium voltage electrical circuit breaker comprising a'sealed enclosure filled with sulphur hexafluoride, a pair of main contacts disposed in said enclosure, a vacuum cartridge disposed in said enclosure and containing a pair of aligned arcing contacts, electrically connected in parallel to said main contacts, an operating mechanism of said contacts to open the arcing contacts after the main contacts and close them before the main contacts.
Two breaking techniques of medium voltage currents are commonly used, vacuum breaking and breaking in sulphur hexafluoride, both of these techniques having advantages and drawbacks. Vacuum envelopes can be manufactured in large series but their breaking capacity is limited and can only be improved by complicated artificial means. Breaking in sulphur hexafluoride is simpler but difficult to standardize. In medium voltage installations with gas insulation and a metal enclosure, vacuum envelopes have already been placed in the sealed enclosure filled with sulphur hexafluoride, the vacuum envelopes performing interruption of the currents and the sulphur hexafluoride insulating the installation components. This state-of-the-art juxtaposition d~es not take maximum advantage of these two techniques.
Another state--of-the-art circuit breaker comprises arcing contacts housed in a vacuum cartridge and main contacts connected in parallel with the arcing contacts and housed in an enclosure filled with sulphur hexafluoride. The main contacts, which open after the arcing contacts, are thus protected from the action of the arcs and are capable of conveying strong currents. The operation of the vacuum cartridge and its structure are standard.
The object of the present invention is to combine the advantages of both the techniques, in vacuum and in sulphur hexafluoride, and this object is achieved by providing a circuit breaker, comprising a sealed enclosure filled with sulphur hexafluoride, a pair of main contacts disposed in said enclosure, a vacuum cartridge disposed in said enclosure and containing a pair of aligned arcing contacts, electrically connected in parallel to said main contacts, an operating machanism of said contacts to open the arcing contacts after the main contacts and close them before the main contacts, characterized in that an insulating enclosure of the vacuum cartridge comprises a cylindrical surface, coaxially surrounding the arcing contacts, whose axial length, defining a creepage distance, corresponds to the dielectric withstand of the insulating enclosure in sulphur hexafluoride, and in that means producing an axial magnetic field in the formation zone of an arc, drawn inside the cartridge when the arcing contacts separate, are associated with said cartridge and in that the arcing contacts are disk-shaped and are made of refractory material.
Current breaking is performed in the vacuum cartridge and the arcing contacts, housed in this cartridge, perform their usual role of protecting the main contacts, which open and close without an arc forming. The vacuum cartridge has no other function and its dimensions, notably its axial length, are reduced to a value ensuring the dielectric withstand of the enclosure in sulphur hexafluoride, notably lower than that necessary for a vacuum cartridge in air.
The breaking capacity of the cartridge is increased by generating an axial magnetic field in the arcing zone which diffuses the arc and prevents any concentration of energy 2a at a particular point. This axial magnetic field can be produced by a single coil, for the stray fields, due to currents induced in the contacts, are greatly attenuated or even rendered negligible by the high resistivity of the contacts, made of materials which are for example refractory. The use of such materials increases the resistance to the action of the arc and favors breaking.
The combined use of refractory contacts, of an axial arc diffusion field, and of a cartridge housed in an enclosure filled with sulphur hexafluoride, ensures a high breaking capacity with a small simplified vacuum cartridge and enables a medium voltage circuit breaker or installation with main contacts and gas insulation to be achieved. A
single vacuum cartridge can cover a whole range of circuit breakers and rationalization of rnanufacture is therefore possible.
The vacuum cartridge comprises a cylindrical enclosure made of ceramic material or glass, sealed off by two advantageously metal plates. The axial length of the cartridge, defined by the valtages involved and/or the pressure of sulphur hexafluoride in the enclosure is generally less than 15 cm, a length notably less than that of standard vacuum enclosures.
The disk-shaped arcing contacts are made of tungsten, chrome or an alloy of these metals, other refractory materials being able to be used. The arcing contacts are disposed axially in the cylindrical cartridge and one of the contacts is slidingly mounted being connected to a mechanism performing separation and reclosing of the arcing contacts befare that of the main contacts in a st:a~te-of-the-art manner.
