CA1072157A - Compressed gas insulated circuit breaker module - Google Patents
Compressed gas insulated circuit breaker moduleInfo
- Publication number
- CA1072157A CA1072157A CA265,793A CA265793A CA1072157A CA 1072157 A CA1072157 A CA 1072157A CA 265793 A CA265793 A CA 265793A CA 1072157 A CA1072157 A CA 1072157A
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- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- housing
- contact
- openings
- support
- cylinder
- 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
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- Gas-Insulated Switchgears (AREA)
- Circuit Breakers (AREA)
Abstract
46,258 CIRCUIT BREAKER
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
A circuit breaker module especially useful in compressed gas insulated systems and which can be easily modified to provide connections with electrical conductors in a plurality of configurations. An elongated housing has a pair of spaced-apart openings therein through which the electrical conductors enter the housing. Disposed within the housing are a stationary contact and a movable contact, and a pair of adaptors which connect the conductors to the contacts. The housing has a base which is located upon a housing support. The base has a plurality of symmetrically spaced-apart openings, which are aligned with openings in the support. and a plurality of bolts secure the housing to the support. The pair of adaptors are removably secured to the two contacts. To modify the circuit breaker for a dif-ferent configuration, the housing can be rotated upon the support, by removing the bolts, aligning different holes in the base with the holes in the support, and rebolting the housing to the support. The removable adapters are then removed and resecured opposite the openings which have been rotated with the housing.
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
A circuit breaker module especially useful in compressed gas insulated systems and which can be easily modified to provide connections with electrical conductors in a plurality of configurations. An elongated housing has a pair of spaced-apart openings therein through which the electrical conductors enter the housing. Disposed within the housing are a stationary contact and a movable contact, and a pair of adaptors which connect the conductors to the contacts. The housing has a base which is located upon a housing support. The base has a plurality of symmetrically spaced-apart openings, which are aligned with openings in the support. and a plurality of bolts secure the housing to the support. The pair of adaptors are removably secured to the two contacts. To modify the circuit breaker for a dif-ferent configuration, the housing can be rotated upon the support, by removing the bolts, aligning different holes in the base with the holes in the support, and rebolting the housing to the support. The removable adapters are then removed and resecured opposite the openings which have been rotated with the housing.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
. Thls inventlon relates generally to clrcuit breakers, and more partlcularly to a compressed gas lnsulated clrcult breaker module whlch can be easlly modl~led to provlde ~or a plurallty o~ connectlon con~lguratlons.
~ The power demands of our country have reached .~ _ such proportlons that lt ls now necessary to transmit power . --1--~'r . .
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; 46,258 ~07 2~ 57 :
to citles at voltages of 115,000 volts and upwards. Present practice ls to use a cable system under the city streets with risers to outdoor substations in switchyards. The switchyards comprise the disconnect switches, circuit breakers, -lightning arresters, transformers, and artillery apparatus, so connected as to provide electrical service to local areas. With prior substation construction techniques, the area required for a typical, say 345 KV substation, is indeed large. For such a substation, the total land require-ments could approach 17 acres. Such large parcels of landmay not be available in the desired locations.
One recent method utilized to reduce the space requirements for substations is the use of gas-insulated substations. In these gas-insulated substations, all elec-i trical conductors are enclosed in grounded conducting pipes containing a pressured high dielectric insulating medium . such as sulfur-hexafluoride gas. The disconnect switches, circuit breakers, and other components are included in the pressurized gas system, and are located above as well as alongside the power transformer to permit short bus runs - and minimize space requirements. A typical gas-insulated substation can reduce the area and volume requirements to about l/20 the requirement for the conventional, similarly sized substation.
In addition to reducing the space requirements, the gas-insulated substations have additional advantages.
The substations have lower installation and site preparation cost, superior reliability, less maintenance cost, and greater personnel safety, since the metal enclosures are grounded and operating personnel are protected from contact with the .
.
.
46,258 1072~57 ;
~ electrically live parts. A further advantage of gas insulated.
substations is thelr environmental acceptability and adapta-bility. All components are enclosed in sulfur-hexafluoride gas, which provides for a quieter operation, and an operation which does not emit light, heat, gas, or arc combustion products to the atmosphere. Also, the gas-insulated sub-stations are adaptable; they can easily be worked into the local environment and can be built inside a building or behind an architectural screen wall, or, if so desired, other structures can be built over them for multiple uses of available land.
As previously mentioned, the substations can be built in a variety of locations. These locations, however, are generally not of a uniform configuration; the length and width of the available sites may vary greatly. As a result, . .
