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AssigneeSchneider Elec. Industries SAS
InventorsRichard Charles, Stephane Dye, Luc Moreau
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A circuit breaker comprises a pair of separable contacts arranged in an opening volume. A plurality of flat de-ionization fins are arranged inside an arc extinguishing chamber opening out onto the opening volume. The chamber is bounded by two opposite side walls, a rear wall located away from the opening volume, a bottom wall and a top wall. Each fin has a free attack edge exposed to the arc. The free edges of the fins laterally bound a longitudinal gulley extending in a heightwise direction from the bottom electrode to the top wall, and longitudinally from a first longitudinal end opening out onto the opening volume at a second longitudinal end tapering to form a stack near to the rear wall, passing via a narrow intermediate portion. A bottom longitudinal electrode partially covers the bottom wall and extends longitudinally facing the gulley at least from the second contact up to the stack.
1- An electrical switchgear apparatus, comprising:
2- Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the fins have a given thickness and are separated two by two by a given distance which is of the same order of magnitude as said thickness.
3- Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the stack is limited to the rear by the rear wall.
4- Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the rear wall is not provided with any gas outlet orifices.
5- Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the chamber and the opening volume together form a closed breaking volume.
6- Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the longitudinal bottom electrode is separated from the fins by a distance which is the same order of magnitude as the thickness of the fins.
7- Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each fin is provided with at least one lateral fixing tab secured in a slit of the side walls, and with at least one rear fixing tab secured in a slit of the rear wall.
8- Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the fins are parallel to one another.
9- Apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the rear wall is inclined with respect to the fins.
10- Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the gulley extends appreciably in the geometric reference plane, at equal distance from the side walls of the chamber.
11- Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the narrow intermediate part of the gulley is located closer to one of the side walls moving away from the opening volume.
12- Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus is a limiting circuit breaker comprising rigid input conductors for conveying current to the contacts, these rigid conductors being shaped in such a way that, when a current flows therethrough, they generate an intense electromagnetic field near the contacts, such as to cause electromagnetic repulsion of the movable contact to the separated position and to project the electric arc into the chamber.