MEDIUM VOLTAGE CIRCUIT BREAKER IN SUBSEA ENVIRONMENT

• US 20180108504A1
• Filed: 12/14/2017
• Published: 04/19/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ABB Schweiz AG (ABB Limited)
• Original Assignee: ABB Schweiz AG (ABB Limited)
• Inventors: Futane, Pravin, Midtun, Paul, Rongve, Knut S., Hyrenbach, Maik
• Granted Patent: US 10,643,814 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2033/6665 Details concerning the mounting or supporting of the individual vacuum bottles
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 71/025 Constructional details of housings or casings not concerning the mounting or assembly of the different internal parts
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 71/08 Terminals; Connections
• CPC Class Codes: H02B 13/0352 for three phase switchgear
• CPC Class Codes: H02B 13/0354 comprising a vacuum switch H02B13/0352 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02B 13/045 Details of casing, e.g. gas tightness

Abstract

In an embodiment, the present invention provides a medium voltage circuit breaker in high pressure subsea environment, including: a vacuum circuit breaker; and a drive in a pressure tight housing. For an electrical three-phase arrangement, one vacuum circuit breaker per phase is in arranged in a separate pole housing each, and the resulting three pole housings are mounted to a common base compartment, in which all the three drives for the three vacuum circuit breaker are arranged. The three pole housings and the common base compartment are attached such that they form commonly a pressure tight compartment.

Claims

1. A medium voltage circuit breaker in high pressure subsea environment, comprising:

a vacuum circuit breaker; and

a drive in a pressure tight housing,

wherein for an electrical three-phase arrangement, one vacuum circuit breaker per phase is in arranged in a separate pole housing each, and the resulting three pole housings are mounted to a common base compartment, in which all the three drives for the three vacuum circuit breaker are arranged, and

wherein the three pole housings and the common base compartment are attached such that they form commonly a pressure tight compartment.

2. The medium voltage circuit breaker according to claim 1, wherein external contacts of the circuit breaker comprise a conducting material and at least one of the external contacts is or are an integral part of the pressure tight housing.

3. The medium voltage circuit breaker according to claim 1, wherein the drives are mounted inside the common compartment each on a separate frame.

4. The medium voltage circuit breaker according to claim 3, wherein the three drives are mechanically linked together such that, if one of the drives fails, a force of the remaining working drives is strong enough to switch all three vacuum circuit breakers in common with two drives.

5. The medium voltage circuit breaker according to claim 1, wherein the three drives in the common compartment are connected to one common signal wire system, and fed into the common compartment by only one bushing.

6. The medium voltage circuit breaker according to claim 5, wherein the drives are electrically connected to the signal wire in parallel or in line, depending on a desired functionality.

7. The medium voltage circuit breaker according to claim 1, wherein a partial volumina of the pole three housing and the volume of the common compartment for the drives coherently result in a common volumina, which is pressure tight against high environmental pressure of 300 bar or more, such that an inner pressure is about 1 to 3 bar in total.

8. The medium voltage circuit breaker according to claim 7, wherein the common volumina is filled with an insulating gas.

9. The medium voltage circuit breaker according to claim 7, wherein the insulating gas comprises sulfurhexafluoride (SF6).