US1942294A - Circuit breaker - Google Patents

Circuit breaker Download PDF

Info

Publication number
US1942294A
US1942294A US547297A US54729731A US1942294A US 1942294 A US1942294 A US 1942294A US 547297 A US547297 A US 547297A US 54729731 A US54729731 A US 54729731A US 1942294 A US1942294 A US 1942294A
Authority
US
United States
Prior art keywords
chamber
pressure
arc
expansion
chambers
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 - Lifetime
Application number
US547297A
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Kaufmand Werner
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Westinghouse Electric Corp
Original Assignee
Westinghouse Electric Corp
Priority date (The priority date 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 date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Westinghouse Electric Corp filed Critical Westinghouse Electric Corp
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of US1942294A publication Critical patent/US1942294A/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

Links

Images

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
    • H01H33/70—Switches with separate means for directing, obtaining, or increasing flow of arc-extinguishing fluid
    • H01H33/7007—Switches with separate means for directing, obtaining, or increasing flow of arc-extinguishing fluid wherein the flow is a function of the current being interrupted
    • 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
    • H01H33/70—Switches with separate means for directing, obtaining, or increasing flow of arc-extinguishing fluid
    • H01H33/72—Switches with separate means for directing, obtaining, or increasing flow of arc-extinguishing fluid having stationary parts for directing the flow of arc-extinguishing fluid, e.g. arc-extinguishing chamber
    • H01H33/75—Liquid-break switches, e.g. oil-break

