WO2017141197A1 - Interrupteur électrique incorporant un système de sectionnement d'arc - Google Patents

Interrupteur électrique incorporant un système de sectionnement d'arc Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2017141197A1
WO2017141197A1 PCT/IB2017/050899 IB2017050899W WO2017141197A1 WO 2017141197 A1 WO2017141197 A1 WO 2017141197A1 IB 2017050899 W IB2017050899 W IB 2017050899W WO 2017141197 A1 WO2017141197 A1 WO 2017141197A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
arc
contact
electrical switch
splitting
arrangement
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/IB2017/050899
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Michael William LIEBENBERG
Paul Natorp
Original Assignee
Circuit Breaker Industries Ltd
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 Circuit Breaker Industries Ltd filed Critical Circuit Breaker Industries Ltd
Publication of WO2017141197A1 publication Critical patent/WO2017141197A1/fr

Links

Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
    • H01H73/00—Protective overload circuit-breaking switches in which excess current opens the contacts by automatic release of mechanical energy stored by previous operation of a hand reset mechanism
    • H01H73/02—Details
    • H01H73/18—Means for extinguishing or suppressing arc
    • 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

  • THIS invention relates to an electrical switch incorporating an arc suppressing arrangement and more particularly, but not exclusively, to an electromagnetic circuit breaker incorporating an arc splitting arrangement.
  • an electrical switch is an electrical component that can break an electrical circuit by interrupting a current or by diverting it from one conductor to another.
  • the most common form of switch is a manually operated electromechanical device with one or more sets of electrical contacts, which are connected to external circuits.
  • the or each set of contacts can be in one of two states.
  • the set of contacts can be "closed”, meaning the contacts are touching and electricity can flow between them, or "open”, meaning the contacts are separated and the switch is nonconducting.
  • the mechanism actuating the transition between these two states may take various forms, and can for example be toggle-type flip switch mechanism.
  • a circuit breaker is a special kind of automatically operated electrical switch designed to protect an electrical circuit from damage caused by overload or short circuit. Its basic function is to detect a fault condition and interrupt current flow. Unlike a fuse, which operates once and must then be replaced, a circuit breaker can be reset (either manually or automatically) to resume normal operation.
  • a common arc control scheme used in many circuit breaker designs is to force the arc into an arc baffle or splitter structure.
  • Arc baffles act to break a single arc into several shorter arcs connected in series. Each time an arc is split the resistance across the device is increased, which in turn reduces the current flowing through the device.
  • FIG. 1 An example of a circuit breaker including one embodiment of a conventional arc splitting structure known in the art is shown in Figures 1 and 2.
  • the circuit breaker 10 comprises a plastic housing 11 which houses the contact set 20 and the switching arrangement 30.
  • a line terminal 12 is provided, and in use an external electric conductor (not shown) is connected thereto.
  • the line terminal 12 is an electrical contact with a first contact 21 of the contact set 20.
  • the first contact 21 is a stationary contact.
  • a load terminal 13 is provided in an opposite end of the housing 11, and in use an external electric conductor (not shown) is connected thereto.
  • the load terminal 13 is in electric contact with a second contact 22 of the contact set via an electrical conductor 14 housed inside the housing 11.
  • a rigid and stationary carriage 15 is secured to the housing 11, and in use carries, inter alia, the switching arrangement 30 and the second contact 22.
  • the second contact arrangement 20 includes a pivotable arm 22.1, with the contact tip 22.2 located on one end of the arm 21. An opposite end of the arm 21 is pivotably secured to the carriage 15 at a pivot point 22.3.
  • the pivotable arm is therefore pivotably displaceable between a connected position ( Figure 1) in which the first contact 21 and the second contact 22 abut, and a disconnected position (Figure 2) in which the first contact 21 and the second contact 22 are spaced apart.
  • the arc referred to above will develop between the first contact 21 and the second contact 22 when the circuit breaker is displaced from the dosed position (Figure 1) to the open position ( Figure 2).
  • the circuit breaker 10 also includes a conventional arc splitter 40 comprising a stack of spaced apart splitter plates 41 that are electrically insulated from one another.
  • a first conductor 42 extends from the first contact 21 to the stack 41
  • a second conductor 43 extends from the second contact 22 to the stack 41.
  • the two conductors (42 and 43) are extensions of the two contacts (21 and 22), and the stack of splitter plates 41 are located between the ends of these conductors (42 and 43).
  • an arc 50.1 will develop between the first contact 21 and the second contact 22, as shown schematically in Figure 3.
  • the arc will then be displaced in the direction of arrow F due to the Lorentz force resulting from the current in the arc itself.
  • the movement of the arc, due to this self- induced magnetic force, is referred to as magnetic blow out of the arc.
  • the arc 50.2 is therefore displaced to the conductors (42 and 43) or arc- runners, which are connected (directly or indirectly) to the contacts (21 and 22).
