Electrical switching device

Electrical switching device having a longitudinal axis and delimiting a tank volume, comprising a nominal contact arrangement with a first nominal contact and a mating second nominal contact, which are movable, parallel to the longitudinal axis, in relation to each other and cooperate with each other to switch between a closed state and an open state of the switching device, an arcing contact arrangement with a first arcing contact associated with the first nominal contact and a mating second arcing contact associated with the second nominal contact, which are movable, parallel to the longitudinal axis, in relation to each other and cooperate with each other to switch between the closed state and the open state, the first arcing contact and the second arcing contact defining an arcing volume in which an arc is generated during a switch between the closed state and the open state and in which an arc-quenching medium is present, an exhaust system surrounding the arcing volume and comprising a first exhaust opening connected fluidly to the tank volume, an exhaust channel extending from the arcing volume to the first exhaust opening, the exhaust channel being designed for dissipating hot arc-quenching medium from the arcing volume through the first exhaust opening into the tank volume, the exhaust system further comprising a compression guide extending along the longitudinal axis, a piston arranged slideably in the compression guide, the piston delimiting on its side facing the arcing volume together with the compression guide a heating chamber fluidly connected to the arcing volume, the piston defining on its side opposed to the arcing volume together with the compression guide a compression chamber fluidly connected to the tank volume, and an inlet channel fluidly connected to the compression chamber and extending to an inlet opening fluidly connected to the tank volume, the inlet channel and the exhaust channel being fluidly separated from each other, the inlet channel being oriented in a downward direction in a usage position of the electrical switching device, and, as viewed along the longitudinal axis in the direction opposed to the arcing region, the inlet opening being arranged after the first exhaust opening.