Schneider Electric Usa, Inc.

Other

Edgar Avalos Ortiz

Matthew A Williford

Sergio Flores

Carlton R Rodrigues

Pengkai Han

David Dos Santos

Eldridge R Byron

Gregory O Motley

Timothy P O'Leary

Glenn S O'Nan

Jeffrey T Jordan

Jim Ramsey

Thomas J Reed, Jr

Bhushan Kumbalwar

Amol Shrirang Bagaitkar

Alan K Shepherd

A draw out circuit breaker has a reduced partial discharge in insulation surrounding a primary stab bus. A circular disk plate on one end of the bus includes tapped inserts located at a radial separation distance from the bus. An insulator sleeve surrounding the bus is formed to encapsulate the tapped inserts. Raised embosses on the circular disk plate separate the end portion of the insulator sleeve by a gap distance from the inward facing surface of the disk plate. The increased gap distance reduces formation of a triple point region between the surface of the disk plate and the insulator sleeve, thereby reducing occurrence of partial discharges in the insulator sleeve near the gap.

Switching device with reduced partial discharge and improved triple point characteristics

A connector assembly is provided for facilitating live connection of equipment in a switchgear. The assembly includes two circular plates, and conductive fingers which are arranged and spaced apart around the two plates to form a finger cluster with first open-end on a first cluster end and second open-end on an opposite second cluster end. Each open-end can receive a conductor therein. Each finger can include a first finger end and an opposite second finger end which form respective first and second cluster ends; two first interior grooves which are spaced-apart on an interior surface to receive a portion of respective plates; and first and second exterior grooves on an exterior surface around the first and second finger ends respectively. The assembly also includes first and second garter springs which are arranged around the fingers in respective first and second exterior grooves to apply a force against the fingers.

Enclosure and optimizations

Method and apparatus for reducing the minimum clearance needed between an electrical conductor and ground in switchgear and similar electrical isolation equipment provide a bus-connector having an extended toroidal shape that is designed to allow the size of the switchgear cabinet to be reduced while complying with industry-standard performance requirements. The toroidal shaped bus-connector has mostly or only smooth and rounded surfaces so there are no hard or sharp edges or corners from which electrical discharge from/to ground or other conductors may occur. The shaped bus-connector also has an elongated body that produces an offset connection resembling a 'Z,' which allows power buses and breaker terminals that do not vertically line up to connect.

Offset bus connection with field shaping and heat sink

A busway having multiple busbar conductors and pads composed of a thermally conductive, insulating material (TCIM) sandwiched in between each of the conductors and between the outermost conductors and the inside of the busway housing. The busway preferably includes three sets of TCIM pads, one set in the center of the busway, and a set at either end of the busway where a joint pack is installed to join multiple sections of busway sections together. The insulating material on the conductors has a cutout to expose the bare metal of the conductors, and a TCIM pad is placed directly on the exposed metal through the cutout, to form a thermal conduit between the busbar conductors to the metal housing of the busway, thereby reducing the temperatures of the busbar conductors and the joint pack during normal operation in which hundreds or thousands of amps of current are carried through the busway sections.

Thermally efficient busway

A busway joint pack includes a pair of opposing phase connector plates, a first insulating sheet, a second insulating sheet, a first side panel, and a second side panel. The busway joint pack passively transfers thermal energy generated in its core to an exterior housing such that the thermal energy is dissipated or transferred to the surrounding environment, which reduces the internal temperature of the joint pack. The first and the second insulating sheets are positioned and selected with a particular thermal resistance and dimensions such that a portion of the thermal energy generated in the core of the busway joint pack is transferred from the pair of opposing phase connector plates to the external housing.

Thermally efficient busway joint pack

Growing community of inventors

Murfreesboro, TN, United States of America

Edgar Avalos Ortiz