Definitions

  • My invention relates to electric circuit breakers operating on theexpansion principle.
  • the expansion principle of. circuit interruption consists in the surrounding of an arc'with a vaporized fluid under pressure, and then sudvdenly decreasing the pressure of the' fluid to effecta change of ⁇ state from the superheated to the saturated condition, the change of state being caused to persist at least during the time the arc current passes throughone current zero.
  • the expansion and subsequent cooling of the vaporized fluid causes it to condense on the electric charge. carriers present in the arc path.
  • the mass of these charge carriers is increased to such a degree that their freedom of movement under the inuence of the returning voltage is greatly decreased. Reionization of the arc path is thereby prevented, and the arc remains extinguished.
  • circuit breakers operating on this principle have included a pressure chamber illed with a conducting or insulating liquid, prefera# bly water, Within which the separation of the contacts takes place. This chamber was kept closed during the steam-producing process until considerable internal pressure had developed.
  • My invention relates particularly to a circuit breaker ⁇ with an arcing lchamber of the above mentioned type wherein independent outlets are provided for the vapo'r developed in the chamber by the arc.
  • these outlets are kept closed by means of lclosing parts operated by special closing forces, ⁇ thus permitting the venting of the chamber without delay as soon as a predetermined internal pressure hasbeen attained.
  • the closing parts for the outlet openings comprise 00 parts of the chamber walls themselves, the chamber being built of members movable with respect to one another and biased toward each other by When the pressure of the vapor within the chamber exceeds the biasing force, outlets are formed between the adjacent movable parts.
  • a casing for the vapor chamber which consists of members capable of moving with respect to one another in the vaxial direction and which. are held together by a spring v or springs.
  • the escape mechanisms for the vapor are so designed that, after responding to a predetermined overpressure, they so remain open until the pressure within the chami ber drops to a fraction of its initial value.
  • One Way of accomplishing this is to make the parts controlling the expansion openings in such a manner that the areas of theparts exposed to the interior pressure are substantially increased by the movement of the parts accompanying the opening of the outlet passages.
  • 'Another satisfactory structure includes a plurality of outlets which are distributed along the arc path Within the casing of the pressure 105 chamber.
  • the pressure chamber may be sub-divided by parallel insulating plates which have openings therethrough for closely engaging the conducting rod, annular parts being inserted between the insulating plates, so that the pressure chamber shall comprise a plurality of separate chambers.
  • Each of the chambers of the structure has its own outlet formed by the lifting of the annular parts.
  • Fig. 1 is a sectional view, partially in elevation, of an arcing chamber constructed according to the invention
  • Fig. 2 is a sectional view, partially in elevation, of a modified form of arcing chamber surrounded by a condensing vessel,
  • Fig. 3 is a sectional view, partially in elevation, of a further modincation of my invention.
  • the expansion chamber consists of a metal vessel 10 having a thick flange 11 and an insulating cover 14.
  • the insulating cover is connected to the vessel 10 by the bolts 12 and 13.
  • the bolts are biased downwardly by the springs 17 and 18, abutting against discs 15 and 16 at the lower end of the bolts, and are adapted to slide in suitable holes in the flange 11.
  • the springs 17 and 18 abut against the flange 11.
  • the cover 14 is provided with a face or joint 19.
  • the expansion chamber is mounted'on a supporting insulator 20 and is provided with a stationary contact member 21, which cooperates with the conducting rod 22 passing through a suitable opening in the cover 14.
  • the means 23 indicates the surface of the liquid in the expension chamber.
  • This expansion chamber operates as follows:
  • the arc is established Within the pressuire chamber upon the separation of the contact members, the arc extinguishing liquid which is entrapped within the chamber is gassified by r the arc action, and the internal pressure increases until it reaches the expansion pressure,
  • the venting means operate to produce a sudden decrease in the internal pressure thereby changing the fluid surrounding the arc from the superheated state to the saturated state.
  • the space in which the fluid expands may, for example, be a condensation vessel open to normal atmospheric pressure.
  • the springs 17 and 18 are so adjusted that as soon as the predetermined expansion pressure is reached the cover 14 is raised from the edge of the pressure chamber 10. The gas entrapped within the chamber then escapes through the opened annular area, owing to the existing pressure-drop.
  • the entrapped lluid which has been cooled by the expansion and is, therefore, in the supersaturated state, condenes on the electric charge carriers in the arc path and effects the extinguishment of the arc.
  • the rate at which the pressure drops when the expansion takes place is determined by the rate at which the expansion area is opened.
  • the cover 14 is provided with a face or joint 19 ln order to prevent the entrapped fluid from taneously, thus producing a considerably inescaping before the expansion pressure has been reached.
  • the venting action might be effected by the leakage before the necessary pressure had been built up within the chamber.
  • the expansion operation begins at the instant the cover is lifted and the bottom edge of the face or joint 19 uncovers the top edge of the flange 1l. At that moment an annular gap or vent passage is opened between the flange 11 and the cover 14 which is instantly filled with the escaping fluid under pressure. The surface on which the pressure acts is immediately increased by the area of the gap, thus increasing the force available to lift the cover 14, and upon further lifting of the coverl 14 a comparatively large annular area is made available to effect an enlarging of the vvent opening.
  • the circuit interrupter there shown includes an expansion chamber 26 of insulating material which is fastened by means of the pins 27 and 28 to a metal ring or flange 29.
  • This metal ring 29 is fastened to the bottom of a condensation vessel 25 by the bolts 30 and 31.
  • Suitable guide' openings for the bolts 30 and 31 are provided in the outer edge of the flange 29 in order that the flange together with the extinguishing chamber may be capable of slidable movement with respect to the base of the extinguisher.
