US2146656A - Electric circuit interrupter - Google Patents

Electric circuit interrupter Download PDF

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Publication number
US2146656A
US2146656A US191233A US19123338A US2146656A US 2146656 A US2146656 A US 2146656A US 191233 A US191233 A US 191233A US 19123338 A US19123338 A US 19123338A US 2146656 A US2146656 A US 2146656A
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US
United States
Prior art keywords
arc
chamber
gas
blast
pressure
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
US191233A
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English (en)
Inventor
Wilfred F Skeats
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.)
General Electric Co
Original Assignee
General Electric Co
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
Priority to BE432795D priority Critical patent/BE432795A/xx
Application filed by General Electric Co filed Critical General Electric Co
Priority to US191233A priority patent/US2146656A/en
Priority to DEL95802D priority patent/DE767751C/de
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of US2146656A publication Critical patent/US2146656A/en
Priority to GB5472/39A priority patent/GB509388A/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
    • 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
    • H01H33/76—Switches with separate means for directing, obtaining, or increasing flow of arc-extinguishing fluid wherein arc-extinguishing gas is evolved from stationary parts; Selection of material therefor

Definitions

  • My invention relates to electric circuit interrupters, more particularly to air circuit breakers. and has for its principal object the provision of an improved air circuit breaker of the gas-blast type having a large interrupting capacity.
  • a circuit interrupter of this character is disclosed and claimed in a copending application, Serial No. 56,050, filed Dec. 24, 1935, by David C. Prince, for Electric circuit interrupters" and assigned to the same assignee as the present invention.
  • an arc-generated gas blast 40 can be successfully applied to air circuit breakers by positioning in apredetermined manner the pressure-generating arc and the are or portion thereof thatls to be subjected to the gas blast, and by interposing in the blast path a cooling and gas-producing material that offers comparatively small resistance to gas flow and that actually augments the blast.
  • a high velocity gas blast of sumcient volume is applied without appreciable time lag I50 to the arc to be interrupted and, upon interruption, the cooled and augmented gas blast is of sufilcient dielectric strength to prevent re-ignition of arcing.
  • FIG. 1 is an eleva- 5 tional view, partly in section, of an air circuit breaker in the closed circuit position embodying the present invention
  • Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line 2-4 of Fig. 1.
  • a pair of breaks in series are formed within an insulating casing i by relatively movable contact structure comprising a pair of fixed socket contacts 2 and 3 of the segmental type and a movable bridging structure including contact rods 4 and 5 operable through the casing for engaging the socket contacts I and I respectively.
  • the rod contacts are electrically bridged at I and are adapted to be moved reciprocally by an operating member indicated at I.
  • the fixed contacts 2 and I are electrically connected to and mounted within terminal structures 2 and 3' respectively which also form extensions for receiving in the closed circuit position of the switch insulating extensions 4' and I of the contact rods 4 and I respectively.
  • the contact rods including the insulating tips thereof are guided for reciprocal rectilinear movement by insulating tubes 8 and l which extend an appreciable distance below the casing I and have a sleeve-like fit with respect to the contact rods.
  • the above diillculties are eliminated and the interrupting capacity and emciency of this type of air circuit to breaker greatly increased by closely spacing the pressure-generating arc and the point of interruption, and by interposing a cooling structure that is traversed by the gas from the pressuregenerating break for increasing the dielectric strength of said gas, said structure including a material which is adapted to emit additional arc extinguishing gas when subjected to the are heat and the highly heated arc gases.
  • the pressure-generating break 2-4 is located in a comparatively confined portion of the arc chamber l' and is closely surrounded by a cooling structure including in the present instance loose material II that is effective by reason of its large contact surface not only to cool the hot gases passing across the same toward the break 3-5 but also to yield additional gas of desirable dielectric properties.
  • a cooling structure including in the present instance loose material II that is effective by reason of its large contact surface not only to cool the hot gases passing across the same toward the break 3-5 but also to yield additional gas of desirable dielectric properties.
  • chopped fiber tubing in small sections about A in length has been found to be satisfactory in that it provides a more free passage for the gas than granular material. This additional gas compensates for the loss of volume due to the cooling action of the fiber while at the same time introducing additional dielectric between the contacts at the break 3-5.
  • the gasemitting material II is retained in an annular sieve-like structure I2 concentrically positioned with respect to the contact rod 4.
  • the structure I2 is provided with a large number of openings indicated at l3 for presenting as small resistance as possible to the flow of gas under pressure from the break 2-4.
  • suitable gas-producing materials can be used, if desired, further examples being boric acid, carbonates in general and urea resin.
  • the material is preferablybroken up in irregular pieces of such size and shape that the interstices allow a comparatively free flow of gas through the material.
  • opening of the circuit by lowering of the bridging structure is accompanied by arcs at the breaks 2-4 and 3-5 respectively.
  • the are at 2-4 being within the comparatively confined part of the arc chamber l generates considerable pressure within the chamber due to the rapid expansion of the air or gas under influence of the arc heat.
  • the heat of the arc in addition to the heat of the arc gases and are products which are driven by the arc pressure through the annular structure l2, causes decomposition of some of the fiber.
  • the hot arc gases in passing across the fibre and through the structure l2 are appreciably cooled so that the'dielectric'strength thereof is increased.
  • the insulating tips 4' and 5' serve to confine the are within such a small space in the sleeves 8 and 9 that a suflicient pressure is built up for are interruption.
  • the diverging part of the exhaust passage I0 is provided with a. plurality of spaced insulating plates or arc splitters l4,
  • cooling structure may be placed in the chute defining the exhaust passage.
  • the metallic plates 15 are preferably more remotely positioned with respect to the arc than the insulating plates l4.
  • the effective area available for the passage of the gases may be increased by giving the entrance edges of the copper plates a saw-tooth or zigzag form.