  • the arc reaches the arc splitter plate stack 41 , where the arc is then divided up into a number of arcs 50.3 in series, resulting in a decrease in current and temperature, and eventually in the arc being extinguished.
  • the provision of the arc splitter arrangement therefore reduces the damage caused by the arc.
  • an electrical switch including: an electrical contact set comprising a first, stationary contact and a second, dispiaceabie contact, the displaceable contact being displaceable between a connected position in which the contacts abut, and a disconnected position in which the contacts are spaced apart;
  • a first arc splitting arrangement comprising a plurality of spaced apart arc splitting plates forming an arc splitting stack; and a second arc splitting arrangement comprising a plurality of spaced apart arc splitting plates forming an arc splitting stack;
  • the first arc splitting arrangement and the second arc splitting arrangement being configured in order for an arc that, in use, develops between the stationary contact and the displaceable contact to be divided up into at least two discrete arcs, with each such divided arc then being displaced to its own splitting arrangement.
  • first arc splitting arrangement and the second arc splitting arrangement are configured electrically in series.
  • electrical switch to include a primary arc blowout channel extending from the contact set, and first and second secondary arc blowout channels extending from the primary arc blowout channel.
  • the first arc splitting arrangement is preferably located towards an end of the first secondary arc blowout channel.
  • the second arc splitting arrangement is preferably located towards an end of the second secondary arc blowout channel.
  • the primary arc blowout channel is further provided for the primary arc blowout channel to branch out into the two secondary arc blowout channels.
  • the primary arc blowout channel is defined between a first conductor or runner extending from the first, stationary contact, and a second conductor or runner that is located adjacent the second, displaceable contact, and which is electrically connected to the second contact.
  • first secondary arc blowout channel to be defined between an extended part of the first conductor or runner, and an opposing intermediate conductor or runner.
  • the second secondary arc blowout channel to be defined between the intermediate conductor or runner, and the second contact or runner, in order for the intermediate conductor or runner to be common to both arc splitter arrangements.
  • a further feature of the invention provides for the arc splitting stacks of the arc splitting arrangements to be spaced apart but in the same plane.
  • the arc splitting stacks of the arc splitting arrangements to overlie one another, but to be in different planes with an insulator provided between the two overlying arc splitting stacks.
  • the electrical switch to include a switching mechanism for displacing the second contact between the connected and disconnected positions, the switching mechanism including a handle arrangement which is displaceable between an off position, in which the second contact is in the disconnected position, and an on position, in which the second contact is in the connected position.
  • a method of suppressing an arc in an electrical switch including the steps of:
  • Figure 1 is a cross-sectional side view of a circuit breaker including a prior art arc splitting arrangement, with the circuit breaker being in a closed position;
  • Figure 2 is a cross-sectional side view of a circuit breaker including a prior art arc splitting arrangement, with the circuit breaker being in an open position; is a schematic representation of an arc splitting arrangement in accordance with a prior art arrangement;
  • Figure 4 is a schematic representation of a new arc splitting arrangement in accordance with the invention.
  • Figure 5 is a cross-sectional side view of a circuit breaker incorporating a new arc splitting arrangement based on the conceptual arc splitter arrangement of Figure 4;
  • Figure 6 is a top plan view of another embodiment of the new arc splitter arrangement
  • Figure 7 is a cross-sectional top plan view of the arc splitter arrangement of Figure 6, showing the bottom half of the arc splitter arrangement of Figure 6;
  • Figure 8 is a side view of the arc splitter arrangement of Figure 6;
  • Figures 9 to 14 is a sequence of photographs showing the electrical switch in use, and in particular showing how a single arc is separated into two arcs, and then quenched in two arc splitting arrangements.
  • the terms “mounted,” “connected,” “supported,” and “coupled” and variations thereof are used broadly and encompass both direct and indirect mountings, connections, supports, and couplings and are thus intended to include direct connections between two members without any other members interposed there between and indirect connections between members in which one or more other members are interposed there between. Further, “connected” and “coupled” are not restricted to physical or mechanical connections or couplings. It is noted that, as used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the,” and any singular use of any word, include plural referents unless expressly and unequivocally limited to one referent. As used herein, the term “include” and its grammatical variants are intended to be non-limiting, such that recitation of items in a list is not to the exclusion of other like items that can be substituted or added to the listed items.
  • the circuit breaker 10 comprises a plastic housing 11 which houses the contact set 20 and the switching arrangement 30.
  • a line terminal 12 is provided, and in use an external electric conductor (not shown) is connected thereto.
  • the line terminal 12 is an electrical contact with a first contact 21 of the contact set 20.