~- it is incumbent on system planners to design the substations to fit within the available space in the most compact arrange-ment. As such, the most desirable location and direction of - electrical conductor runs may vary considerably. The utiliza-; 20 tion of the most desirable configuration may be constrained, r' though, by the design of available equipment. Certain - apparatus may be available only with predetermined connection locations, thereby mandating that the conductor runs be located accordingly. Therefore, the availability of apparatus which can be easily modified to provide connection with a - variety of conductor run configurations is desirable.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
; A circuit breaker module especially useful for compressed gas insulated substations including an elongated sealed housing having a pair of longitudinally spaced-apart ~ 46,258 10~2157 openings through which electrical conductors enter the housing. Disposed within the housing is a stationary contact and a longitudinally movable contact, with the movable contact capable of being in electrical contact with, and spaced apart from, the stationary contact to control the flow of electric current therebetween. Also disposed within the housing is an electrically-insulating gas, and drive means for positioning the movable contact. Aligned with the housing openings, and connected to the electrical conductors, are two adaptors. One adaptor is removably secured to the stationary contact, and the other adaptor is removably ; secured to the movable contact. The housing is positioned on, and removably secured to, a housing support. The circuit breaker module can be easily modified to provide a different location for connection with the electrical conductors by disconnecting the housing from the support, rotating the ~ -houslng, and then resecuring the housing to the support.
Contemporaneously with the change, the adaptors are disconnected from their respective contacts and resecured to the contacts aligned with the openings and electrical conductors. The three modules that typically make up a circuit breaker may be oriented as required to optimize the substation.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Reference is now made to the description of the preferred embodiment, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:
Figure 1 is an elevational, sectional view of the circuit breaker of this invention;
Figure 2 is a plan view of the circuit breaker;
Figure 3 is a plan view of one three-phase configur-` ~ 46,258 .
107Z~S7 ation utllizlng three circult breaker modules; and Figures 4, 5 and 6 are plan views of different three-phase configuration utilizing the modification ability of the circuit breaker module.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Figure 1 illustrates a circuit breaker module of this invention. The module shown in Figure 1 is capable of ~; interrupting the flow of electric current through an electrical conductor. This module would generally be utilized to interrupt current flow in only one phase of a distribution system. In their use in an electrlcal substation, three of the illustrated circuit breaker modules would be positioned adJacent to each other to provide circuit-interrupting capa-bility for three-phase operation.
.
The circuit breaker module illustrated is comprised ,. ..
of an elongated, sealed gas housing 10 having a pair of longitudinally spaced-apart openings therein 12 and 1~
through whlch electrical conductors 16, 18 enter the housing 10. The electrical conductors 16, 18, in a compressed gas , 20 insulated substation, would be disposed within gas insulated transmission lines 20, 22, which would be sealingly coupled to nozzles 24, 26, which are secured to the housing 10 ; around the periphery of the openings 12, 14.
Disposed within the housing 10 in the space 28 is a high dielectric, electrically-insulating gas, such as sulfur-hexafluoride. Also disposed within the housing 10 is a stationary contact 30 and a movable contact 32. The stationary contact 30, preferably of a generally cylindrical configuration, is centrally disposed within the housing 10 along the housing longitudinal axis 34, and has a downwardly . . , ` 46,258 ~072~57 , extending portlon 36 whlch ls posltioned so as to contact the movable contact 32. The movable contact 32 is preferably comprised Or a generally cylindrical brldging contact holder .
38, and a movable brldging contact 40 dlsposed withln the - bridging contact holder 38 and movable wlth respect thereto.
The stationary contact 30 and the bridging contact holder 38.
are fixedly secured in their spatial locations by the insu-lating segments 41, 42.
The bridging contact 40 is positioned wlth respect to the extendlng portion 36 of the stationary contact 30 by drive means 44. The drive means 44 can be comprised, for example, of a contact rod 46 fixedly secured to the bridging contact 40 at one end 48 and pivotally connected to a con-necting rod 50 by the pivot pln 52. The connectlng rod 50 extends through openings 55, 57 centrally located in the-bridging contact holder 38 and the insulating segment 42 and outwardly beyond the housing 10, and is plvotally connected to an arm 54 whlch is fixedly secured to a rotatably posl-tioning shaft 56. Upon rotatlon of the posltioning shaft 56, the arm 54 traverses an arcuate path, and causes a -longitudinal, arcuate motion Or the connectlng rod 50. me . . longltudinal movement of the connecting rod 50 causes a .............. longltudinal movement of the contact rod 46, causing the brlding contact 40 to ~ecome spaced apart from the extendlng portion 36 of the stationary contact 30. To malntain the ~ movement of the contact.rod 46 to a generally straight llne ; moti~n, guide means 58 are disposed within the bridging contact holder 38. A more detailed descrlption of a drlve means whlch may be utilized to position the bridging contact 40 can be found in ~.S. Patent No. 4,110,578, ~ 46,258 i8~ued August 29~ 197~ and as8igned to the same assignee as the present invention.