The axial field in the breaking zone is generated by the current flowing in a coil securedly united t:o the base-plate of the cartridge, located on the stationary <~rcing contact side. This coil coaxial to the cartridge and of flattened shape can be formed by a conductor fixed to said bass-plate or be defined by a spiral groove cut out of the mass, i.e. from the thickness of the base-plats on the internal fats of the cartridge. This coil is connected in series to arcing contacts in the arcing circuit and is shunted in the closed position by the main contacts. The current is switched in the coil, when the main contacts separate, and generates an axial arc diffusion field favoring breaking.
The circuit breaker according to the invention is particularly suited to a gas-insulated medium voltage installation, the three pole-units being able to be housed in a single earthed metal enclosure. Insulation is provided by the sulphur hexafluoride at atmospheric or compressed pressure, and this gas is not liable to be polluted by the breaking arc. The breaking part is confined in the cartridge of small size, which simplifies the structure and design of the whole installation.
Other advantages and features will become more clearly apparent from the following description of an illustrative embodiment of the invention, given as a non-restrictive example only and represented in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a schematic axial sectional t=iew of a circuit breaker according to the invention, represented in the closed position;
Figure 2 is a similar view to that of figure 1 showing the circuit breaker in the course of opening;
Figure 3 is a cross-section according to the line III-III of figure 4, showing on an enlarged scale a detail of figure 1;
Figure 4 is a bottom view of the base-~>late visible in figure 3.
In the figures, a.medium voltage circuit breaker is housed in a sealed. enclosure 10, whose metal or insulating wall 12 can be that of a gas-insulated installation or substation or that of a pole-unit or three pole-units of the circuit breaker. The pole-unit represented in figure 1 comprises two sealed bushings l4, 16 of current input 18 and output 20 conductors, which terminate outside the enclosure 10 by connecting pads 22 and inside, respectively by a support 24 of a stationary main contact 26 and by a support 28 of a movable main contact 30, in the form of a knife-blade pivotally mounted on a fixed spindle 32. In the closed position the movable main contact 30 is aligned, and in contact with the stationary main contact 26 to close the main circuit, formed by the input conductor 18, support 24, m t ( b ~~a.~.:~~t~
stationary 26 and movable 30 main contacts, support 28 and output conductor 20. The supports 24, 28 are extended by arms 34, 36 extending transversely, 'their free ends being located on either side of a vacuum cartridge 38. The cylindrical housing 40 of the cartridge 38 is sealed off at both ends by metal base-plates 42, 44, each mechanically and electrically connected to the free end of the assaciated arm 34, 36. The axis of the cartridge is appreciably parallel to the main contacts 26, 30 aligned in the closed position and a pair of elongated arcing contacts 46, 48 is disposed coaxially in the cartridge 38. The arcing contacts, one 46 of which is stationary and securedly united to the base -plate 42, and the other 48 of which is movable, each bear a disk- shaped contact part 50. The movable arcing contact 48 passes through the base-plate 44, to which it is electrically connected, with a sealing joint interposed. It can easily be seen that the arms 34, 36, base-plates 42, 44 and arcing contacts 46, 48 with their abutting contact parts 50, form an auxiliary arcing circuit connected in parallel to the main cantacts 26, 30.
A rotary operating shaft 52 passes through the wall 12 and bears on its inside end a crank 54, connected on the one hand by an articulated connecting rod 56 to the main knife-blade 30 and on the other hand by a small rod 58 and aperture 60 to the movable ' arcing contact 48. Tn the aperture 60, arranged in the small rod 58, a crank pin 62 supported by the crank 54 is slidingly mounted so as to form a dead travel link urged in extension by a spring 65. The mechanism is arranged in such a way that in the course of an opening operation of the circuit breaker, commanded by a clockwise rotation of the shaft 52, the main movable contact 30 opens first, the arcing contacts 46, 48 remaining closed at first due to the dead travel 60, 62 (figure 2). The current which was flowing through the main contacts 26, 30 is switched in the arcing circuit without an arc forming on the main contacts 26, 30. Continued rotation of the shaft 52 causes opening of the arcing contacts 46, 48 and final opening of the circuit breaker. The closing operation, commanded by a reverse rotation of 'the shaft 52, first closes the arcing contacts 46, 48, and then the main contacts 26, 30.
