Electrical switching system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11335524-B2
Application number	US-201917312491-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 18, 2019
Priority date	Dec 19, 2018
Publication date	May 17, 2022
Grant date	May 17, 2022

Abstract

An electrical switching device includes: a main contact arrangement including a fixed contact and a movable contact, a plurality of splitter plates, each having a loop structure, the splitter plates being coaxially stacked with respect to their loop structure to form a stack, wherein one splitter plate is a first outermost plate and another splitter plate is a second outermost plate, a first arc runner electrically connected to the second outermost plate and a second arc runner electrically connected to the first outermost plate, the first and second arc runners being configured to direct a main arc from the main contact arrangement to the stack to thereby split the main arc into a plurality of secondary arcs between the splitter plates, and a first drive coil electrically connected to the second arc runner and to the movable contact or to the first arc runner and to the fixed contact.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An electrical switching device comprising:
a main contact arrangement including a fixed contact and a movable contact,
a plurality of splitter plates, each having a loop structure, the splitter plates being coaxially stacked with respect to their loop structure to form a stack of splitter plates, wherein one of the splitter plates of the stack of splitter plates is a first outermost splitter plate and another one of the splitter plates of the stack of splitter plates is a second outermost splitter plate,
a first arc runner electrically connected to the second outermost splitter plate and a second arc runner electrically connected to the first outermost splitter plate, the first arc runner and the second arc runner being configured to direct a main arc from the main contact arrangement to the stack of splitter plates to thereby split the main arc into a plurality of secondary arcs between the splitter plates, and
a first drive coil electrically connected to the second arc runner and to the movable contact or to the first arc runner and to the fixed contact, wherein the first drive coil has a first force increasing coil portion extending in parallel with the first arc runner in a direction towards the splitter plates such that the first force increasing coil portion is able to carry current in the same direction as and in parallel with a main current flow in the first arc runner to increase the magnetic field to thereby increase the Lorentz force applied to the main arc between the first arc runner and the second arc runner,
wherein the first drive coil, when energised, is configured to create a blowing magnetic field in the stack of splitter plates, causing the secondary arcs to move circumferentially along the loop's structures of the splitter plates.

2. The electrical switching device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first drive coil is electrically connected to the first arc runner and the fixed contact.

3. The electrical switching device as claimed in claim 2 , wherein an outer surface of the second arc runner and an outer surface of the first outermost splitter plate are provided with a layer of ferrous material, and an outer surface of the first arc runner and an outer surface of the second outermost splitter plate are provided with a layer of ferrous material.

4. The electrical switching device as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the second drive coil is a second plate which has a spiral coil structure.

5. The electrical switching device as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the second plate has a second stem portion having a second stem portion axis, wherein the second stem portion transitions into the spiral coil structure in a second transition region, wherein the second transition region has a second inner coil surface which intersects the second stem portion axis with an angle of at most 80 degrees.

6. The electrical switching device as claimed in claim 2 , comprising a second drive coil electrically connected to the second arc runner and to the movable contact, wherein the second drive coil has a second force increasing coil portion extending in parallel with the second arc runner in a direction towards the splitter plates such that the second force increasing portion is able to carry current in the same direction as and in parallel with a main current flow in the second arc runner to increase the magnetic field to thereby increase the Lorentz force applied to the main arc between the first arc runner and the second arc runner.

7. The electrical switching device as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the splitter plates are made of a non-ferrous material.

8. The electrical switching device as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the first drive coil is a first plate which has a spiral coil structure.

9. The electrical switching device as claimed in claim 2 , comprising an arc chamber, wherein the stack of splitter plates forms part of the arc chamber, and wherein the arc chamber includes cooling ducts.

10. The electrical switching device as claimed in claim 1 , comprising a second drive coil electrically connected to the second arc runner and to the movable contact, wherein the second drive coil has a second force increasing coil portion extending in parallel with the second arc runner in a direction towards the splitter plates such that the second force increasing portion is able to carry current in the same direction as and in parallel with a main current flow in the second arc runner to increase the magnetic field to thereby increase the Lorentz force applied to the main arc between the first arc runner and the second arc runner.

11. The electrical switching device as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the second drive coil, when energised, is configured to create a blowing magnetic field in the stack of splitter plates, causing the secondary arcs to move circumferentially along the loop structures of the splitter plates.

12. The electrical switching device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the splitter plates are made of a non-ferrous material.

13. The electrical switching device as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the non-ferrous material is copper or brass.

14. The electrical switching device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first drive coil is a first plate which has a spiral coil structure.

15. The electrical switching device as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the first plate has a first stem portion having a first stem portion axis, wherein the first stem portion transitions into the spiral coil structure in a first transition region, wherein the first transition region has a first inner coil surface which intersects the first stem portion axis with an angle of at most 80 degrees.

16. The electrical switching device as claimed in claim 1 , comprising an arc chamber, wherein the stack of splitter plates forms part of the arc chamber, and wherein the arc chamber includes cooling ducts.

17. The electrical switching device as claimed in claim 16 , wherein the arc chamber comprises outer distancing elements and inner distancing elements, each inner distancing element being arranged concentrically with a corresponding outer distancing element, the outer distancing elements and the inner distancing elements being configured to distance adjacent splitter plates from each other, wherein the outer distancing elements and inner distancing elements are provided with the cooling ducts.

18. The electrical switching device as claimed in claim 17 , wherein the arc chamber comprises an external housing provided with a plurality of openings forming the cooling ducts.

19. The electrical switching device as claimed in claim 16 , wherein the arc chamber comprises an external housing provided with a plurality of openings forming the cooling ducts.

Assignees

• Abb Schweiz Ag

Inventors

• Zhang Zichi
• Valdemarsson Stefan

Classifications

• H01H33/42

  Driving mechanisms · CPC title

• H01H9/36 Primary

  Metal parts · CPC title

• H01H2009/365

  using U-shaped plates · CPC title

• H01H73/18

  Means for extinguishing or suppressing arc {(magnet coil acting as blow-out device H01H71/38)} · CPC title

• H01H33/53

  Cases (for switchgear H02B1/26); Reservoirs, tanks, piping or valves, for arc-extinguishing fluid; Accessories therefor, e.g. safety arrangements, pressure relief devices · CPC title