General Electric Company

Kht Fuses, L.l.c.

Ronald E Bennett

John G Leach

Paul L Waldon

An improved high voltage, full range, current limiting fuse with enhanced ability to dear high and low fault currents, even after the fuse has been subjected to a potentially damaging current surge, includes a sand-filled tubular housing with conductive terminals at either end and a dielectric support member supported therein about which a fusible structure is spirally wound. The fusible structure is electrically connected to the terminals and includes one or more high fault current interrupting elements for clearing high fault currents to which is mounted a low fault current interrupting assembly. The low fault current interrupting assembly includes a plurality of conductive components one of which is a damage sensor portion having a melting time-current characteristic which results in the damage sensor portion melting before the one or more high fault current interrupting elements. This enables the fuse to interrupt a low current which might exist after an element-damaging surge has occurred. A thermal shield mounted to the housing adjacent the low fault current interrupting assembly prevents damage to the housing caused by arcing in the low fault current interrupting assembly.

Full range current limiting fuse to clear high and low fault currents

An electrical apparatus, such as a distribution transformer, provided with heat pipes for cooling. The apparatus is provided with attachment wells, either extending into the cooling fluid of the apparatus or secured along the outside wall of the apparatus. Heat pipes are provided which fit into the attachment wells, with the evaporator section of the heat pipe mounted in the wells. The condenser section of the heat pipe extends away from the apparatus. Thermally conductive grease is placed in the wells to minimize the temperature drop from the wells to the evaporator section of the heat pipe.

Attachment of heat pipes to electrical apparatus

An electrical apparatus, such as a distribution transformer, having heat pipe cooling. The transformer is provided with a cover in the form of a heat pipe with an evaporator section extending from the cover into the dielectric fluid of the transformer. The top of the cover forms the condenser section of the heat pipe.

Growing community of inventors

Hickory, NC, United States of America

Ronald E Bennett