The cylindrical housing 40 of the vacuum cartridge 38 is made of ceramic or glass with a smooth external surface, whose axial length defines the critical creepage distance of the cartridge 38. This axial length is determined in terms of the voltage, to ensure a sufficient dielectric withstand and this length is notably less than that of a cartridge placed in air. In medium voltage, this length is less than or close to 15 cm and the small size of the vacuum cartridge 38 makes it easy to house.
The contact parts 50 of the arcing contacts 46, 48 axe made of refractory material, such as tungsten, chrome or alloys of these metals, to increase their arcing withstand. The high resistivity of these materials is not a drawback, as the permanent current is taken charge of by the main contacts 26, 30. This high resistivity even constitutes a notable advantage by reducing the currents induced in the contact parts 50.
Referring mare particularly to figures 3 and 4 it can be seen that the base-plate 42, arranged on the stationary arcing contact 46 side, presents on its internal face 66 to the cartridge 38 a deep furrow in the form of a spiral groove 68 leaving only a small thickness at the bottom of the groove 68.
The groove 68 confines a flat coil 70, whose internal winding 72.
is connected to the arcing contact 46 and whose external winding 74 is connected to the arm 34. The current input by the arm 34 flaws mostly through the coil 70, only a small part flowing through the base-plate 42, and generates an axial magnetic field "
in the zone of the contact parts 50 where the arc is drawn when these contact parts 50 separate. The axial field ensures diffusion of the arc and thus enables a high breaking capacity to be obtained. The stray fields, due to the currents induced in the contact parts 50, are greatly attenuated, as the intensity of these induced currents is itself limited by the strong resistance of the contact parts 50 made of refractory material.
A small vacuum cartridge with a high breaking cagacity can thus be achieved by very simple means. The vacuum cartridge 38 can naturally comprise protective shields (not represented) of the housing 40, the one on the stationary arcing contact 46 side being advantageously replaced by the external winding 74 of the coil 70. The coil 70 is not necessarily formed from the mass of the base-plate 42 and can be formed by a spiral conductor fixed by any suitable means to the base-plate 42. This embodiment is mandatory if the base-plates 42,44 of the cartridge 38 are insulating.
It is advantageous to achieve a vacuum cartridge that can be used for a whole range of circuit breakers, for the gain in size and in cost is low if the characteristics of the cartridge are adapted exactly to suit those of the circuit breaker. Localizing breaking and the arc in a separate sealed enclosure is particularly advantageous for metalcl_ad substations or other gas-insulated installations, for any arc propagation or insulating gas pollution is thus avoided. The parallel arrangement of the arcing contacts 46, 48 and main contacts 26, 30, more particularly described, favors high-speed current switching, but other arrangements can be used and the architecture of the circuit breaker can be different. It is possible to integrate an earthing device housed in the sealed enclosure 10 and actuated by the operating shaft 52 after opening of the circuit breaker. The main contacts 26, 30 and the operating mechanism can naturally be achieved differently without departing from the scope of the present invention.
The invention relates to a medium voltage electrical circuit breaker comprising a'sealed enclosure filled with sulphur hexafluoride, a pair of main contacts disposed in said enclosure, a vacuum cartridge disposed in said enclosure and containing a pair of aligned arcing contacts, electrically connected in parallel to said main contacts, an operating mechanism of said contacts to open the arcing contacts after the main contacts and close them before the main contacts.
Two breaking techniques of medium voltage currents are commonly used, vacuum breaking and breaking in sulphur hexafluoride, both of these techniques having advantages and drawbacks. Vacuum envelopes can be manufactured in large series but their breaking capacity is limited and can only be improved by complicated artificial means. Breaking in sulphur hexafluoride is simpler but difficult to standardize. In medium voltage installations with gas insulation and a metal enclosure, vacuum envelopes have already been placed in the sealed enclosure filled with sulphur hexafluoride, the vacuum envelopes performing interruption of the currents and the sulphur hexafluoride insulating the installation components. This state-of-the-art juxtaposition d~es not take maximum advantage of these two techniques.
Another state--of-the-art circuit breaker comprises arcing contacts housed in a vacuum cartridge and main contacts connected in parallel with the arcing contacts and housed in an enclosure filled with sulphur hexafluoride. The main contacts, which open after the arcing contacts, are thus protected from the action of the arcs and are capable of conveying strong currents. The operation of the vacuum cartridge and its structure are standard.