Upon longltudinal movement of the bridglng contact 40 away from the stationary contact 30, the flow of electric current from the one electrical conductor 16 to the other electrical conductor 18 is prohiblted. However, upon movement of the bridging contact 40, an electrical arc occurs between the downward portion 36 and the bridging contact 40. ml8 arc can be extinguished by means known in the art as the cross-blast method, or by the puffer-type method A more - detailed descriDtion of means for extinguishing the arc can be found in U.S. Patent No. ~,123,636 issuèd October 31, 197~ and assigned to the same assignee as the p~esent invention.
Als~ disposed within the h~using 10 are two adaptors ; 60, 62. m e first adaptor 60 is electrically connected to the electrical conductor 16, and is removably secured to the stationary contact; 30 by means such as the screw 64. The second adaptor 62 is electrically connected to the elec-trical conductor 18, and is removably secured to the movable contact 32, and more particularly to the bridging contact holder 38 by means such as the screw 66. The first adaptor 6~ is positioned aligned with the opening 12, and the second adaptor 62 is positioned within the housing 10 aligned wlth the opening 14.
The housing 10 is positioned upon, and removably secured to, a housing support 68. m e housing support 68 is of a generally box-llke configuration, and has a size substan-tlally equal to the diameter of the generally cylindrical housing 10. Disposed within the housing support 68 ls part ` ~ 46,258 .
1 07Z~57 of the drlve means 44 for posltionlng the bridging contact 40. Located ad~acent to the support 68, and extending out-wardly in one direction therefrom, is a drive means housing 70 and a compressed air tank 72 which house the remainder of the drive means 44.
The housing 10 has a base portion 74 which is removably secured to the housing support 68. The preferred - method of accomplishing this is by means of a plurality of bolts 76. Referring now more particularly to Figure 2, the -base portlon 74 has a plurality of outwardly extending seg-ments 78. Each segment 78 has an opening 80 therethrough.
The segments 78, and more particularly the openings 80 are symmetrically spaced~apart. By that is meant that the ` distance between any two ad~acent openings 80 is the same, regardless of which two openings 80 are used. The support 68 also has a plurality of openings 82 which are aligned with the openings 80 of the base portion 74. The bolts 76 are positioned within the openings of both the base portion 80 and the support 82. Although illustrated as having four openings 80, the base portion 74 may have as many openings as is desired. The purpose of the openings 80, 82 and the bolts 76 is to permit the housing 10 and more particularly ;~ the openings 12, 14 disposed in the housing 10, to be rotated about the housing axis 34 to allow the electrical conductors 16, 18 to enter the housing 10 in a variety of conductor run locations and directions. For example, the openings 12, 14, with the four opening base portion 74 illustrated, can be positioned at intervals of 90 degrees about the housing axis 34. This enables the electrical conductors 16, 18 to approach - 30 the circuit breaker from any of four directions. If additional 46,258 flexibility is desired, the addition of more openings 80 and 82 will provide the desired result. For example, if spaced around the base portion 74 are eight openings, the housing openings 12, 14 can be positioned in any of eight positions ` 45 degrees apart.
Figures 3, 4, 5, and 6 show possible configurations for three modular circuit breakers positioned together to provide three-phase interrupting capability. Figure 3 illustrates three of the modules illustrated in Figure 1 aligned in a row, with the openings 12, 14 and nozzles 24, ; 26 extending outwardly as shown in Figure 1. Figure 4 shows the alignment of the same three modules of Figure 3, but with the openings 12, 14 and nozzles 24, 26 positioned ; rotated 90 degrees from that illustrated in Figure 3.
Figure 5 illustrates a side-by-side arrangement of the three circuit breaker modules, with the openings 12, 14 and nozzles 24, 26 extending outwardly in the same direction. Figure 6 illustrates the side-by-side arrangement of Figure 5, but with the openings 12, 14 and nozzles 24, 26 of each module extendlng outwardly in a different direction from each other module.