  • the first contact 21 is a stationary contact.
  • a load terminal 13 is provided in an opposite end of the housing 11, and in use an external electric conductor (not shown) is connected thereto.
  • the load terminal 13 is in electric contact with a second contact 22 of the contact set via an electrical conductor 14 housed inside the housing 11.
  • a rigid and stationary carriage 15 is secured to the housing 11, and in use carries, inter alia, the switching arrangement 30 and the second contact 22.
  • the second contact arrangement 20 includes a pivotable arm 22.1, with the contact tip 22.2 located on one end of the arm 21.
  • An opposite end of the arm 22 is pivotabiy secured to the carriage 15 at a pivot point 22.3.
  • the pivotable arm is therefore pivotabiy displaceable between a connected position (not shown) in which the first contact 21 and the second contact 22 abut, and a disconnected position ( Figure 5) in which the first contact 21 and the second contact 22 are spaced apart.
  • the arc referred to above will develop between the first contact 21 and the second contact 22 when the circuit breaker is displaced from the closed position to the open position.
  • a new arc splitting arrangement is indicated by reference numeral 60, and is shown schematically in Figure 4, and is also shown as implemented in Figure 5.
  • the new arc splitting arrangement 60 includes a first arc splitting arrangement 61 and a second arc splitting arrangement 62.
  • the two arc splitting arrangements are electrically in series, but mechanically in parallel, and each arc splitting arrangement will in use receive and 'split' a discrete arc.
  • Each arc splitting arrangement includes a plurality of isolated arc splitting plates (61.1 and 62.1) which are arranged in the form of stacks, as is known in the art.
  • an arc will typically form between the two contacts (21 and 22) when the contacts are moved apart.
  • a first conductor or runner 42 extends from the first contact 21 , whereas a second conductor or runner is located adjacent the second contact 22.
  • the second contact 22 and the second runner 43 are electrically coupled, even though they are not directly connected to one another in this particular example.
  • a primary arc blowout channel or passage 63 is defined between the two conductors of runners (42 and 43), and the initial arc 50.1 is in use forced along this passage due to the Lorentz effect (indicated by force F).
  • the displaced arc 50.2 travels along the primary arc blowout passage 63 away from the contacts (21 and 22).
  • the passage 62 will terminate in a single arc splitter stack.
  • the passage 63 branches out into a first secondary blowout channel or passage 64 and a second secondary blowout channel or passage 65, with each of these passages terminating in its own, discrete arc splitter arrangement (61 and 62).
  • the first secondary channel 64 is formed between an extension of the first conductor or runner 42, and an opposing intermediate conductor or runner 66.
  • the second secondary channel 65 is in turn formed between the same intermediate conductor or runner 66 and an extension of the second conductor or runner 43.
  • the intermediate runner 66 is therefore common to both arc splitter arrangements, and is essentially the element that divides the primary arc blowout channel up into two separate channels that are mechanically in parallel, but electrically in series.
  • the intermediate runner is made from an elongate, flat metal strip.
  • the displaced arc 50.2 will move towards the two secondary channels (64 and 65) until it reaches the branch formed by the intermediate runner 66. Further displacement of the displaced arc 50.2 will result in the arc splitting up into two divided arcs 50.4, one located in each secondary arc blowout channel. The arcs will at the same time also energize the intermediate runner 66, which is an important aspect of this invention and new configuration. The divided arcs 50.4 will again be displaced along the secondary arc blowout channels due to the Lorentz effect, shown by forces F1 and F2.
  • the divided arcs 50.4 will eventually reach the arc splitter plates (61.1 and 62.1) where the two divided arcs 50.4 will be broken up into a plurality of split arcs 50.3 as is known in the art.
  • the mechanism stays the same as that which is known and used in the prior art, but the duplication of arc splitter stacks, and the concomitant division of the initial arc, result in much better arc suppressing capabilities.
  • FIG. 6 A further embodiment of an arc splitter arrangement 60 is shown in Figures 6 to 8. This embodiment also includes a first arc splitting arrangement 61 and a second arc splitting arrangement 62, but in this case the two arc splitter stacks (61.1 and 62.1) overlies one another, but are located in different planes.
  • the two stacks are separated by an insulating film 67, which essentially allows for the two stacks to operate independently, but without an increase in the cross-sectional area or footprint of the stacks.
  • the operating principals remain exactly the same as described above for the spaced apart configuration of Figures 4 and 5.
  • Figures 9 to 14 is a sequence of the electrical switch of the invention in use, and particular show how the initial arc 50.1 is formed in Figure 9 between the two contacts (21 and 22) and then eventually extinguished in Figure 14.
  • the arc 50.2 has been displaced away from the contacts, and is displaced towards the two secondary channels (64 and 65) of the two splitter arrangements (61 and 62).
  • the arc has clearly been separated into two split arcs 50.4, each of which now enters its own splitting arrangement. The arcs are then again split into smaller arcs 50.3 in said splitting arrangements, and in Figure 14 the arcs are all but extinguished.

