Discharge reactor fuse link

Abstract

A fuse for an electrical discharge reactor made up of a fuse apparatus (10) and a power supply shut down procedure. The fuse apparatus (10) has an end cap (12) that encloses a spring (30) and a rivet (13) or piercing end (14) that is electrically connected to an arcing tube (18), secured to a near end of a strain wire (20), a lower terminal (32) secured to a far end of the strain wire (20), and a contact (24) that is electrically connected to the lower terminal (32). Preferably, the arcing tube (18), strain wire (20), and lower terminal (32) are sheathed in a structure (16) that provides support and electrical insulation such as a quartz tube while ensuring protection of the fuse internal components from the corrosive environment. The power supply shut down procedure includes a synchonized power supply response that lowers the current limit (52) for a set duration to allow the fuse apparatus to clear (54), and then shuts off the current completely (56) for about one second to quench any sustained arcs prior to resuming operations (60).

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.