Electrical circuit breaker with rotating arc and self-extinguishing expansion

• US 5,166,483 A
• Filed: 05/30/1991
• Issued: 11/24/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Merlin Gerin
• Original Assignee: Merlin Gerin
• Inventors: Kersusan, Jean-Pierre, Pennucci, Victor, Filiputti, Hugues
• Primary Examiner(s): Broome, Harold
• Application Number:
  US07/707,897
• Time in Patent Office: 544 Days
• Field of Search: 200/144 A, 200/145, 200/146, 200/147, 200/148, 200/149, 200/150
• US Class Current: 218/71
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 33/982 in which the pressure-generating arc is rotated by a magnetic field

Abstract

A three-phase circuit breaker with self-extinguishing expansion and rotating arc structures comprises an arc extinguishing chamber per pole and housing a pair of contacts, one stationary and one moveable, a coil to rotate the arc, and an exhaust channel in at least one contact to provide an opening a communication and gas outflow between the extinguishing chamber and the expansion volume of an enclosure filled with SF6. The extinguishing chamber has a square or rectangular cross-section to resorb the gas plug after braking of the gas rotation movement, and improve stirring of the gas in the extinguishing chamber.

Claims

1. An electrical circuit breaker having an expansion volume and including at least one pole, each of said at least one pole comprising:

a sealed enclosure defining an extinguishing chamber filled with an insulating gas;

a stationary contact in said enclosure;

a movable contact fixed to a sliding pin which gas-tightly passes through said sealed enclosure, said movable contact cooperable with said stationary contact to define open and closed positions;

means for rotating an arc formed between said contacts as said contacts separate towards said open position;

at least one gas exhaust channel in at least one of said contacts to provide gas communication between said sealed enclosure and said expansion volume upon separation of said contacts,

wherein said extinguishing chamber has a substantially rectangular cross-section to disturb rotation movement of said gas.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein said cross-section is square.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein said insulating gas is sulfur-hexafluoride.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein said extinguishing chamber is defined by two half-shells attached together with fixing screws and a seal interposed between said two half-shells.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein said means for rotating an arc comprises a cylindrical electromagnetic coil coaxially disposed around said stationary contact.

6. The device of claim 1, further comprising an internal shielding wall arranged against an internal surface of said extinguishing chamber.

7. The device of claim 1, further comprising a tubular insulating sleeve for guiding said sliding pin, said sleeve having one end fixed to said sealed enclosure and a second end including a retaining ring and an annular auxiliary seal such that said retaining ring and said annular auxiliary seal are coaxially disposed around said sliding pin to gas-tightly seal said sliding pin.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein said one end of said sleeve is fixed to said sealed enclosure by ultra-sonic welding.

9. The device of claim 7, wherein said retaining ring is fixed to said sleeve by ultra-sonic welding.