Westinghouse Electric Corporation

Jayant M Patel

Jerome K Wolfe

James R Farley

Forrest E Coyle

Alexander Zwillich

Paul P Koren

A telescoping isolated phase bus disconnect switch includes a cylindrical outer housing at ground potential, a pair of coaxial fixed inner conductors at high potential, and a telescoping coaxial movable inner conductor bridging the two fixed inner conductors to perform a switching function. The movable inner conductor is supported on insulating means extending through the housing and mounted upon a movable carriage outside of the housing. The carriage is operated by a drive motor and mechanical linkage both located outside of the housing. The mechanical linkage produces a variable mechanical advantage, increasing its mechanical advantage over the movement range of the switch as the required closing force increases.

Isolated phase bus disconnect switch with grounded operating mechanism

A telescoping high current disconnect switch for isolated phase bus includes a pair of axially spaced cylindrical fixed conductors insulatingly mounted within a cylindrical aluminum housing. An aluminum telescope section is coaxial with the fixed conductors and is insulatingly mounted upon a plurality of rollway pillow blocks each containing ball bearings. The pillow blocks are supported by guide rails of austenitic non-ferromagnetic stainless steel which are attached to the interior surface of the housing. The telescope section is axially movable along the guide rails to bridge the fixed conductors, such movement causing the ball bearings to cold-form grooves in the rails, whereby portions of the rails are work-hardened.

Telescoping disconnect switch with rail-mounted telescope section

An isolated phase bus disconnect switch has a cylindrical center conductor coaxially disposed in a cylindrical conductive housing having an access port. The edges of the port which are perpendicular to the housing have a conductive gasket of tinned copper braid bolted thereto. A curved conductive cover has a rubber gasket attached to its edges. The cover is removably secured to the housing by a plurality of hold-down hinges attached to the housing which supply sufficient pressure to the cover to seal the rubber gasket and produce electrical contact between the cover and the housing. The electrical path from housing to gasket to cover to gasket to housing eliminates the electrical discontinuity caused by the access port, thus preventing destructive electrodynamic forces between the center conductor and the housing.

Telescoping disconnect switch with gasketed covered access port

A telescoping disconnect switch for isolated phase bus has a cylindrical movable conductor having a plurality of individual contact assemblies each comprising a contact finger and an axially loaded spring fixedly attached thereto. The contact assemblies are circumferentially arranged about the movable conductor and are removably secured between a contact holder ring and a spring retainer ring. A plurality of stabilizer pads are symmetrically arranged around the circumference of the movable conductor between the contact fingers and are fixedly secured to the movable conductor to stabilize the contact assemblies and align the conductor as it moves to open and close the circuit.

Telescoping disconnect switch with high current contact system

An isolated phase bus disconnect switch has a cylindrical aluminum center conductor coaxially disposed within a cylindrical aluminum housing. The center conductor is composed of two fixed axially spaced sections and a coaxial telescoping sleeve assembly which moves axially to make and break electrical contact between the fixed sections. One end of each fixed section and both ends of the sleeve assembly have copper contact rings fixedly attached thereto. Adjoining surfaces of the copper-aluminum interfaces are silver plated, and each of the adjoining aluminum members is axially slotted to permit flexing to allow for differential thermal expansion, while at the same time preventing relative motion between the plated surfaces.

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Cincinnati, OH, United States of America

Jayant M Patel