As can be appreciated from the drawings and descrip-tion, each module can be oriented relatively independently Or the other modules comprising the circuit breaker. The three modules may be arranged side-by-side in a row, front-to-back in a row, or even spaced irregularly throughout the substation with no physical connection therebetween, and each module may have a different orientation of the electrical conductor entrances. Thus, the transmission lines can be 30 designed for the most desirable compact arrangement while _g_ 46,258 "
-stlll being able to enter the circuit breaker.
~ The modification of the circuit breaker module to positlon the openings 12, 14 at different angles can be accomplished quite readily. The bolts 76 securing the base portion 74 and the houslng 10 to the support 68 are removed, .
the housing 10 is rotated such that the openings 12, 14 are .
at their desired locations, and the housing 10 is replaced upon the support 68. This rotation must, for the example shown, be of some multiple of 90 degrees so that the openings 80, 82 Will be aligned. Then, the openings 80 of the base portion 74 are aligned with the openings 82 in the support 68, although the alignment is accomplished utilizing a different opening 80 than that originally utilized. The bolts 76 are then reinserted into the aligned openings 80, 82 and the housing 10 is resecured to the support 68.
To complete the modification, the adaptors 60, 62 are disconnected from the stationary contact 30 and the bridging contact holder 38, and are then repositioned and resecured to the stationary contact 30 and the bridging contact holder 38 when they are again in alignment with the openings 12, 14. They continue their conduction of current from the electrical conductors 16, 18 to the contacts 30, 32 because of the cylindrical nature of the stationary contact 30 and the bridging contact holder 38.
Thus, the invention describes a modular circuit breaker which can be easily modified to provide a variety of configurations of connection with electrical conductor runs, and which is especially useful for compressed gas insulated ,~
substations.
-` --10--o ., ~, - , . . ..
,:
. Thls inventlon relates generally to clrcuit breakers, and more partlcularly to a compressed gas lnsulated clrcult breaker module whlch can be easlly modl~led to provlde ~or a plurallty o~ connectlon con~lguratlons.
~ The power demands of our country have reached .~ _ such proportlons that lt ls now necessary to transmit power . --1--~'r . .
~ ' .
. ~ .
. ~ :
Y~
.
~' _ ?
.. ..
.
~ . ` , ~-' ' .
' .
; 46,258 ~07 2~ 57 :
to citles at voltages of 115,000 volts and upwards. Present practice ls to use a cable system under the city streets with risers to outdoor substations in switchyards. The switchyards comprise the disconnect switches, circuit breakers, -lightning arresters, transformers, and artillery apparatus, so connected as to provide electrical service to local areas. With prior substation construction techniques, the area required for a typical, say 345 KV substation, is indeed large. For such a substation, the total land require-ments could approach 17 acres. Such large parcels of landmay not be available in the desired locations.
One recent method utilized to reduce the space requirements for substations is the use of gas-insulated substations. In these gas-insulated substations, all elec-i trical conductors are enclosed in grounded conducting pipes containing a pressured high dielectric insulating medium . such as sulfur-hexafluoride gas. The disconnect switches, circuit breakers, and other components are included in the pressurized gas system, and are located above as well as alongside the power transformer to permit short bus runs - and minimize space requirements. A typical gas-insulated substation can reduce the area and volume requirements to about l/20 the requirement for the conventional, similarly sized substation.
In addition to reducing the space requirements, the gas-insulated substations have additional advantages.
The substations have lower installation and site preparation cost, superior reliability, less maintenance cost, and greater personnel safety, since the metal enclosures are grounded and operating personnel are protected from contact with the .
.
.
46,258 1072~57 ;
~ electrically live parts. A further advantage of gas insulated.
substations is thelr environmental acceptability and adapta-bility. All components are enclosed in sulfur-hexafluoride gas, which provides for a quieter operation, and an operation which does not emit light, heat, gas, or arc combustion products to the atmosphere. Also, the gas-insulated sub-stations are adaptable; they can easily be worked into the local environment and can be built inside a building or behind an architectural screen wall, or, if so desired, other structures can be built over them for multiple uses of available land.
As previously mentioned, the substations can be built in a variety of locations. These locations, however, are generally not of a uniform configuration; the length and width of the available sites may vary greatly. As a result, . .
