Control center with insulated bus bars

• US 4,024,441 A
• Filed: 09/11/1975
• Issued: 05/17/1977
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/1975
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Company LLC (Brookfield Asset Management Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Company LLC (Brookfield Asset Management Incorporated)
• Inventors: Wilson, John R., Bharteey, Brij M., Coyle, Forrest E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tolin, Gerald P.
• Application Number:
  US05/612,607
• Time in Patent Office: 614 Days
• Field of Search: 174/129 B, 174/133 B, 174/65 R, 174/16 B, 174/110 SR, 174/110 E, 174/163 R, 317/119, 317/120
• US Class Current: 361/624
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2071/006 Provisions for user interfaces for electrical protection devices
• CPC Class Codes: H02B 1/21 Bus-bar arrangements for rack-mounted devices with withdrawable units
• CPC Class Codes: H02B 1/36 with withdrawable units
• CPC Class Codes: H02B 11/24 Shutters or guards

Abstract

A control center characterized by vertical bus bars having electrically insulating covers thereon which covers are in surface-to-surface contact with all surfaces of the bus bars except for spaced areas where connection is made by conductors for load distributions. In addition, each pair of spaced bus bars are isolated from each other by interfitting portions of the covers which portions are coextensive with the bus bars so that resistance to tracking and arcing between the bus bars is maximized.

Claims

1. A control center for distributing electric power from a power supply source to power consuming devices, comprising a cabinet having a plurality of vertical compartments on the front side of the cabinet, a plurality of vertical, horizontally spaced, bus bars in said cabinet, an electrically insulative barrier encasing the bus bars with the surfaces of each bus bar being in surface-to-surface contact with the barrier, the barrier being substantially coextensive with the bus bars and consisting of a dielectric material having good heat transfer properties, the barrier comprises a sheet-like member on each side of the spaced bus bars which members have interfitting portions including a flange-receiving groove in one member and a flange in the other member and extending between each pair of adjacent bus bars, the sheet-like members on opposite sides of the bus bars being substantially coextensive, at least one circuit interrupter structure in the compartments and movable transversely into and out of position adjacent to the bus bars, said structure comprising a contact member engaging the bus bar, and the barrier having openings through which portions of the bus bars extend.

2. The control center of claim 1 in which the sheet-like members extend across the cabinet and substantially divide the chamber from the vertical compartments.

3. The control center of claim 2 in which the barrier consists essentially of a thermosetting resin.

4. The control center of claim 3 in which the thermosetting resin is a material selected from the group consisting of polyester, epoxy, phenol, and mixtures thereof.

5. The control center of claim 4 in which the thermosetting resin is filled with an inorganic reinforcing material.

6. The control center of claim 5 in which the inorganic reinforcing material is glass fiber.

7. The control center of claim 4 in which the resin is isophthalic maleic-glycol, polyester.

8. The control center of claim 4 in which the resin is filled with a filler selected from the group consisting of alumina, aluminum trihydrate, beryllium oxide, calcium carbonate, mica, silica, talc, and mixtures thereof.

9. The control center of claim 7 in which the resin is filled with aluminum trihydrate and is reinforced with glass fiber.

10. The control center of claim 1 in which the two sheet-like members are similar molded objects.

11. The control center of claim 1 in which the groove between one pair of bus bars is in one sheet-like member, and the groove between another pair of bus bars is in the other sheet-like member.