Abb Research Ltd.

Asea Brown Boveri Ag

Lorenz Muller

Lukas Zehnder

Kurt Kaltenegger

Lutz Niemeyer

Thomas Schoenemann

Bodo Bruhl

Jorgen Skindhoj

Manfred Seidel

Benedikt Lopfe

Daniel Bucher

The gas-insulated, metal-enclosed switchgear assembly contains two, three or more switchpanels, each having a multipole power breaker (CB.sub.1, CB.sub.2, CB.sub.3, CB.sub.4) as well as isolating and grounding switches per switch pole (CB.sub.1R) and is designed like a ring or in a 11/2 power-breaker circuit. The switch poles of the power breakers are each of identical design and are arranged parallel to one another. The switchpanels each have one current path of U-shaped design per phase in a vertical plane, in which current path the base of the U contains a vertically aligned pole of the power breaker, and the two limbs of the U each contain an electrical connection of the power breaker and an isolating as well as a grounding switch. The upper limbs of the U of one of the switchpanels are connected phase-by-phase to the lower limbs (S.sub.u) of another of the switchpanels, by means of respective single-phase gas pipelines (L.sub.12 (R), L.sub.23 (R), L.sub.34 (Y)) which are arranged inclined to the vertical and are designed in straight lines. Such a switchgear assembly is distinguished by compact construction.

Gas-insulated, metal-enclosed switchgear assembly

Extending between a fixed tulip contact (1) and a slide tulip (4) is an arcing chamber (5) which is occupied in the closed position by a movable contact pin (3) which fills up both an exhaust (9) surrounded by the slide tulip (4) and a blowout opening (7) which is surrounded by the tulip contact (1) and connects the arcing chamber (5) to a pressure chamber (6). The arcing chamber (5) is surrounded by an annular heating volume (13) open toward the same. Arranged in the pressure chamber (6) is a charge (10) of explosive which is for the most part converted within approximately 10-30 ms after ignition to extinguishing gas, preferably predominantly nitrogen, the gas pressure moving the contact pin (3) toward the open position. After clearance of the blowout opening (7) and the exhaust (9), the arc drawn between the contact pin (3) and tulip contact (1) is blown out, something which is supported by the pressure buildup, to which the arc contributes, in the heating volume (13). The pressure chamber with the charge can also surround the arcing chamber in an annular fashion. In this case, it is also possible to support the opening movement by the explosion pressure, for example, via pistons.

Circuit-breaker with an explosive charge ignited during opening operation

The power breaker is provided with a contact arrangement which is equipped with erosion-resistant contact members and has a stationary contact member (4), a contact member (4) which can move along a central axis (6) and an insulating nozzle (6) which concentrically surrounds the contact members (3, 4) and has a constriction (6). The insulating nozzle (6) is manufactured from an erosion-resistant plastic and is structured such that erosion channels which are formed run at right angles to the direction of the electrical field load. This insulating nozzle emits gases during disconnection, which particularly effectively support the production of blowing pressure in the arc zone.

Power breaker

This power breaker has an arcing chamber which is filled with an insulating medium and extends along a central axis (2). This arcing chamber is provided with a power current path which has two erosion contact arrangements (5, 6) which are arranged on the central axis (2), are at a constant distance from one another in the axial direction and bound an arcing zone. The arcing chamber also has a heating area (13), which is connected to the arcing zone, and a bridging contact which electrically conductively connects the erosion contact arrangements (5, 6) in the connected state. The bridging contact is arranged centrally in the interior of the erosion contact arrangements (5, 6). An annular gap (36) is provided between the erosion contact arrangements (5, 6) and opens directly into the heating area (13). In this power breaker, the flow behavior is significantly improved in the region between the arcing zone and the heating area (13).

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Gebenstorf, Switzerland

Lorenz Muller