~- it is incumbent on system planners to design the substations to fit within the available space in the most compact arrange-ment. As such, the most desirable location and direction of - electrical conductor runs may vary considerably. The utiliza-; 20 tion of the most desirable configuration may be constrained, r' though, by the design of available equipment. Certain - apparatus may be available only with predetermined connection locations, thereby mandating that the conductor runs be located accordingly. Therefore, the availability of apparatus which can be easily modified to provide connection with a - variety of conductor run configurations is desirable.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
; A circuit breaker module especially useful for compressed gas insulated substations including an elongated sealed housing having a pair of longitudinally spaced-apart ~ 46,258 10~2157 openings through which electrical conductors enter the housing. Disposed within the housing is a stationary contact and a longitudinally movable contact, with the movable contact capable of being in electrical contact with, and spaced apart from, the stationary contact to control the flow of electric current therebetween. Also disposed within the housing is an electrically-insulating gas, and drive means for positioning the movable contact. Aligned with the housing openings, and connected to the electrical conductors, are two adaptors. One adaptor is removably secured to the stationary contact, and the other adaptor is removably ; secured to the movable contact. The housing is positioned on, and removably secured to, a housing support. The circuit breaker module can be easily modified to provide a different location for connection with the electrical conductors by disconnecting the housing from the support, rotating the ~ -houslng, and then resecuring the housing to the support.
Contemporaneously with the change, the adaptors are disconnected from their respective contacts and resecured to the contacts aligned with the openings and electrical conductors. The three modules that typically make up a circuit breaker may be oriented as required to optimize the substation.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Reference is now made to the description of the preferred embodiment, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:
Figure 1 is an elevational, sectional view of the circuit breaker of this invention;
Figure 2 is a plan view of the circuit breaker;
Figure 3 is a plan view of one three-phase configur-` ~ 46,258 .
107Z~S7 ation utllizlng three circult breaker modules; and Figures 4, 5 and 6 are plan views of different three-phase configuration utilizing the modification ability of the circuit breaker module.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Figure 1 illustrates a circuit breaker module of this invention. The module shown in Figure 1 is capable of ~; interrupting the flow of electric current through an electrical conductor. This module would generally be utilized to interrupt current flow in only one phase of a distribution system. In their use in an electrlcal substation, three of the illustrated circuit breaker modules would be positioned adJacent to each other to provide circuit-interrupting capa-bility for three-phase operation.
.
The circuit breaker module illustrated is comprised ,. ..
of an elongated, sealed gas housing 10 having a pair of longitudinally spaced-apart openings therein 12 and 1~
through whlch electrical conductors 16, 18 enter the housing 10. The electrical conductors 16, 18, in a compressed gas , 20 insulated substation, would be disposed within gas insulated transmission lines 20, 22, which would be sealingly coupled to nozzles 24, 26, which are secured to the housing 10 ; around the periphery of the openings 12, 14.
Disposed within the housing 10 in the space 28 is a high dielectric, electrically-insulating gas, such as sulfur-hexafluoride. Also disposed within the housing 10 is a stationary contact 30 and a movable contact 32. The stationary contact 30, preferably of a generally cylindrical configuration, is centrally disposed within the housing 10 along the housing longitudinal axis 34, and has a downwardly . . , ` 46,258 ~072~57 , extending portlon 36 whlch ls posltioned so as to contact the movable contact 32. The movable contact 32 is preferably comprised Or a generally cylindrical brldging contact holder .
38, and a movable brldging contact 40 dlsposed withln the - bridging contact holder 38 and movable wlth respect thereto.
The stationary contact 30 and the bridging contact holder 38.
are fixedly secured in their spatial locations by the insu-lating segments 41, 42.
The bridging contact 40 is positioned wlth respect to the extendlng portion 36 of the stationary contact 30 by drive means 44. The drive means 44 can be comprised, for example, of a contact rod 46 fixedly secured to the bridging contact 40 at one end 48 and pivotally connected to a con-necting rod 50 by the pivot pln 52. The connectlng rod 50 extends through openings 55, 57 centrally located in the-bridging contact holder 38 and the insulating segment 42 and outwardly beyond the housing 10, and is plvotally connected to an arm 54 whlch is fixedly secured to a rotatably posl-tioning shaft 56. Upon rotatlon of the posltioning shaft 56, the arm 54 traverses an arcuate path, and causes a -longitudinal, arcuate motion Or the connectlng rod 50. me . . longltudinal movement of the connecting rod 50 causes a .............. longltudinal movement of the contact rod 46, causing the brlding contact 40 to ~ecome spaced apart from the extendlng portion 36 of the stationary contact 30. To malntain the ~ movement of the contact.rod 46 to a generally straight llne ; moti~n, guide means 58 are disposed within the bridging contact holder 38. A more detailed descrlption of a drlve means whlch may be utilized to position the bridging contact 40 can be found in ~.S. Patent No. 4,110,578, ~ 46,258 i8~ued August 29~ 197~ and as8igned to the same assignee as the present invention.