  • the springs 32 and 33 which abut against the heads of the bolts 30 and.31 and the annular ange 29, press the expansion chamber 26 into its position of rest against the base of the extinguisher.
  • the stationary contactmember 34 is positioned within the pressure chamber and cooperates with the movable conducting rod 35 to open and close the electrical circuit.
  • the level of the arc extinguishing fluid (indicated by the means 36) is the same both inside and outside of the expansion chamber since the condensing vessel 25 communicates with the expansion chamber 26 through a small opening 37.
  • the opening 37 is so small, however, that any loss of pressure which might be caused by vaporflowing outwardly therethrough during the arc extinguishing operation is negligible.
  • the face or joint 38 corresponds to the face or joint 19 in the previously described structure. i
  • The'modiflcationshown in Fig. 3 comprises, generally, a' cylindrical insulating vessel or chamber having walls which are defined by a plurality of rings movable with respectto one another, in
  • Athe cylindrical vessel is supported on an insulating base member 41 which, in turn, is fastened to an insulator 40, and includes a short insulating cylinder 42 'rigidly joined to to permit the passage of the movable contact rod 51 which cooperates with the stationary contact 61 to open and to close the electrical circuit.
  • all of the rings 49 and the plates 44 to 48, inclusive, are movable with respect to each other to establish annular vent passages longitudinally along the.
  • cover 50 of the pressure chamber is also made of insulating material and is provided with an opening 51 to permit the passage of the conducting rod 52.
  • the cover is fastened to the base member 41 by means of the guide bolts 53 and 54 whichare adapted to slide in suitable openings provided for them in the vbase member 4l.
  • the Shanks of the bolts '53 and 54 are covered with insulating ⁇ tubes 55 and 56 and serve to support and position the rings 44 to 49.
  • the springs 59 and 60 abut against the end plates or discs 57 and 58 of the bolts 53 ⁇ and 54, and by producing a downward pull upon the bolts resiliently bias the rings 44 toV 48, the spacing plates 49, and the cover 50 together.
  • the pressure chamber is preferably positioned within an external closure which has a base 62 and which is partially filled with the arc extinguishing liquid. The liquid within the outer closure reaches the interior of the pressure chamber through the opening 51 for the conducting rod. The surface of the liquid'is indicated bythe means 63.
  • An arc is established Within the pressure chamber immediately following the separation of the contact members 52 andl. Some of the entrapped uid is gasified and builds up pressure within those parts of the chamber wherein the arc has been drawn by the movement of the contact rod 52. The pressure depends on the rate of gassification (a ⁇ function of the arc current), the rate of leakage at the opening for the contact rod 52 in the spacing plates 49, and the rapidity with which the superposed spaced chambers are opened to the effect of the arc (a function of the speed of movement of the contact rod 52). The gas is restricted at rst and its pressure acts only on areas of the small diameter d.
  • a circuit interrupter relatively movable contact members for opening and closing the circuit, and an arc extinguishing device including Y tact members move to establish an arc, Aa bodyof liquid contained therein, the walls of said chamber comprising a stack of separable plates of insulating material which are movable to vent said a substantially closed chamber wherein said conchamber, and spring means biasing said plates toward each other.
  • a fixed contact a cooperating movable contact disposed for connection with and disconnection from said xed Contact, a casing forming a chamber arranged about said contacts, a iluid contained Within said chamber about said contacts and vaporizable by the a'rc occurring upon separation of said contacts, a plurality of plates arranged in stacked relation Within said casing operative to separate one from another in response to pressure created by the vaporization of said fluid upon occurrence of an arc between said contacts to thereby reduce the temperature of the vapor.
  • a circuit interrupter including an arc extinguishing device comprising a plurality ofcontiguous laminations defining a pressure chamber, contact members separable within said chamber, and means forrnorrnally maintaining said laminatlons in contiguous relation and for permitting said laminations to separate in response to excessive pressure internally of said casing' to relieve said pressure.
  • a circuit interrupter comprising a casing having a pressure chamber and comprised of a series of normally contiguous laminations, contact members separable in said chamber, and means yieldingly holding said laminations in contiguous relation and responsive to an excessive pressure internally of said chamber to yield and to establish vent passages between said laminations.
  • a circuit interrupter comprising a substantially closed pressure chamber, the walls of which are defined by a stack of separable plates, said chamber having a plurality of sections formed therein by some of said separable plates, means for establishing an arc within said chamber, and
  • an arc extinguishing chamber having pressure resisting side walls that are normally substantially closed, a plurality of sub-chambers formed therein by a plurality of insulating plates having openings therethrough, means for drawing an arc through said openings into each of said sub-chambers successively, and means responsive to the pressure within each of said plurality of sub-chambers for venting each of said sub-chambers laterally through the side wall of said chamber.
  • an arcextinguishing chamber having side walls of insulating material and a plurality of partitions of insulating material dividing said chamber into a plurality of sub-chambers, said partitions having aligned openings therethrough, a contact member xedly mounted adjacent one end of said chamber, and a Contact member movable through said aligned openings to draw an arc from said xedly mounted contact into said sub-chambers in succession, each of said sub-chambers having means, responsive to the pressure therein, for individually venting said sub-chambers through the side Walls of said chamber, said venting means functioning successively as the arc is drawn into said sub-chambers.
  • an arc extinguishing device likewise within said casing and comprising a pressure chamber that is normally substantially closed, the walls of said chamber being defined by separable members, contact means movable to establish an arc Within said chamber, and means for normally maintaining said separable wall defining members in contact with each other and for permitting said wall defining members to separate in response to the pressure Within said chamber to dene vat least one vent 'opening connecting with said outer casing.

