US1916418A - Circuit breaker - Google Patents

Circuit breaker Download PDF

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Publication number
US1916418A
US1916418A US216032A US21603227A US1916418A US 1916418 A US1916418 A US 1916418A US 216032 A US216032 A US 216032A US 21603227 A US21603227 A US 21603227A US 1916418 A US1916418 A US 1916418A
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United States
Prior art keywords
arc
arcing
deionizing
bars
chamber
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Expired - Lifetime
Application number
US216032A
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English (en)
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CBS Corp
Original Assignee
Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Co
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Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Co filed Critical Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Co
Priority to US216032A priority Critical patent/US1916418A/en
Priority to DES87229D priority patent/DE488802C/de
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of US1916418A publication Critical patent/US1916418A/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
    • H01H9/00—Details of switching devices, not covered by groups H01H1/00 - H01H7/00
    • H01H9/30—Means for extinguishing or preventing arc between current-carrying parts
    • H01H9/34—Stationary parts for restricting or subdividing the arc, e.g. barrier plate
    • H01H9/36—Metal parts

Definitions

  • the invention relates to circuit-interrupting devices and particularly to are extinguishing means for use in connection there- I with.
  • One object. of the invention is to provide means for interrupting the flow of electricity through a gaseous medium.
  • Another object of the invention is to provide a circuit breaker with an arc-interrupting device capable of opening high voltage, large current arcs in air or gas without recourse to oil or other are quenching media.
  • the invention is applicable in connection with low power circuit interrupting devices and to a variety of other uses.
  • Another object of the invention is to provide a structure wherein an arc may be operated in proximity to metallic deionizing means without being split up into a plurality of short'sections operating from cathodes on the metallic members.
  • a further object of the invention is to provide a deionizing chamber for circuit interrupters comprising a plurality of metallic rods so arranged that an arc can be forced to operate in the interstices between them withgut destruciive melting of the metallic memers.
  • FIG. 1 is a View in elevation, partly in section, of a circuit interruptingdevice embodying the deionizing structure of the invention
  • I Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on the lines from 11-11 of Fig. 1,
  • Fig. 3 is an enlarged plan view of the interrupting device shown in Fig. 1,
  • Fig. 4 is adiagram illustrating certain circult connections employing the invention
  • Fig. 5 is a diagram used in explaining the v invention, 1
  • Fig. 6 is a similar explanatory diagram
  • Fig. 7 is a detail of one form of an element of the deionizing structure embodying the invention.
  • Fig. 8 is a detail of another form of an element embodied in the deionizing structure of the invention.
  • Patent 1,819,207 issued Aug. 18, 1931, on an application of Joseph Slepian, assigned to the Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Co. describes a circuit breaker provided with a deionizing structure which extingui shes the arc incident to the opening of its main contact, this deionizing structure comprising a series of sheets of metallic gauze through the openings of which the arc is compelled to run, and by which the arc path is rapidly deionized at the instant when the main current falls to -zero in its alternating current cycle.
  • FIG. 5 diagrammatically illustrates such a breaking up of the are into a series of short sections.
  • Each of these short arcs has a cathode and an anode on the wire gauze and these may cause a melting of the metal, and a destruction of the sheet thereby.
  • the arc plays between arc termlnal members 35 and 36 between which are placed wire gauze sheets 37, as disclosed in the patent referred to above.
  • the'arc may be split up into short sections such as shown at 38a, 38b, and 380, etc.
  • the path of the current would then be, for example, from terminal 35, through arc section 38a to gauze sheet 37a and then in the sheet 37a to the terminal of arc section 38?) which conducts the current to sheet 376.
  • the current then flows in sheet 100 In Fig. 5'
  • the circuit hrecher in which the invention is here emhodied comprises s, pair of main contact menuhers 1 end 2 arranged to he bridged by a contact brush 3 heid upon as rosin contecturm 4.
  • the srni is pivoted to swing the hrush hetween the position in which it hridges the mein contract members and the position away from said contact members in which the circuit oreuher is-opened.
  • the circuit hreoher is further provided with an arc interrupting structure 6 com prising on arcing contact arm. 7 having at its upper end so arcing contact shoe 8 to engage u stationery arcing contact member-9 for finally interrupting the circuit.
  • the arcing shoe 8 end the stationery arcing Contact incinher 9 ere suitehiy connected as by means of conductors it, 12 and 13, that include main hiow-out windings 3.4; which are thus in pereiiei to the resin contuct members.
  • the are shoe comprises at pair of horn-hire inciined arcing pistes it and 1'? to which the are drawn hetween the arcing tips of the arcing contact members 8 and 9 is trensterred hy the action of the resin blow-out magnet.
  • the hiow-out magnet comprises a terminated core 18 that iscncited hy the previousiy mentioned hiow-out winding 14:, and s pair of pole shoes l positioned on op site sides of the urcing-horn plates it end 1 e upper ends of the inclined arcing horn pistes are ,nletciiiccliy connected to vertical arcin pistes 21,22 as shown by Fig.1.
  • the poleshoes 19 end the vertical arcing pistes 21, 22 thus define a straight rectangutor chamber having at its lower end an upwardiy-tapered arc entrance chamber 23 orthe arcing incithe inclined arcing-horns 16, 17 and then upwardly along the latter through the entrance chamber 23 until it reaches the straight portion of the arcing chamber.
  • the straight portion of the arcing chamber between the arcing plates 21, 22 is filled with a series of what may be termedsectionalized or ladder grids 24, each one comprising a series of parallel metal rods 25, the ends of which are fastened in side plates 26 of high resistance material; the magnitude of the resistance of the side plates will depend, in ways that will be obvious to those skilled in the art, on the voltage and current rating of the circuit breaker; but for most ordinary purposesit will be found suflicient to proportion the side plates 26 so that the resistance intervening between successive bars 25 is about equal to that of a ten ampere arc of the same length in the atmosphere by which the bars are surrounded; that is to say the resistance may be about three ohms for 0 an air breaker, Figs.
  • Fig. 7 and 8 illustrate such ladder-grids in detail and Fig. 2 clearly shows their position in the deionizing chamber.
  • Figs. 1 and 3 the entire horizontal length of the chamber is occupied by a series of these vertical ladder-grids.
  • the thickness of the side plates 26 is such that the metallic bars 25 are separated from each other by equal spacings.
  • Insulating strips 27 may be provided between the high resistance end members 26 of the adjacent grids to separate them electrically from each other.