Upon longltudinal movement of the bridglng contact 40 away from the stationary contact 30, the flow of electric current from the one electrical conductor 16 to the other electrical conductor 18 is prohiblted. However, upon movement of the bridging contact 40, an electrical arc occurs between the downward portion 36 and the bridging contact 40. ml8 arc can be extinguished by means known in the art as the cross-blast method, or by the puffer-type method A more - detailed descriDtion of means for extinguishing the arc can be found in U.S. Patent No. ~,123,636 issuèd October 31, 197~ and assigned to the same assignee as the p~esent invention.
Als~ disposed within the h~using 10 are two adaptors ; 60, 62. m e first adaptor 60 is electrically connected to the electrical conductor 16, and is removably secured to the stationary contact; 30 by means such as the screw 64. The second adaptor 62 is electrically connected to the elec-trical conductor 18, and is removably secured to the movable contact 32, and more particularly to the bridging contact holder 38 by means such as the screw 66. The first adaptor 6~ is positioned aligned with the opening 12, and the second adaptor 62 is positioned within the housing 10 aligned wlth the opening 14.
The housing 10 is positioned upon, and removably secured to, a housing support 68. m e housing support 68 is of a generally box-llke configuration, and has a size substan-tlally equal to the diameter of the generally cylindrical housing 10. Disposed within the housing support 68 ls part ` ~ 46,258 .
1 07Z~57 of the drlve means 44 for posltionlng the bridging contact 40. Located ad~acent to the support 68, and extending out-wardly in one direction therefrom, is a drive means housing 70 and a compressed air tank 72 which house the remainder of the drive means 44.
The housing 10 has a base portion 74 which is removably secured to the housing support 68. The preferred - method of accomplishing this is by means of a plurality of bolts 76. Referring now more particularly to Figure 2, the -base portlon 74 has a plurality of outwardly extending seg-ments 78. Each segment 78 has an opening 80 therethrough.
The segments 78, and more particularly the openings 80 are symmetrically spaced~apart. By that is meant that the ` distance between any two ad~acent openings 80 is the same, regardless of which two openings 80 are used. The support 68 also has a plurality of openings 82 which are aligned with the openings 80 of the base portion 74. The bolts 76 are positioned within the openings of both the base portion 80 and the support 82. Although illustrated as having four openings 80, the base portion 74 may have as many openings as is desired. The purpose of the openings 80, 82 and the bolts 76 is to permit the housing 10 and more particularly ;~ the openings 12, 14 disposed in the housing 10, to be rotated about the housing axis 34 to allow the electrical conductors 16, 18 to enter the housing 10 in a variety of conductor run locations and directions. For example, the openings 12, 14, with the four opening base portion 74 illustrated, can be positioned at intervals of 90 degrees about the housing axis 34. This enables the electrical conductors 16, 18 to approach - 30 the circuit breaker from any of four directions. If additional 46,258 flexibility is desired, the addition of more openings 80 and 82 will provide the desired result. For example, if spaced around the base portion 74 are eight openings, the housing openings 12, 14 can be positioned in any of eight positions ` 45 degrees apart.
Figures 3, 4, 5, and 6 show possible configurations for three modular circuit breakers positioned together to provide three-phase interrupting capability. Figure 3 illustrates three of the modules illustrated in Figure 1 aligned in a row, with the openings 12, 14 and nozzles 24, ; 26 extending outwardly as shown in Figure 1. Figure 4 shows the alignment of the same three modules of Figure 3, but with the openings 12, 14 and nozzles 24, 26 positioned ; rotated 90 degrees from that illustrated in Figure 3.
Figure 5 illustrates a side-by-side arrangement of the three circuit breaker modules, with the openings 12, 14 and nozzles 24, 26 extending outwardly in the same direction. Figure 6 illustrates the side-by-side arrangement of Figure 5, but with the openings 12, 14 and nozzles 24, 26 of each module extendlng outwardly in a different direction from each other module.
As can be appreciated from the drawings and descrip-tion, each module can be oriented relatively independently Or the other modules comprising the circuit breaker. The three modules may be arranged side-by-side in a row, front-to-back in a row, or even spaced irregularly throughout the substation with no physical connection therebetween, and each module may have a different orientation of the electrical conductor entrances. Thus, the transmission lines can be 30 designed for the most desirable compact arrangement while _g_ 46,258 "
-stlll being able to enter the circuit breaker.
