Loading patent…
AssigneeWestinghouse Electric Corp.
InventorsMaurice J. Taylor, Stephen D. Northrup, Wayne S. Aspey
Estimating the term…
An improved high-voltage circuit-interrupter of the gas-blast type is provided having improved gas-partitioning and particle-collecting means so provided as to prevent the entrance of small insulating, or metallic particles into the high-pressure storage chamber of the interrupter. A non-perforated insulating support member provides support for the high-voltage conductor, and, additionally, seals off the high-pressure gaseous storage region within the high-pressure chamber from the contact interrupting chamber, where, due to contact engagement and disengagement, relatively small metallic particles may be generated, and if allowed to wander into the high-pressure storage chamber provided between the high-voltage conductor and the outer grounded tube of the high-pressure storage chamber, would precipitate, or encourage high-voltage breakdown, or flashover between these two conducting members which are at widely-different voltages, say, for example, 200 K.V. Another important aspect of the invention includes the provision of a grounded collecting chamber located at a strategic position to collect the insulating, or metallic particles, generated within the contact-interrupting region, in an electrically field-free space, where they are permanently collected, and may be removed periodically, if desired, as a part of the maintenance schedule for the circuit-interrupter. However, in the collecting region they are trapped, and are not permitted to advance or enter into the high-pressure chamber.
A high-voltage circuit-interrupter of the gas-blast type including separable contact means separable to establish an arc, blast-valve means for causing a blast of gas to flow against the arc to effect the extinction thereof, operating means to effect the separation of said separable contact means, an elongated high-voltage conductor leading to one of the separable contacts, an annular grounded metallic collector chamber (37) of relatively short length surrounding said high-voltage conductor yet spaced outwardly therefrom, the inner wall of said collector chamber (37) comprising a metallic sheath (117) at ground potential surrounding said high-voltage conductor, and conduit means providing gas-communication between said annular grounded relatively-short metallic collector chamber (37) and the gaseous region adjacent said separable contact structure.
A high-voltage compressed-gas circuit-interrupter including means defining a high-pressure interrupting region, a pair of separable contacts disposed within said high-pressure interrupting region at least one of which is tubular through which compressed gas may exhaust, the separation of said separable contacts establishing an arc, blast-valve means for causing a blast of high-pressure gas to flow out of said high-pressure interrupting region through said one tubular separable contact to effect the extinction of the arc established between said separated contacts, operating means operable to effect both the separation of said separable contact means and also to effect operation of said blast-valve means for establishing an arc-extinguishing blast of gas, a high-voltage metallic conductor leading to one of said separable contacts, an annular grounded metallic collector-chamber extending radially outwardly from said high-voltage metallic conductor and including gas-communication means leading from said collector-chamber to said high-pressure interrupting region, said annular grounded metallic collector-chamber also having an high-pressure inlet feedpipe extending therewithin, means defining an outer metallic grounded sheath surrounding said inner high-voltage metallic conductor so as to provide an annular chamber about said inner high-voltage metallic conductor, said annular chamber defining a high-pressure gaseous storage region, a pneumatic feedpipe (6) leading from said annular high-pressure chamber through a particle filter, and a second feedpipe (26) leading from said particle filter (28) to said annular grounded metallic collector-chamber (37).
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.