Westinghouse Electric Corporation

Abb Power Td & Company

USA As Represented by Secretary of the Navy

Willie B Freeman

Charles F Cromer

Jeffry R Meyer

Kue H Yoon

David S Johnson

Anthony S Masarik

Richard M Span

Horst Plettner

William H Fischer

Russell Norman Yeckley

Joachim Stechbarth

Otto H Soles

Klaus Froelich

Klaus B Froehlich

Thomas Hertig

James M Telford

A density monitoring assembly for use in monitoring the gas density within a high voltage circuit breaker tank is disclosed. The density monitoring assembly is coupled directly to an exterior surface of said tank and provides electrical signals indicative of the density of gas within the tank. The assembly comprises a cover that encloses the density monitoring device. The device itself is used to retain the cover. A ball valve and a shraeder type valve are provided to allow testing of the device.

Gas density monitor assembly

Disclosed is a seismic damper for ground equipment such as high voltage breakers and disconnect switches. The disclosed seismic damper is reactive to low frequency seismic disturbances and provides damping in response to both upward and downward vertical forces. The seismic damper is adapted to be connected to such equipment without modifying the equipment. When the seismic dampers are connected to the equipment, the equipment's natural frequency in response to seismic disturbances is reduced. This reduction results from the particular use of a stacked ring compression spring and the particular configuration and assembly of the components of the seismic damper.

Seismic damper for high voltage breakers and disconnect switches

An apparatus for operating a combined interrupter disconnect switch is disclosed. The disconnect switch is operated by a slow speed linear motion of a mechanism pullrod. The interrupter, which is a component of the disconnect switch arm, is operated by a high speed linear motion of the same mechanism pullrod. In a preferred embodiment, the apparatus of the present invention comprises: an operating rod; a high speed operating mechanism connected to the operating rod; a sliding gear having an elongated gear face; a motor, rotatably connected to the sliding gear; a coupling gear drive having a longitudinally disposed threaded shaft and an external gear face, connected to the operating rod and meshed with said sliding gear; a threaded rod threaded into the threaded shaft of the coupling gear drive; and a drive rod connected to the threaded rod and to the mechanism pullrod. The high speed operating mechanism and motor respectively provide high speed and slow speed linear motion to the mechanism pullrod. The elongated gear face of the sliding gear permits decoupling of the high speed operating mechanism and slow speed motor, although both are acting on the same mechanism pullrod. In a preferred embodiment, the operating mechanism of the present invention also comprises upper and lower limit switches, controlled by a switch control bracket, for transmitting open and close commands to the high speed operating mechanism and motor.

Operating mechanism for combined interrupter disconnect switch

The invention provides a high performance circuit breaker with an independent pole operation linkage and conical composite bushings. A mechanical linkage for independently opening and closing a plurality of associated switches is provided by the invention. The linkage comprises a plurality of connecting rods that provide the initial driving force to open or close the switch, cranks for opening and closing the contacts of respective switches, linking elements which couple together the connecting rods and the cranks, and a number of lever assemblies having a bearing ring interfaced thereto. The bearing rings provide a supportive interface between two linking element but permit the linking elements to rotate independently from one another. The lever assemblies also provide an interface for the connecting rods and linking element. According to a method of the present invention, a connecting rod is actuated in response to a signal to cause the lever assembly to pivot. The linking rod interfaced with the connecting rod via the lever assembly is then rotated in response to the pivoting. A crank interfaced with the linking element is then pivoted in response to the rotation of the linking element thereby opening or closing a respective switch. The invention further provide a means and method for synchronously opening and closing the switches based on the current flowing into the switches. Preferably, conical composite bushings are provided in combination with the independent pole operation linkage in a high voltage circuit breaker according to the invention.

High performance circuit breaker with independent pole operation linkage

A dead tank high voltage SF.sub.6 circuit breaker has a stationary cylinder SF.sub.6 puffer section, an arc generated SF.sub.6 pressure blast section, a moving arcing contact plug, and a moving open position shield. The contacts are operated by a reduced size operating mechanism which can be used for both 145 kV and 242 kV circuit breakers.

Compact low force dead tank circuit breaker interrupter

The present invention provides a floating shield for a high voltage bushing. Preferably the bushing is conically shaped and has a composite housing for substantially optimizing the electrical performance of the bushing according to the invention. The floating shield is preferably suspended within the bushing housing by a supporting insulator placed in a low electrical stress region of the bushing. In a preferred embodiment, the supporting insulator is disposed between a ground grading shield and the bushing housing. The composite housing preferably provides a protective inner tube made of a fiber reinforced material and an outer silicone rubber housing having weather sheds formed in a helix on the surface of the housing.

Conical composite SF.sub.6 high voltage bushing with floating shield

A modular closing resistor assembly can be added in line with the interrupter assemblies of an extra high voltage circuit breaker and has a relatively short length. The resistor element consists of two stacks of disks which are disposed side by side and are electrically connected such that the alternate disks of each stack are connected in series with one another. The operating mechanism of the unit includes a linearly moving roller which engages a crank arm which is in turn pivotally connected to operate the movable closing resistor contact with a motion and with a variable mechanical advantage adapted to cause the resistor contacts to close at high speed just after the interrupter contacts close and to open after the interrupter contacts open.