  • an insulating composition may be emplo ed into which a small amount of lamp black as been introduced.
  • the chamber containing these ladder-grids is closed onits two vertical sides by plates 28 of insulating material but is left open at the top so that it is possible for the heated gases incident to the operation of the arc to pass out of the chamber vertically.
  • the deionizing structure thus constituted may conveniently be held together by through bolts 29 linking the end plates and compressing the ladder-grids into a unitary rigid structure.
  • the arc drawn between the arcing tips 8, 9 will be forced by the blow-out magnet into the deionizing chamber and will'subdivide into three shorter sections.
  • the voltage tending to reignite the arc will rise more slowly on the section which is shunted by the lower resistance and the arc will be permanently extinguished in this section at this time.
  • the arcs in the remaining sections may reignite, but the current now is limited by the resistance shunting the section in which the are is extinguished.
  • the arc is subdivided into three shorter sections as has already been described.
  • 'll'hc deflecting force of the blow-out magnet forces the are continually upward through the deionizing chamber, thereby preventing it from remaining at any one place long enough to destructively overheat the bars of the ladder-grids.
  • the line current passes its maximum and decreases to the value zero.
  • the interior of the deionizing chamher is still conductive due to the presence therein of a large number of positive and negactive ions which constituted the current carriers of the arc, and which momentarily remain free due to the high temperature of the gases constituting an arc path.
  • the metallic rods absorb the thermal energy and take up the electrical charge from such ions as come in contact withthem, and thereby rapidly deionize' the space in their immediate neighborhood.
  • the alternating voltage starts to rise on the reverse half cycle, it draws such free ions as may still remain uncombined in the arc path into contact with one or the other of the metal bars and immediately discharges them and efiects their rapid recombination.
  • the metallic bars,thcrefore, rapidly deionizc the arc path and may do this so rapidly that the alternating voltage is insuificient to produce an appreciable amount of ionization by collision. Accordingly the flow of current through the are never rises beyond a small leakage value and the circuit is eifectively interrupted.
  • the expedient of subdividing the are by three separate chambers, and th; use of resistance shunts, makes it possible. that this electrical instabiiity may occur in the chamber shunted by the lowest resistance although it does not occur in the unshunted chamber.
  • this expedient of extinguishing the arc in stages total currents which would be too great for a singie satanic unsliunted structure to eliectively deionize can be successfully coped with.
  • the deionizing structure which has been described, therefore, renders it possible to cause deioniz-ation of arcs of large current value without danger of transfer of. the arc to the separate metallic members constithb;
  • an arc chamber substantially filled with a multi licity of rods of conducting material, eac of said rods being s aced from all of the other of the rods in t e an chamber and being mountedb means providing a considerable resistance etween each rod and each of the other rods adjacentthereto in any direction.
  • an arc chamber having therein a plurality of rows of rods of conducting material, each of said.
  • rods being spaced from all of the other of the rods in t e are chamber and being mounted by means interposing an impedance between adjacent rods in any direction at'least equal to the impedance of an are at 10 amperes in the atmosphere of said chamber and of the. same length as the distance between adj acent rods. 7 I
  • means to establish an are means forming an arc extinguishing chamber and having amultiplicity of sepafrom adjacent the end of said chamber adja cent said means to establish the are to adja cent the opposite end thereof, said conduct ing elements providing conducting paths. across the arc; extinguishing chamber only rate conducting elements positioned therein 1% from side to side, and the resistance between adjacent conducting elements in any direction being substantially more than three ohms.
  • means to establish an are, means forming the side walls of an arc extinguishin device, a multiplicity of separate conductrn elements extending between said side we s over a considerable area thereof, said conducting elements being insulated from each other in all directions for the portion of their length between said side walls and having their ends supported by said side walls, and said means forming the side walls providing considerable resistance between the ends of said conducting elements.
  • means for causing an are, means for extinguishing the arc includin a stack of grids each positioned in a plane su stantially transverse to the arc, each of said grids including a pair of edge members and a plurality of conducting wires spaced from each other and having their ends secured to said edge members, and the material of said edge members providing a resistance between adjacent wires at least as great as the resistance of a 10 ampere arc in air.
  • means to establish an arc and deionizing means comprisin bars of conducting material transverse to t e are path and resistance means interposed between the adjacent ends of the bars, the spacing of said bars var ing with their distance from said are establishing means.
  • means to establish an arc and deionizing means comprisin bars of conducting material transverse to t e are path and resistance means interposed be-' tween the adjacent ends of the bars, the spacing of the bars nearest said arc-establishing means bemg greater than that of the bars farthest from said arc-establishing means.
  • means to establish an arc and a deionizing chamber containing bars of conducting material transverse to the arc path means to interpose between adjacent bars a resistance of substantially more than three ohms, the spacing of the bars nearest said arc-establishing means being greater than that of the bars farthest from said are establishing means.
  • means to establish an arc and deionizing means comprising conductors transverse to the arc path, the spacing of said conductors varying with their distance from said arc-establishing means.
  • deionizing means comprising conductors transverse to the path of saidarc, means to move the arc across said conductors, the spacing of said conductors varying with their distance from said are establishing means.
  • deionizing means comprising conductors transverse to the path of said arc, means to impel the arc towards said conductors, the spacing of the conductors nearest said are establishin means being greater than that of the con uct-ors farthest therefrom.
  • deionizing means comprising conductors transverse to the path of said are, resistance means interposed between the adjacent ends of the conductors, means to move the arc across said conductors, the spacing of said conductors varying with their distance from said are establishing means.
  • deionizing means comprising conducting bars transverse to the path of said arc, resistances of substantially more than three ohms interposed between the adjacent ends of the bars, and means to deflect the arc towards said bars, the spacing of said bars varying with their distance from said are establishing means. 7 V