The object of the present invention is to combine the advantages of both the techniques, in vacuum and in sulphur hexafluoride, and this object is achieved by providing a circuit breaker, comprising a sealed enclosure filled with sulphur hexafluoride, a pair of main contacts disposed in said enclosure, a vacuum cartridge disposed in said enclosure and containing a pair of aligned arcing contacts, electrically connected in parallel to said main contacts, an operating machanism of said contacts to open the arcing contacts after the main contacts and close them before the main contacts, characterized in that an insulating enclosure of the vacuum cartridge comprises a cylindrical surface, coaxially surrounding the arcing contacts, whose axial length, defining a creepage distance, corresponds to the dielectric withstand of the insulating enclosure in sulphur hexafluoride, and in that means producing an axial magnetic field in the formation zone of an arc, drawn inside the cartridge when the arcing contacts separate, are associated with said cartridge and in that the arcing contacts are disk-shaped and are made of refractory material.
Current breaking is performed in the vacuum cartridge and the arcing contacts, housed in this cartridge, perform their usual role of protecting the main contacts, which open and close without an arc forming. The vacuum cartridge has no other function and its dimensions, notably its axial length, are reduced to a value ensuring the dielectric withstand of the enclosure in sulphur hexafluoride, notably lower than that necessary for a vacuum cartridge in air.
The breaking capacity of the cartridge is increased by generating an axial magnetic field in the arcing zone which diffuses the arc and prevents any concentration of energy 2a at a particular point. This axial magnetic field can be produced by a single coil, for the stray fields, due to currents induced in the contacts, are greatly attenuated or even rendered negligible by the high resistivity of the contacts, made of materials which are for example refractory. The use of such materials increases the resistance to the action of the arc and favors breaking.
The combined use of refractory contacts, of an axial arc diffusion field, and of a cartridge housed in an enclosure filled with sulphur hexafluoride, ensures a high breaking capacity with a small simplified vacuum cartridge and enables a medium voltage circuit breaker or installation with main contacts and gas insulation to be achieved. A
single vacuum cartridge can cover a whole range of circuit breakers and rationalization of rnanufacture is therefore possible.
The vacuum cartridge comprises a cylindrical enclosure made of ceramic material or glass, sealed off by two advantageously metal plates. The axial length of the cartridge, defined by the valtages involved and/or the pressure of sulphur hexafluoride in the enclosure is generally less than 15 cm, a length notably less than that of standard vacuum enclosures.
The disk-shaped arcing contacts are made of tungsten, chrome or an alloy of these metals, other refractory materials being able to be used. The arcing contacts are disposed axially in the cylindrical cartridge and one of the contacts is slidingly mounted being connected to a mechanism performing separation and reclosing of the arcing contacts befare that of the main contacts in a st:a~te-of-the-art manner.
The axial field in the breaking zone is generated by the current flowing in a coil securedly united t:o the base-plate of the cartridge, located on the stationary <~rcing contact side. This coil coaxial to the cartridge and of flattened shape can be formed by a conductor fixed to said bass-plate or be defined by a spiral groove cut out of the mass, i.e. from the thickness of the base-plats on the internal fats of the cartridge. This coil is connected in series to arcing contacts in the arcing circuit and is shunted in the closed position by the main contacts. The current is switched in the coil, when the main contacts separate, and generates an axial arc diffusion field favoring breaking.
The circuit breaker according to the invention is particularly suited to a gas-insulated medium voltage installation, the three pole-units being able to be housed in a single earthed metal enclosure. Insulation is provided by the sulphur hexafluoride at atmospheric or compressed pressure, and this gas is not liable to be polluted by the breaking arc. The breaking part is confined in the cartridge of small size, which simplifies the structure and design of the whole installation.
Other advantages and features will become more clearly apparent from the following description of an illustrative embodiment of the invention, given as a non-restrictive example only and represented in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a schematic axial sectional t=iew of a circuit breaker according to the invention, represented in the closed position;
Figure 2 is a similar view to that of figure 1 showing the circuit breaker in the course of opening;
Figure 3 is a cross-section according to the line III-III of figure 4, showing on an enlarged scale a detail of figure 1;
Figure 4 is a bottom view of the base-~>late visible in figure 3.