  • An electric air circuit interrupter comprising an arc chamber, arcing means disposed in said chamber and located so that a section of a,ics,sss
  • arc is opposite arr-exhaust opening of said chamber, another section of are being more confined for generating arc pressure in said chamber for causing a gas blast through said exhaust and said first section of arc, and cooling structure interposed with respect to said sections of arc permitting substantially free fiow of said gas blast, said cooling structure including material adapted to emit an arc-extinguishing gas when subjected to the are heat and thehot gases from said second section of arc.
  • Anelectric air circuit interrupter comprising an arc chamber, circuit-controlling means adapted to form two breaks in series in said chamber, one of said breaks being located opposite an exhaust opening of said chamber, the other of said breaks being in a more confined part of said chamber so that the corresponding arc generates pressure for causing a gas blast through said exhaust and the adjacent arc, and a cooling structure interposed with respect to said breaks having a large eifective contact surface and permitting substantially free flow or said gas blast, said structure being composed in part of material adapted to emit an arc-extinguishing gas when subjected to the heat oi arcing at said pressure-generating break and to the heat of the gas blast from said break passing through said structure.
  • An electric air circuit breaker comprising an arc chamber, relatively movable contact structure separable within said chamber to cause arcing, one section of are being located substantially opposite an exhaust opening of said chamber arranged so that gas in exhausting from said chamher is confined to a high velocity path directly traversing said are, another section of arc being more remotely located in said chamber for generating pressure, and cooling structure interposed with respect to said are sections so that the gases from said pressure-generating are necessarily pass through said structure in exhausting from said chamber, said structure presenting a large cooling surface to said gas and being composed in part of a material adapted to emit an arcextinguishing gas when subjected to the heat of the arc and the arc gases.
  • An electric air circuit breaker comprising an arc chamber, relatively movable contacts arcooling surface to said gases.
  • An electric air circuit breaker comprising ,an insulating casing forming an arc chamber having a restricted nozzle-like exhaust opening, relatively movable contacts arranged to form two' breaks in series in said chamber, one of said breaksbeing'directly. opposite the restricted part said exhaust, the other of said breaks beingmore remotely positioned with respect to said exhaust for generating arc pressure, and annular cooling structure concentrically positioned with respect to and surrounding said pressure-genersting.
  • said annular structure being composed in part of a large number of fragments of material adapted to emit an arc-extinguishing gas when subjected to the are heat at said pressure-generating break wherebetween said breaks arranged so that the expanding hot gases from said pressure-generating break necessarily pass through said structure in exhausting from said chamber, said structure being composed in part of a large number of fragments of material adapted to emit an arc-extinguishing gas when subjected to the arc heat and the heat of said expanding gases whereby the effective 'gas blast through the break at said exhaust is both cooled and augmented.
  • An electric air circuit comprising an arc chamber having an exhaust opening, relatively movable contact structure arranged to form two breaks in series in said chahmber, said chamber being in closely confining relation to said breaks one of said breaks being opposite said exhaust and the other being more remotely positioned for generating arc pressure in said chamber, cooling structure disposedin said chamber and interposed with respect to said breaks, said cooling structure including a mass of loose material permitting free flow of the expanding hot gases from said pressure-generating break, said material also being adapted to emit an arc-extinguishing gas when in contact with said hot gases whereby the gas blast through,
  • An electric air circuit breaker comprising an arc chamber, relatively movable contacts arranged to separate in said chamber including a fixed contact and a movable coacting contact rod, porous structure adapted to yield an arc-extinguishing gas when subjected to are heat, said structure being adjacent to the path of movement of said rod contact in said chamber whereby arc pressure generated in said chamber at large currents is eifective to cause an arc-extinguishing 1 gas blast through said porous structure and laterally from said chamber, an insulating sleeve arrangedto guide said contact rod along a rectilinear pathwith respect to said fixed contact, said insulating sleeve being spaced a predetermined distance from said fixed contact, and an insulat ing member forming an extension 01' said contact rod arranged to coact with said insulating sleeve for extinguishing low current arcs that are drawn through said chamber.
  • An electric air circuit interrupter comprising an arc chamber, arcing means disposed in said chamber and located so that are is formed opposite an exhaust opening of said chamber whereby arc pressure in said chamber is eflective to cause a gas blast through said exhaust and said are, insulating plates forming are splitters at said exhaust for said arc, and spaced metaliic cooling plates having high conductivity disposed generally parallel to and between said arc splitters, said metallic plates being more remotely positioned from said are than said insulating plates.
  • An electric air circuit breaker comprising an insulating casing forming an arc chamber having an exhaust opening, relatively movable contact structure arranged toi'orm'two breaks in series in said chamber, said chamber being in closely confining relation thereto, one of said breaks being opposite said exhaust and the other of said breaks being more remotely positioned with respect to said'exhaust for generating arc pressure for causing a high velocity gas blast through the break at said exhaust, cooling struc-.
  • said conling structure including-a mass of loose material permitting free flow of gas from said pressure-generating break'and presenting a large cooling surface to the expanding hotgas, said material also being adapted to emit an arc-extinguishing gas-when subjected to the are heat during the passage of said gas therethrough whereby the gas blast through the are at said exhaust is' augmented,
  • spaced metallic plates having high heat conductivity and insulating plates alternating with groups of said thin metallic plates.
  • An electric air circuit breaker comprising relatively movable contacts.
  • insulating structure forming an arc chute for receiving heated arc metallic plates of high conductivity within said chute between said insulating plates and adjacent to the exhaust part of said chute, said metallic plates as a group being more re- ;motely positioned with. respect to said arc than said insulating plates.
  • An electric air circuit breaker including 7 saidare, and spaced metallic plates having high conductivity disposed between said arc splitters, said metallic plates being more remotely posi- -.tioned from said are within said insulating plates.