Modular closing resistor

A release mechanism is triggered when the pressure differential on the siall of a sealed container reaches a predetermined threshold level at which the container either implodes or explodes to sufficiently decrease the spacing between the ends of the container and thereby achieve the release. False triggering due to percussion or shock waves may be precluded by disposing a shield about the sidewall.

Pressure sensitive release device

Power circuit breaker apparatus having a novel trip valve on the pneumatic operating mechanism for reducing air consumption of the pneumatic breaker operating mechanism. The novel trip valve includes the addition of a valve stem extension to the trip valve shaft disposed in a sliding fit with an exhaust port to the trip valve actuating cylinder which together provide for quick elimination of compressed air from the trip valve actuating cylinder at a predetermined time during the operation of the breaker mechanism. Positive positioning of the breaker contact and rapid closing of the trip valve at a predetermined time is effectuated thereby reducing air consumption while providing a fail-safe air cushion to the driving piston of the pneumatic mechanism to insure positive positioning of the breaker contacts.

Pneumatic operating mechanism for a circuit breaker

A power circuit breaker has a novel trip valve on the pneumatic operating mechanism for reducing air consumption of the breaker pneumatic operating mechanism. The novel trip valve includes the addition of a valve stem extension to the trip valve shaft disposed in a sliding fit with an exhaust port to the trip valve actuating cylinder which together provide for quick elimination of compressed air from the trip valve actuating cylinder at a predetermined time during the operation of the breaker mechanism. Positive positioning of the breaker contact and rapid closing of the trip valve at a predetermined time is effectuated, thereby reducing air consumption while providing a fail-safe air cushion to the driving piston of the pneumatic mechanism to insure positive positioning of the breaker contacts.

An electric switch includes a pair of separable contacts operable between open and closed positions with respect to each other. An operator shaft is utilized for moving one of the contacts, and the operator shaft has attached thereto at the opposite end an operator piston which is disposed within an operator cylinder. A chemical operator is utilized for generating a hot gas within the operator cylinder and against the operator piston to cause movement thereof.

Transformer protective switch

An improved circuit-interrupter of either the vacuum-type, or of the compressed-gas type, is provided having a shunting capacitance around, or electrically paralleling, the separable power contacts of the main power interrupter. In series with the said electrically-shunting capacitance is capacitor-isolating disconnecting switch, which interrupts the residual capacitance current at a subsequent point in time following the interruption of the main-power current in the main-power interrupting unit. The present invention may be applied not only to vacuum interrupters, but also to compressed-gas circuit-interrupters of either the double-pressure gas type, or the single-pressure gas type, such as the so-called 'puffer' gas type, creating gas flow by relative piston-and-cylinder operation.

Circuit-interrupters having shunting capacitance around the separable

An improved pneumatic operating mechanism construction is provided including the usual stationary operating cylinder with a movable reciprocally-operable driving piston member movable therewithin, and having an extremely-fast pneumatic valve-device cooperable with a movable valve-sealing member attached to, and carried by, the driving side of the movable driving piston. Additionally, a valve-piston bore is provided internally within the stationary valve-housing member, within which reciprocally pneumatically operates the movable valve piston.

Pneumatic operating-mechanism construction

The present invention relates to the utilization of a surge tank in the pneumatic line interconnecting the high-pressure reservoir with the pneumatic control valve controlling the operation of a driving, or operating piston reciprocally operable within a surrounding operating cylinder to operate a circuit-breaker. Preferably, the volume of the surge tank is roughly of the order of the piston-displacement volume traveled by the driving piston in its opening tripping movement of the circuit-breaker, when the mechanism is used to open the circuit-breaker. However, the mechanism may also be used, if desired, to effect closing of the circuit-breaker. Also, preferably, the inlet connection to the surge tank is somewhat restricted in diameter, so as to limit the gas volume exited from the main high-pressure reservoir, yet, however, nevertheless supplying a desirable biasing air pressure to counteract bouncing back, or return movement of the movable circuit-breaker parts at the end of the opening tripping operation of the associated circuit-breaker when the breaker contacts are fully open.

Pneumatic operating mechanism for a circuit-breaker

A multi-pole high-power circuit-interrupter is provided having a common operating mechanism, and having independent pole operation by associating with each of the several pole-units its own independent collapsible latching means, which may be very quickly released upon a tripping operation associated with the respective pole-unit to which said latch is individually connected. Another important feature of the invention, is an overlapping toggle arrangement, in which the toggle is overlapped in the closed-circuit position of the circuit-interrupter, and may be very quickly released to an extended unlatched position, for example, by an electromagnetically-operated tripping device, such as a repulsion coil, for example.

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Irwin, PA, United States of America

Willie B Freeman