In the figures, a.medium voltage circuit breaker is housed in a sealed. enclosure 10, whose metal or insulating wall 12 can be that of a gas-insulated installation or substation or that of a pole-unit or three pole-units of the circuit breaker. The pole-unit represented in figure 1 comprises two sealed bushings l4, 16 of current input 18 and output 20 conductors, which terminate outside the enclosure 10 by connecting pads 22 and inside, respectively by a support 24 of a stationary main contact 26 and by a support 28 of a movable main contact 30, in the form of a knife-blade pivotally mounted on a fixed spindle 32. In the closed position the movable main contact 30 is aligned, and in contact with the stationary main contact 26 to close the main circuit, formed by the input conductor 18, support 24, m t ( b ~~a.~.:~~t~
stationary 26 and movable 30 main contacts, support 28 and output conductor 20. The supports 24, 28 are extended by arms 34, 36 extending transversely, 'their free ends being located on either side of a vacuum cartridge 38. The cylindrical housing 40 of the cartridge 38 is sealed off at both ends by metal base-plates 42, 44, each mechanically and electrically connected to the free end of the assaciated arm 34, 36. The axis of the cartridge is appreciably parallel to the main contacts 26, 30 aligned in the closed position and a pair of elongated arcing contacts 46, 48 is disposed coaxially in the cartridge 38. The arcing contacts, one 46 of which is stationary and securedly united to the base -plate 42, and the other 48 of which is movable, each bear a disk- shaped contact part 50. The movable arcing contact 48 passes through the base-plate 44, to which it is electrically connected, with a sealing joint interposed. It can easily be seen that the arms 34, 36, base-plates 42, 44 and arcing contacts 46, 48 with their abutting contact parts 50, form an auxiliary arcing circuit connected in parallel to the main cantacts 26, 30.
A rotary operating shaft 52 passes through the wall 12 and bears on its inside end a crank 54, connected on the one hand by an articulated connecting rod 56 to the main knife-blade 30 and on the other hand by a small rod 58 and aperture 60 to the movable ' arcing contact 48. Tn the aperture 60, arranged in the small rod 58, a crank pin 62 supported by the crank 54 is slidingly mounted so as to form a dead travel link urged in extension by a spring 65. The mechanism is arranged in such a way that in the course of an opening operation of the circuit breaker, commanded by a clockwise rotation of the shaft 52, the main movable contact 30 opens first, the arcing contacts 46, 48 remaining closed at first due to the dead travel 60, 62 (figure 2). The current which was flowing through the main contacts 26, 30 is switched in the arcing circuit without an arc forming on the main contacts 26, 30. Continued rotation of the shaft 52 causes opening of the arcing contacts 46, 48 and final opening of the circuit breaker. The closing operation, commanded by a reverse rotation of 'the shaft 52, first closes the arcing contacts 46, 48, and then the main contacts 26, 30.
The cylindrical housing 40 of the vacuum cartridge 38 is made of ceramic or glass with a smooth external surface, whose axial length defines the critical creepage distance of the cartridge 38. This axial length is determined in terms of the voltage, to ensure a sufficient dielectric withstand and this length is notably less than that of a cartridge placed in air. In medium voltage, this length is less than or close to 15 cm and the small size of the vacuum cartridge 38 makes it easy to house.
The contact parts 50 of the arcing contacts 46, 48 axe made of refractory material, such as tungsten, chrome or alloys of these metals, to increase their arcing withstand. The high resistivity of these materials is not a drawback, as the permanent current is taken charge of by the main contacts 26, 30. This high resistivity even constitutes a notable advantage by reducing the currents induced in the contact parts 50.
Referring mare particularly to figures 3 and 4 it can be seen that the base-plate 42, arranged on the stationary arcing contact 46 side, presents on its internal face 66 to the cartridge 38 a deep furrow in the form of a spiral groove 68 leaving only a small thickness at the bottom of the groove 68.
The groove 68 confines a flat coil 70, whose internal winding 72.
is connected to the arcing contact 46 and whose external winding 74 is connected to the arm 34. The current input by the arm 34 flaws mostly through the coil 70, only a small part flowing through the base-plate 42, and generates an axial magnetic field "
in the zone of the contact parts 50 where the arc is drawn when these contact parts 50 separate. The axial field ensures diffusion of the arc and thus enables a high breaking capacity to be obtained. The stray fields, due to the currents induced in the contact parts 50, are greatly attenuated, as the intensity of these induced currents is itself limited by the strong resistance of the contact parts 50 made of refractory material.
