Device for disconnecting an electrical supply line with a high-intensity current

• US 9,679,706 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2013
• Issued: 06/13/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amc Etec
• Original Assignee: Amc Etec
• Inventors: Pillet, Michel
• Primary Examiner(s): Luebke, Renee S
• Assistant Examiner(s): SAEED, AHMED M
• Application Number:
  US14/440,450
• Publication Number:
  US 20150279579A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,321 Days
• Field of Search: 200265-270, 200243
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 1/021 Composite material
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 1/023 having a noble metal as the basic material
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 1/20 Bridging contacts for circuit breakers H01H73/045
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 1/50 Means for increasing contact pressure, preventing vibration of contacts, holding contacts together after engagement, or biasing contacts to the open position
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 33/596 for interrupting dc
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 4/28 Clamped connections, spring connections made by means of terminals specially adapted for contact with, or insertion into, printed circuits H01R12/00

Abstract

A disconnecting device having a plurality of modules for disconnecting an electrical supply line of an intensity higher than 1000 A. Each module includes a tight contact casing (10) having at least one fixed-contact conductive element (12, 14) in contact with a mobile-contact conductive element (20, 26), and a mechanism for interrupting the contact between the fixed-contact element and the mobile-contact element so as to disconnect the supply line; metal connection bars (60, 62, and 64, 66) for connecting to a current input and to a current output; and intermediate conductive elements such as blades (68, 70, et 72, 74) connected to the connection bars and to the casing. At least one of the mobile-contact elements includes a silver pellet fixed to the surface of the element, allowing the contact resistance between the mobile-contact element and the fixed-contact element to be reduced by half.

Claims

1. A disconnecting module comprising:

a tight contact casing (10) comprising at least a first fixed-contact conductive element (12) to establish an electrical connection with a current input and a second fixed-contact conductive element (14) to establish an electrical connection with a current output, said first and second fixed-contact elements being electrically connected on an outside of the casing by two connection terminals (16, 18) respectively, and at least one mobile-contact conductive element (20 or 36) adapted to come in contact simultaneously on said first and second fixed-contact elements under the action of an actuating mechanism (26), said mechanism being actuated so as to interrupt the contact between said fixed-contact elements and said mobile-contact element with the aim of disconnecting said electrical power supply line,

at least a first metal connection bar adapted to be connected to a current input and at least a second connection bar adapted to be connected to a current output, and

a first intermediate conductive element connected firstly to said first connection bar and secondly to said first fixed conductive element and a second intermediate conductive element connected firstly to said second connection bar and secondly to said second fixed conductive element;

wherein said electrical power supply line supplies a current of an intensity higher than 1000 A, at least one of said fixed-contact elements (12, 14) or one of said mobile-contact elements (20 or 26) comprises a silver pellet placed on a surface thereof, allowing a contact resistance between the mobile-contact element and the fixed-contact element to be reduced by half,

wherein at least one of said fixed-contact elements (12 or 14) comprises a lower layer made of aluminum (50), an upper layer made of copper having a silver coating (52) and an intermediate layer (54) of foam comprising a metal foam skeleton selected from the group consisting of iron, cobalt, nickel and alloys thereof coated with at least a coating selected from the group consisting of tin, indium and one of their alloys.

2. The disconnecting module according to claim 1, wherein a silver pellet is fixed on a surface of each of said mobile-contact elements (20, 26) coming into contact with each of said fixed-contact elements (12, 14).

3. The disconnecting module according to claim 1, wherein said tight contact casing (10) is filled with an inert gas.

4. The disconnecting module according to claim 3, wherein said gas is a neutral gas.

5. The disconnecting module according to claim 1, wherein said first intermediate conductive element and said second intermediate conductive element are both comprised of at least one group of connection blades (68, 70 and 72, 74).

6. The disconnecting module according to claim 5, wherein said connection blades (68, 70 and 72, 74) form a Z.

7. The disconnecting module according to claim 1, wherein said first intermediate conductive element and said second intermediate conductive element comprise a layer (104, 108) of foam comprising a metal foam skeleton selected from the group consisting of iron, cobalt, nickel and alloys thereof covered with at least a coating of tin, indium or one of their alloys.

8. The disconnecting module according to claim 1, wherein the current supplied by said electric power supply line is direct current.

9. A disconnecting device comprising a plurality of disconnecting modules according to claim 1 arranged in parallel between the current input and the current output.

10. The disconnecting module according to claim 4, wherein said neutral gas is a member of the group consisting of helium, neon, nitrogen and sulphur hexafluoride (SF₆).