Electric circuit interrupter of the puffer type comprising a magnetically actuated piston
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorHeinz O. Noeske
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A puffer-type circuit interrupter comprises a cylinder coupled to the conductive contact rod of the interrupter and a floating piston within the cylinder that is relatively movable with respect to the cylinder to pressurize fluid in the cylinder, which pressurized fluid is used for arc-extinguishing purposes. Means effective during an interrupting operation is provided for forcing current flowing through the rod to follow a loop-shaped path, electrically in series with the rod, that extends through the piston. This current has a magnetic effect while flowing through said loop-shaped path that acts to drive the piston within the cylinder through a fluid-pressurizing operation.
Claims13
In a puffer-type electric circuit interrupter:
- (a) a pair of separable contacts,
- (b) a movable conductive rod electrically connected to and mechanically coupled to one of said contacts,
- (c) means for transmitting contact-separating force to said conductive rod,
- (d) a cylinder having an end wall coupled to said conductive rod,
- (e) a piston located within said cylinder and relatively movable with respect to said cylinder for pressurizing fluid within said cylinder when said piston is moved relative to said end wall in a direction toward said end wall,
- (f) means for conveying pressurized fluid from said cylinder to the space between said contacts upon contact-separation to aid in extinguishing arcs formed between said contacts,
- (g) first tubular conductive structure surrounding said conductive rod,
- (h) second tubular conductive structure surrounding said first tubular conductive structure and said conductive rod,
- (i) said piston having a portion forming an electrical connection between said first and second tubular conductive structures and being movable with respect to said first and second tubular conductive structures,
- (j) conductive bridging structure extending between and electrically interconnecting said conductive rod and said second tubular conductive structure,
- (k) means effective during a contact-separating operation for forcing current flowing through said conductive rod to follow a loop-shaped path that extends in series through said rod, said bridging structure, said second tubular conductive structure, said piston portion, and said first tubular conductive structure, with the instantaneous current in said path flowing through said first tubular structure and said rod in a first direction longitudinally of said rod and flowing through said second tubular structure in a second direction longitudinally of said rod which is generally opposite to said first direction,
- (l) the magnetic effect of current through said loop-shaped path via said piston portion acting to drive said piston toward said cylinder end wall, thereby pressurizing fluid within said cylinder.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.