Landscapes

  • Arc-Extinguishing Devices That Are Switches (AREA)

Abstract

La présente invention concerne un interrupteur électrique comprenant un système de suppression d'arc. L'interrupteur comprend un jeu de contacts électriques comprenant un premier contact, fixe, et un second contact, mobile, le contact mobile pouvant se déplacer entre une position connectée dans laquelle les contacts viennent en butée l'un contre l'autre et une position déconnectée dans laquelle les contacts sont écartés l'un de l'autre. L'interrupteur comprend en outre des premier et second systèmes de sectionnement d'arc, comprenant chacun une pluralité de plaques de sectionnement d'arc espacées l'une de l'autre, formant un empilement de sectionnements d'arc. Le premier système de sectionnement d'arc et le second système de sectionnement d'arc sont configurés pour diviser en au moins deux arcs discrets un arc qui, lors de l'utilisation, se développe entre le contact fixe et le contact mobile, chaque arc ainsi divisé étant ensuite déplacé vers son propre système de sectionnement.
PCT/IB2017/050899 2016-02-18 2017-02-17 Interrupteur électrique incorporant un système de sectionnement d'arc WO2017141197A1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
ZA201601139 2016-02-18
ZA2016/01139 2016-02-18

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO2017141197A1 true WO2017141197A1 (fr) 2017-08-24

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Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US11361921B2 (en) 2019-03-13 2022-06-14 Abb S.P.A. Breaking device

Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE1160922B (de) * 1962-02-03 1964-01-09 Siemens Ag Lichtbogenkammer fuer Gleich- und Wechselstromschalter
GB1068436A (en) * 1963-08-21 1967-05-10 Comp Generale Electricite Electric switch
EP2743950A1 (fr) * 2012-12-13 2014-06-18 Eaton Electrical IP GmbH & Co. KG Commutateur indépendant de la polarité pour la conduction et la séparation de courants continus

Patent Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE1160922B (de) * 1962-02-03 1964-01-09 Siemens Ag Lichtbogenkammer fuer Gleich- und Wechselstromschalter
GB1068436A (en) * 1963-08-21 1967-05-10 Comp Generale Electricite Electric switch
EP2743950A1 (fr) * 2012-12-13 2014-06-18 Eaton Electrical IP GmbH & Co. KG Commutateur indépendant de la polarité pour la conduction et la séparation de courants continus

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US11361921B2 (en) 2019-03-13 2022-06-14 Abb S.P.A. Breaking device

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