Landscapes

  • Circuit Breakers (AREA)
  • Pressure Vessels And Lids Thereof (AREA)
  • Apparatuses For Generation Of Mechanical Vibrations (AREA)
  • Measuring Volume Flow (AREA)
  • Gas-Insulated Switchgears (AREA)
  • Contacts (AREA)
  • Housings And Mounting Of Transformers (AREA)
  • Patch Boards (AREA)
US547297A 1930-07-04 1931-06-27 Circuit breaker Expired - Lifetime US1942294A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
DE379804X 1930-07-04
DE380657X 1930-12-09
DE380658X 1930-12-09

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US1942294A true US1942294A (en) 1934-01-02

Family

ID=31950088

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US547297A Expired - Lifetime US1942294A (en) 1930-07-04 1931-06-27 Circuit breaker

Country Status (6)

Country Link
US (1) US1942294A (en(2012))
BE (1) BE381089A (en(2012))
DE (3) DE678032C (en(2012))
FR (5) FR702226A (en(2012))
GB (3) GB379804A (en(2012))
NL (1) NL35345C (en(2012))

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20030231097A1 (en) * 2002-06-16 2003-12-18 Victor Almgren Composite insulator for fuse cutout
US20040001298A1 (en) * 2002-06-16 2004-01-01 Scott Henricks Composite insulator
US7028998B2 (en) 2001-04-30 2006-04-18 Maclean-Fogg Company Stabilizer bar

Families Citing this family (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE767713C (de) * 1938-02-05 1953-04-09 Aeg Elektrischer Gasschalter
DE917190C (de) * 1943-04-10 1954-08-26 Voigt & Haeffner Akt Ges Stroemungsloeschkammer
US2425147A (en) * 1944-06-29 1947-08-05 Westinghouse Electric Corp Circuit interrupter
FR920442A (fr) * 1945-10-03 1947-04-08 Merlin Gerin Chambre de coupure pour courant alternatif

Cited By (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US7028998B2 (en) 2001-04-30 2006-04-18 Maclean-Fogg Company Stabilizer bar
US20030231097A1 (en) * 2002-06-16 2003-12-18 Victor Almgren Composite insulator for fuse cutout
US20040001298A1 (en) * 2002-06-16 2004-01-01 Scott Henricks Composite insulator
US6831232B2 (en) 2002-06-16 2004-12-14 Scott Henricks Composite insulator

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
FR41092E (fr) 1932-10-26
GB380657A (en) 1932-09-22
FR720450A (fr) 1932-02-19
BE381089A (en(2012))
GB379804A (en) 1932-09-08
FR41093E (fr) 1932-10-26
NL35345C (en(2012))
DE641706C (de) 1937-02-13
FR724251A (fr) 1932-04-25
DE678032C (de) 1939-07-07
FR702226A (fr) 1931-04-02
GB380658A (en) 1932-09-22
DE623343C (en(2012))

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
US1942294A (en) Circuit breaker
US2387589A (en) Circuit breaker
US1955214A (en) Electric switch or circuit breaker
US1955216A (en) Electrical circuit breaker
US1955215A (en) Circuit breaker
US2022241A (en) Circuit interrupting device
US2909633A (en) High tension oil switch
US2525494A (en) Circuit interrupter
US2077338A (en) Circuit interrupter
US2020475A (en) Electric switch
US2284347A (en) Circuit interrupter
US2304529A (en) Circuit interrupter
US2671144A (en) Circuit interrupter
US4259555A (en) Self-extinguishing gas circuit interrupter
US2095729A (en) Circuit interrupter
US2545334A (en) Electric circuit interrupter
US4278860A (en) Arc driven single pressure type circuit breaker
US2530952A (en) Circuit interrupter
US2228232A (en) Expulsion circuit breaker
US2420888A (en) Oil circuit interrupter
US2250566A (en) Circuit interrupter
US1902463A (en) Electric circuit breaker
US2061301A (en) Circuit interrupter
US3183330A (en) Current-limiting electric circuit interrupter of the fluid blast type
US2145706A (en) Electric circuit interrupter