Vacuum interrupter with slow opening solenoid core inside to shorten the length of the conductor assembly

A pole assembly for a circuit interrupter, the pole assembly comprising:

• a stationary conductor comprising a stationary separable contact;
• a movable conductor comprising a movable separable contact, the movable conductor being structured to move between a closed state and an open state;
• a vacuum housing fixed in position in the circuit interrupter and positioned to contain the stationary separable contact and movable separable contact;
• and
• a solenoid actuator arrangement structured to actuate the movable conductor from the closed state to the open state, the solenoid actuator arrangement comprising:
• an actuator seat, the actuator seat being fixed in position in the circuit interrupter and comprising:
• a steel seat, the steel seat comprising:
• an actuator seat central opening that receives the movable conductor and enables the movable conductor travel in an opening direction;
• and
• a trough that surrounds the movable conductor;
• and
• a solenoid coil seated in the trough;
• and
• an iron core fixedly coupled to the movable conductor within the vacuum housing such that the iron core laterally surrounds a portion of the movable conductor within the vacuum housing,
• wherein the steel seat is structured to be magnetized when current is supplied to the solenoid coil,
• wherein the iron core and the steel seat are positioned relative to one another to enable the steel seat to attract the iron core when the steel seat is magnetized, and to cause the movable conductor to separate from the stationary conductor when the steel seat is magnetized.

A hybrid circuit interrupter, the hybrid circuit interrupter comprising:

• a hybrid switch assembly connected between a power source and a load, the hybrid switch assembly comprising:
• a pair of mechanical separable contacts including a stationary separable contact and a movable separable contact;
• and
• an electronic interrupter;
• a stationary conductor comprising the stationary separable contact;
• a movable conductor comprising the movable separable contact, the movable conductor being structured to move between a closed state and an open state;
• a high speed actuator configured to separate the mechanical separable contacts under fault conditions;
• a vacuum housing fixed in position in the circuit interrupter and positioned to contain the mechanical separable contacts;
• and
• a solenoid actuator arrangement configured to actuate the movable conductor from the closed state to the open state under non-fault conditions, the solenoid actuator arrangement comprising:
• an actuator seat, the actuator seat being fixed in position in the circuit interrupter and comprising:
• a steel seat, the steel seat comprising:
• an actuator seat central opening that receives the movable conductor and enables the movable conductor travel in an opening direction;
• and
• a trough that surrounds the movable conductor;
• and
• a solenoid coil seated in the trough;
• and
• an iron core fixedly coupled to the movable conductor within the vacuum housing such that the iron core laterally surrounds a portion of the movable conductor within the vacuum housing,
• wherein the steel seat is structured to be magnetized when current is supplied to the solenoid coil,
• wherein the iron core and the steel seat are positioned relative to one another to enable the steel seat to attract the iron core when the steel seat is magnetized by the solenoid coil, and to cause the movable conductor to separate from the stationary conductor when the steel seat is magnetized.