A small vacuum cartridge with a high breaking cagacity can thus be achieved by very simple means. The vacuum cartridge 38 can naturally comprise protective shields (not represented) of the housing 40, the one on the stationary arcing contact 46 side being advantageously replaced by the external winding 74 of the coil 70. The coil 70 is not necessarily formed from the mass of the base-plate 42 and can be formed by a spiral conductor fixed by any suitable means to the base-plate 42. This embodiment is mandatory if the base-plates 42,44 of the cartridge 38 are insulating.
It is advantageous to achieve a vacuum cartridge that can be used for a whole range of circuit breakers, for the gain in size and in cost is low if the characteristics of the cartridge are adapted exactly to suit those of the circuit breaker. Localizing breaking and the arc in a separate sealed enclosure is particularly advantageous for metalcl_ad substations or other gas-insulated installations, for any arc propagation or insulating gas pollution is thus avoided. The parallel arrangement of the arcing contacts 46, 48 and main contacts 26, 30, more particularly described, favors high-speed current switching, but other arrangements can be used and the architecture of the circuit breaker can be different. It is possible to integrate an earthing device housed in the sealed enclosure 10 and actuated by the operating shaft 52 after opening of the circuit breaker. The main contacts 26, 30 and the operating mechanism can naturally be achieved differently without departing from the scope of the present invention.
Claims (8)
1. A medium voltage electrical circuit breaker comprising a sealed enclosure (10) filled with sulphur hexafluoride, a pair of main contacts (26, 30) disposed in said enclosure (10), a vacuum cartridge (38) disposed in said enclosure (10) and containing a pair of aligned arcing contacts (46, 48), electrically connected in parallel to said main contacts (26, 30), an operating mechanism (54) of said contacts (26, 30; 46, 48) to open the arcing contacts (46, 48) after the main contacts (26, 30) and close them before the main contacts (26, 30), characterized in that an insulating enclosure (40) of the vacuum cartridge (38) comprises a cylindrical surface, coaxially surrounding the arcing contacts (46, 48), whose axial length, defining a creepage distance, corresponds to the dielectric withstand of the insulating enclosure (40) in sulphur hexafluoride, and in that means (70) producing an axial magnetic field in the formation zone of an arc, drawn inside the cartridge (38) when the arcing contacts (46, 48) separate, are associated with said cartridge (38) and in that the arcing contacts (46, 48) are disk-shaped and are made of refractory material.
2. The electrical circuit breaker according to claim 1, wherein said cylindrical surface of the enclosure is smooth and made of ceramic material or glass, sealed off at both ends by metal first and second base-plates (42, 44).
3. The electrical circuit breaker according to claim 1, wherein the refractory material constituting the arcing contacts (46, 48) is tungsten, chrome or an alloy based on these two metals.
4. The electrical circuit breaker according to claim 1 or 3, wherein the length of the cartridge (38) is less than 15 cm.
5. The electrical circuit breaker according to any one of claims 1, 3 or 4, wherein said cylindrical surface of the enclosure is smooth and made of ceramic material or glass, sealed off at both ends by metal first and second base plates and said electrical circuit breaker has a movable arcing contact (48) mounted with axial sliding in said cartridge (38) and a stationary arcing contact (46) wherein the first base-plate (42) of the cartridge (38) located on the stationary contact (46) side is arranged as or bears on its face internal to the cartridge a coil having windings coaxial to the insulating enclosure (40) and electrically connected in series to said arcing contacts (46, 48).
6. The electrical circuit breaker according to claim 5, wherein the windings of said coil (70) are confined by a spiral groove (68) cut from the thickness of said first base-elate (42).
7. The electrical circuit breaker according to claim 5, wherein the windings of said coil (70) are formed by a spiral conductor fixed to the internal face of said first base-plate (42).