~ The modification of the circuit breaker module to positlon the openings 12, 14 at different angles can be accomplished quite readily. The bolts 76 securing the base portion 74 and the houslng 10 to the support 68 are removed, .
the housing 10 is rotated such that the openings 12, 14 are .
at their desired locations, and the housing 10 is replaced upon the support 68. This rotation must, for the example shown, be of some multiple of 90 degrees so that the openings 80, 82 Will be aligned. Then, the openings 80 of the base portion 74 are aligned with the openings 82 in the support 68, although the alignment is accomplished utilizing a different opening 80 than that originally utilized. The bolts 76 are then reinserted into the aligned openings 80, 82 and the housing 10 is resecured to the support 68.
To complete the modification, the adaptors 60, 62 are disconnected from the stationary contact 30 and the bridging contact holder 38, and are then repositioned and resecured to the stationary contact 30 and the bridging contact holder 38 when they are again in alignment with the openings 12, 14. They continue their conduction of current from the electrical conductors 16, 18 to the contacts 30, 32 because of the cylindrical nature of the stationary contact 30 and the bridging contact holder 38.
Thus, the invention describes a modular circuit breaker which can be easily modified to provide a variety of configurations of connection with electrical conductor runs, and which is especially useful for compressed gas insulated ,~
substations.
-` --10--o ., ~, - , . . ..
,:
Claims (10)
1. A gas insulated circuit breaker module capable of permitting flow of electric current from one electrical conductor to a second electrical conductor and capable of prohibiting flow of electric current therebetween comprising:
an elongated sealed gas housing having a pair of longitudinally spaced-apart openings therein, said electrical conductors entering said housing through said housing open-ings, said housing having a base at one end thereof having a plurality of symmetrically spaced-apart openings therein;
a stationary contact and a longitudinally movable contact centrally disposed within said housing about said housing longitudinal axis, said movable contact capable of being in electrical contact with said stationary contact and capable of being spaced-apart from said stationary contact, the position of said movable contact with respect to said stationary contact controlling the flow of electric current therebetween;
an electrically-insulating gas disposed within said housing;
drive means disposed along said housing longitudinal axis for longitudinally positioning said movable contact;
a first adaptor removably secured to said stationary contact and electrically connected to one of said electrical conductors, said first adaptor permitting the flow of electric current from said electrical conductor to said stationary contact;
a second adaptor removably secured to said movable contact and electrically connected to one of said electrical conductors, said second adaptor permitting the flow of elec-tric current from said electrical conductor to said movable contact; and a housing support longitudinally aligned with said housing upon which said housing is positioned, said housing support having a plurality of symmetrically spaced-apart openings therein, said base being positioned adjacent said housing support with said housing support openings being aligned with said base openings, said base being re-movably secured to said housing support, said housing capable of being rotated about said housing longitudinal axis while remaining in longitudinal alignment with said housing sup-port.
an elongated sealed gas housing having a pair of longitudinally spaced-apart openings therein, said electrical conductors entering said housing through said housing open-ings, said housing having a base at one end thereof having a plurality of symmetrically spaced-apart openings therein;
a stationary contact and a longitudinally movable contact centrally disposed within said housing about said housing longitudinal axis, said movable contact capable of being in electrical contact with said stationary contact and capable of being spaced-apart from said stationary contact, the position of said movable contact with respect to said stationary contact controlling the flow of electric current therebetween;
an electrically-insulating gas disposed within said housing;
drive means disposed along said housing longitudinal axis for longitudinally positioning said movable contact;
a first adaptor removably secured to said stationary contact and electrically connected to one of said electrical conductors, said first adaptor permitting the flow of electric current from said electrical conductor to said stationary contact;
a second adaptor removably secured to said movable contact and electrically connected to one of said electrical conductors, said second adaptor permitting the flow of elec-tric current from said electrical conductor to said movable contact; and a housing support longitudinally aligned with said housing upon which said housing is positioned, said housing support having a plurality of symmetrically spaced-apart openings therein, said base being positioned adjacent said housing support with said housing support openings being aligned with said base openings, said base being re-movably secured to said housing support, said housing capable of being rotated about said housing longitudinal axis while remaining in longitudinal alignment with said housing sup-port.
2. The circuit breaker according to claim 1 wherein;
a plurality of bolts secures said base to said housing support, said bolts being positioned in said aligned base and housing support openings.
a plurality of bolts secures said base to said housing support, said bolts being positioned in said aligned base and housing support openings.