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  • Arc-Extinguishing Devices That Are Switches (AREA)
US216032A 1927-08-29 1927-08-29 Circuit breaker Expired - Lifetime US1916418A (en)

Priority Applications (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US216032A US1916418A (en) 1927-08-29 1927-08-29 Circuit breaker
DES87229D DE488802C (de) 1927-08-29 1928-08-29 Einrichtung zum schnellen Loeschen eines zwischen Unterbrechungskontakten gezogenen Lichtbogens

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US216032A US1916418A (en) 1927-08-29 1927-08-29 Circuit breaker

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US1916418A true US1916418A (en) 1933-07-04

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DE (1) DE488802C (de)

Cited By (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2427074A (en) * 1945-01-12 1947-09-09 Ite Circuit Breaker Ltd Arc chute
US2564178A (en) * 1945-06-08 1951-08-14 Howard M Strobel Deion circuit breaker
US2942086A (en) * 1957-03-06 1960-06-21 Allis Chalmers Mfg Co Chimney cooler for air circuit breakers
US2947839A (en) * 1957-02-28 1960-08-02 Allis Chalmers Mfg Co Arc chute having cooling and deionizing elements arranged at the exhaust end

Families Citing this family (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE102006060691A1 (de) * 2006-12-18 2008-06-19 Siemens Ag Lichtbogen-Löscheinrichtung sowie elektrischer Schalter mit einer Lichtbogen-Löscheinrichtung

Cited By (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2427074A (en) * 1945-01-12 1947-09-09 Ite Circuit Breaker Ltd Arc chute
US2564178A (en) * 1945-06-08 1951-08-14 Howard M Strobel Deion circuit breaker
US2947839A (en) * 1957-02-28 1960-08-02 Allis Chalmers Mfg Co Arc chute having cooling and deionizing elements arranged at the exhaust end
US2942086A (en) * 1957-03-06 1960-06-21 Allis Chalmers Mfg Co Chimney cooler for air circuit breakers

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
DE488802C (de) 1930-01-08

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