Arc driven single pressure type circuit breaker

An electrical interrupter comprising:

• contact means separable to produce an electric arc in an arcing region;
• an elongated enclosure means enclosing said arcing region;
• said enclosure means having first and second cylinder regions on opposite respective ends thereof;
• said contact means supported within said enclosure means;
• high density electronegative fluid at supercritical pressure filling said enclosure means and said arcing region;
• first and second coaxial pistons slidably disposed in and sealing said first and second cylinders respectively;
• said first piston having a greater area exposed to said fluid than said second piston, and mechanical means fixing said first and second pistons to one another whereby they move simultaneously and in the same axial direction;
• biasing means connected to said first and second pistons for biasing said first and second pistons to a given axial location relative to said arcing region under the influence of a given fluid pressure of said fluid;
• said biasing means biasing said first and second pistons for movement in an opposite direction to the differential force on said pistons due to said fluid pressure;
• and operating means connected to said contact means for separating said contact means and producing an arc, whereby the increased fluid pressure produced by said arc moves said first and second pistons and moves said fluid through said arcing region, and whereby pressure surges are limited by the expansion of the volume within said enclosure means due to the movement of said pistons therein.