3. The circuit breaker according to claim 1 wherein said movable contact is longitudinally movable with respect to said second adaptor while remaining in electrical contact therewith.
4. The circuit breaker according to claim 1 wherein said first and second adaptors are positioned aligned with said housing openings.
5. The circuit breaker according to claim 1 wherein said insulating gas is sulfur-hexafluoride.
6. Modular circuit-interrupting apparatus for controlling the flow of electric current in an electrical conductor, said apparatus capable of permitting the flow of current in said conductor and capable of prohibiting the flow of current in said conductor, said apparatus comprising:
a sealed, elongated cylinder having two longitu-dinally spaced-apart openings, a section of said electrical conductor entering said cylinder through each of said cylinder openings;
a cylindrical stationary contact centrally disposed within said cylinder about the cylinder longitudinal axis;
a cylindrical bridging contact holder centrally disposed within said cylinder about said cylinder longitudinal opening therethrough;
a movable bridging contact disposed within said cylinder and said bridging contact holder, said bridging contact capable of being in electric contact with said stationary contact to permit the flow of electric current therebetween and capable of being spaced-apart from said stationary contact to prohibit the flow of electric current therebetween, said bridging contact being in electrical contact with said bridging contact holder;
a first adpator removably secured to said stationary contact and electrically connected to one section of said electrical conductor, said first adaptor capable of being secured to said stationary contact at a plurality of loca-tions about the circumference of said stationary contact;
a second adaptor removably secured to said bridging contact holder and electrically connected to the other section of said electrical conductor, said second adaptor capable of being secured to said bridging contact holder at a plurality of locations about the circumference of said bridging contact holder;
drive means extending through said bridging contact holder longitudinal opening for longitudinally positioning said bridging contact with respect to said stationary con-tact; and a support upon which said cylinder is positioned, said cylinder being removably secured to said support.
a sealed, elongated cylinder having two longitu-dinally spaced-apart openings, a section of said electrical conductor entering said cylinder through each of said cylinder openings;
a cylindrical stationary contact centrally disposed within said cylinder about the cylinder longitudinal axis;
a cylindrical bridging contact holder centrally disposed within said cylinder about said cylinder longitudinal opening therethrough;
a movable bridging contact disposed within said cylinder and said bridging contact holder, said bridging contact capable of being in electric contact with said stationary contact to permit the flow of electric current therebetween and capable of being spaced-apart from said stationary contact to prohibit the flow of electric current therebetween, said bridging contact being in electrical contact with said bridging contact holder;
a first adpator removably secured to said stationary contact and electrically connected to one section of said electrical conductor, said first adaptor capable of being secured to said stationary contact at a plurality of loca-tions about the circumference of said stationary contact;
a second adaptor removably secured to said bridging contact holder and electrically connected to the other section of said electrical conductor, said second adaptor capable of being secured to said bridging contact holder at a plurality of locations about the circumference of said bridging contact holder;
drive means extending through said bridging contact holder longitudinal opening for longitudinally positioning said bridging contact with respect to said stationary con-tact; and a support upon which said cylinder is positioned, said cylinder being removably secured to said support.
7. The apparatus according to claim 6 wherein said apparatus is for use in gas-insulated systems, and an electrically insulating gas is disposed within said cylinder.
8. The apparatus according to claim 7 wherein said insulating gas is sulfur-hexafluoride.
9. The apparatus according to claim 6 wherein said cylinder includes a base portion having a plurality of symmetrically spaced-apart openings;
said support has a plurality of openings therein aligned with said base portion openings; and a plurality of bolts are disposed within said aligned base portion and support openings, said bolts securing said base portion to said support.
said support has a plurality of openings therein aligned with said base portion openings; and a plurality of bolts are disposed within said aligned base portion and support openings, said bolts securing said base portion to said support.
10. The apparatus according to claim 6 wherein said first and second adaptors are aligned with said cylinder openings.
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US64575375A | 1975-12-31 | 1975-12-31 |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1072157A true CA1072157A (en) | 1980-02-19 |
Family
ID=24590344
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA265,793A Expired CA1072157A (en) | 1975-12-31 | 1976-11-16 | Compressed gas insulated circuit breaker module |
Country Status (2)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| JP (1) | JPS5293467U (en) |
| CA (1) | CA1072157A (en) |
-
1976
- 1976-11-16 CA CA265,793A patent/CA1072157A/en not_active Expired
- 1976-12-28 JP JP17533176U patent/JPS5293467U/ja active Pending
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| JPS5293467U (en) | 1977-07-12 |
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| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| MKEX | Expiry |