Landscapes

  • Circuit Breakers (AREA)
  • Arc-Extinguishing Devices That Are Switches (AREA)
US191233A 1938-02-18 1938-02-18 Electric circuit interrupter Expired - Lifetime US2146656A (en)

Priority Applications (4)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
BE432795D BE432795A (en, 2012) 1938-02-18
US191233A US2146656A (en) 1938-02-18 1938-02-18 Electric circuit interrupter
DEL95802D DE767751C (de) 1938-02-18 1938-10-09 Elektrischer Gasschalter
GB5472/39A GB509388A (en) 1938-02-18 1939-02-18 Improvements in and relating to gas blast electric circuit breakers

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US191233A US2146656A (en) 1938-02-18 1938-02-18 Electric circuit interrupter

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US2146656A true US2146656A (en) 1939-02-07

Family

ID=22704657

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US191233A Expired - Lifetime US2146656A (en) 1938-02-18 1938-02-18 Electric circuit interrupter

Country Status (4)

Country Link
US (1) US2146656A (en, 2012)
BE (1) BE432795A (en, 2012)
DE (1) DE767751C (en, 2012)
GB (1) GB509388A (en, 2012)

Cited By (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2468422A (en) * 1945-06-20 1949-04-26 Ite Circuit Breaker Ltd Arc chute
US2988622A (en) * 1958-03-10 1961-06-13 Licentia Gmbh High-tension circuit-breaking switch
US3140374A (en) * 1962-09-20 1964-07-07 Fred H Cole Circuit breaker interrupter
US3178545A (en) * 1962-11-02 1965-04-13 Gen Electric Electric circuit interrupter with metal plates for arc division having v-shaped edge directed toward arc-initiation region

Families Citing this family (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE102019203553A1 (de) 2019-03-15 2020-09-17 Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft Unterschenkelstützeinrichtung für einen Fahrzeugsitz, Fahrzeugsitz

Family Cites Families (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE601563C (de) * 1930-01-12 1934-08-18 Emil Lange Schalter mit Loeschung des Lichtbogens durch einen Druckgasstrom
US1912176A (en) * 1931-07-13 1933-05-30 Condit Electrical Mfg Corp Electric switch
US2146685A (en) * 1935-12-24 1939-02-07 Gen Electric Electric circuit interrupter

Cited By (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2468422A (en) * 1945-06-20 1949-04-26 Ite Circuit Breaker Ltd Arc chute
US2988622A (en) * 1958-03-10 1961-06-13 Licentia Gmbh High-tension circuit-breaking switch
US3140374A (en) * 1962-09-20 1964-07-07 Fred H Cole Circuit breaker interrupter
US3178545A (en) * 1962-11-02 1965-04-13 Gen Electric Electric circuit interrupter with metal plates for arc division having v-shaped edge directed toward arc-initiation region

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
GB509388A (en) 1939-07-14
BE432795A (en, 2012)
DE767751C (de) 1953-04-27

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