8. The electrical circuit breaker according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein said sealed enclosure (10) belongs to a gas-insulated medium voltage installation with a metal wall (12) and houses three pole-units of the circuit breaker.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| FR8916443 | 1989-12-11 | ||
| FR8916443A FR2655766B1 (en) | 1989-12-11 | 1989-12-11 | MEDIUM VOLTAGE HYBRID CIRCUIT BREAKER. |
Publications (2)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA2031334A1 CA2031334A1 (en) | 1991-06-12 |
| CA2031334C true CA2031334C (en) | 2000-08-15 |
Family
ID=9388440
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA002031334A Expired - Fee Related CA2031334C (en) | 1989-12-11 | 1990-12-03 | Hybrid medium voltage circuit breaker |
Country Status (8)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| US (1) | US5155315A (en) |
| EP (1) | EP0433184B1 (en) |
| JP (1) | JP3043399B2 (en) |
| AT (1) | ATE118643T1 (en) |
| CA (1) | CA2031334C (en) |
| DE (1) | DE69016967T2 (en) |
| ES (1) | ES2071068T3 (en) |
| FR (1) | FR2655766B1 (en) |
Families Citing this family (95)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FR2677168B1 (en) * | 1991-06-03 | 1994-06-17 | Merlin Gerin | MEDIUM VOLTAGE CIRCUIT BREAKER WITH REDUCED CONTROL ENERGY. |
| FR2677487B1 (en) * | 1991-06-10 | 1993-09-03 | Merlin Gerin | ELECTRIC VACUUM SWITCH. |
| FR2682808B1 (en) * | 1991-10-17 | 1997-01-24 | Merlin Gerin | HYBRID CIRCUIT BREAKER WITH AXIAL BLOWING COIL. |
| FR2682807B1 (en) * | 1991-10-17 | 1997-01-24 | Merlin Gerin | ELECTRIC CIRCUIT BREAKER WITH TWO VACUUM CARTRIDGES IN SERIES. |
| EP0599742B1 (en) * | 1992-11-26 | 1999-01-20 | Schneider Electric Sa | Off-and-on mechanism for an electric medium-high or high voltage circuit breaker |
| JPH06215672A (en) * | 1993-01-20 | 1994-08-05 | Toshiba Corp | Vacuum circuit breaker |
| FR2721434B1 (en) * | 1994-06-20 | 1996-08-02 | Schneider Electric Sa | Vacuum interrupter, in particular for circuit breaker or medium voltage electric switch and switch incorporating such a bulb. |
| FR2722912B1 (en) | 1994-07-20 | 1996-09-13 | Schneider Electric Sa | MEDIUM VOLTAGE ELECTRIC SWITCHES |
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| GB1126362A (en) * | 1965-07-06 | 1968-09-05 | Ass Elect Ind | Improvements in and relating to electric circuit breakers |
| US3522404A (en) * | 1967-11-22 | 1970-08-04 | Frank C Trayer | Totally enclosed component |
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| NL161608C (en) * | 1976-02-03 | 1980-02-15 | Hazemeijer Bv | VACUUM SWITCH. |
| US4661666A (en) * | 1985-05-28 | 1987-04-28 | Kabushiki Kaisha Meidensha | Vacuum interrupter |
-
1989
- 1989-12-11 FR FR8916443A patent/FR2655766B1/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
-
1990
- 1990-11-20 ES ES90420498T patent/ES2071068T3/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
- 1990-11-20 EP EP90420498A patent/EP0433184B1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
- 1990-11-20 DE DE69016967T patent/DE69016967T2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 1990-11-20 AT AT90420498T patent/ATE118643T1/en not_active IP Right Cessation
- 1990-11-30 JP JP33691090A patent/JP3043399B2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 1990-12-03 CA CA002031334A patent/CA2031334C/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
-
1991
- 1991-03-12 US US07/668,162 patent/US5155315A/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| JPH03192622A (en) | 1991-08-22 |
| ATE118643T1 (en) | 1995-03-15 |
| DE69016967T2 (en) | 1995-09-07 |
| US5155315A (en) | 1992-10-13 |
| FR2655766A1 (en) | 1991-06-14 |
| ES2071068T3 (en) | 1995-06-16 |
| DE69016967D1 (en) | 1995-03-23 |
| FR2655766B1 (en) | 1993-09-03 |
| JP3043399B2 (en) | 2000-05-22 |
| EP0433184B1 (en) | 1995-02-15 |
| CA2031334A1 (en) | 1991-06-12 |
| EP0433184A1 (en) | 1991-06-19 |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| EEER | Examination request | ||
| MKLA | Lapsed |