Alstom Technology Limited

Areva T&d Sa

General Electric Technology Gmbh

Oana Aitken

Jean-Luc Bessede

Chakib Fnineche

Device for making and/or breaking a current including a pair of permanent contacts (), at least one of the contacts () being movable. At least one permanent contact () including a main portion () having a free end and an end protection portion () secured to the free end of the main portion (), designed to be in mechanical and electrical contact with the other permanent contact () only during an operation for opening or closing the pair. The end protection portion () is made of a single transition metal having a melting temperature that is strictly higher than that of the main portion () to which it is secured, or of an oxide or carbide of such a metal, or even of zinc oxide. For application in particular to high- or medium-voltage circuit breakers.

Current connection and/or cut-off device comprising permanent contacts with reduced wear

This electrical switchgear has an interrupting chamber enclosing an interrupting gas (G) substantially devoid of SFand of CF, and a first arcing contact () and a second arcing contact (), the two arcing contacts moving causes an electric arc () to strike, while at least one irradiation wall () is provided that is suitable for being reached by the electric arc. At least two component materials that are part of at least one element selected from the interrupting gas, the first and second arcing contacts, and the or each irradiation wall, are suitable for decomposing under the effect of the electric arc, so as to form decomposed species (e, e) suitable for combining in the interrupting chamber, in order to form at least one new gaseous species (G), before the electric arc is extinguished, the dielectric properties of said at least one new gaseous species being superior to the dielectric properties of said interrupting gas (G).

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Saint Egreve, France

Oana Aitken