Circuit breaker assembly with a pyrotechnic path and an auxiliary path comprising a fuse
The circuit breaker assembly with a pyrotechnic path and fuse rapidly interrupts fault currents, addressing the slow response and thermal aging issues of traditional fuses, ensuring reliable protection by commutating fault currents to a low current fuse.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- PCT/EP2024/061506
- Authority / Receiving Office
- WO · WO
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2024-04-26
- Publication Date
- 2025-10-30
AI Technical Summary
Existing fuses used in DC systems are slow in interrupting fault currents, especially during slight overloads, and suffer from thermal aging, leading to potential damage to electrical components.
A circuit breaker assembly with a busbar bypassed by a low current, high voltage fuse and pyrotechnic sections that commutate fault currents to the fuse for rapid interruption, using electrically triggered explosives to break the busbar and ensure reliable protection.
The circuit breaker assembly achieves fast and reliable interruption of fault currents, preventing damage to electrical circuits by opening contacts before current magnitude increases, with a response time of less than 100 microseconds.
Smart Images

Figure EP2024061506_30102025_PF_FP_ABST
Abstract
Description
[0001] CIRCUIT BREAKER ASSEMBLY WITH A PYROTECHNIC PATH AND AN AUXILIARY PATH COMPRISING A FUSE
[0002] TECHNICAL FIELD
[0003] The disclosure relates to the field of high-speed interruption of fault currents in alternating current (AC) and direct current (DC) systems by using circuit breakers. The disclosure relates to a circuit breaker assembly with a busbar comprising a pyrotechnic section and an auxiliary current path comprising a fuse.
[0004] BACKGROUND
[0005] Fast breakers are an emerging field. Normally such fast breakers are not needed since AC systems are dominant. However, due to the push of renewable energy technologies to reduce the emission of carbon dioxide gases, and increase efficiency, DC systems are becoming more and more important. Hence fast breakers are becoming very important. Due to the lack of DC breakers, fuses are a viable option, but they have some disadvantages. They are very slow at interrupting slight overloads. Traditionally, fuses are rated for nominal currents. In the event of a fault, fuses start melting and interrupt fault currents reliably rather fast. In case of overcurrents, such a fuse can be very slow and might let through the over-currents for a long time damaging electric power components such as batteries. Another drawback is thermal aging. Current cycles that are oscillating can cause significant fuse wear.
[0006] SUMMARY
[0007] This disclosure provides a solution for a high-speed circuit breaker assembly for interrupting fault currents without suffering from the above-described problems. A circuit breaker assembly for interruption of over-currents is provided that is fast and reliable without suffering from thermal aging.
[0008] The disclosure presents a circuit breaker assembly which is able to interrupt the circuit before any damage can happen to the circuit. In the event of a fault, the circuit breaker can open the electrical contacts very fast before the current has a chance to increase in magnitude and becomes harder to interrupt.
[0009] The foregoing and other objects are achieved by the features of the independent claims. Further implementation forms are apparent from the dependent claims, the description and the figures.
[0010] In this disclosure, a circuit breaker assembly is presented that is based on a fuse. The circuit breaker assembly speeds up the fuse while at the same time ensuring it is reliable. The disclosure provides a solution for utilizing the benefits of a fuse and eliminating all of its disadvantages.
[0011] In this disclosure, a circuit breaker assembly, also referred to as a hybrid fuse, is described. The circuit breaker assembly can interrupt fault currents really fast and protect power systems. A busbar is bypassed with a low current but high voltage fuse, for example, rated for 1 A and 1000V. The fuse is rated at higher than the system voltage, where its current carrying capability is much less. The busbar will conduct the nominal current. In the event of a fault, the busbar is blowup at special weakened joints to commutate the current to the fuse. The fuse then fully interrupts the fault current.
[0012] The circuit breaker assembly as presented in this disclosure provides a solution to the abovedescribed problem of slow fuses, i.e., that fuses are slow especially during slight overloads and suffer from thermal cycling leading to poor reliability especially in systems where currents are changing in magnitude rapidly.
[0013] The circuit breaker assembly comprises a busbar as described below with respect to Figure 1 that does not suffer from thermal cycling. The busbar is bypassed with a low current high voltage fuse. The presented solution is very fast independent of current magnitude. Further details are described below with respect to Figure 1.
[0014] In order to describe the disclosure in detail, the following terms and notations will be used.
[0015] AC Alternating current
[0016] DC Direct current
[0017] PV Photovoltaic
[0018] LV Low voltage
[0019] In AC systems, the current crosses zero every 10 ms (for a 50 Hz system). Every time it crosses zero, the circuit breaker has the potential to interrupt the fault current. Traditional AC breakers do not need to be fast. They just need to be reliable and robust. However new more efficient systems require DC and not AC. DC has numerous benefits and also low inductance but no current zero crossing.
[0020] Due to the absence of DC breakers, most often, a fuse is used as a protection device. This fuse however is very slow especially for slight overloads as is the case in electric cars. This disclosure provides a solution for a circuit breaker that can particularly be applied in DC systems, but also in AC systems. The circuit breaker assembly described in this disclosure is a reliable device that is very fast irrespective of the current magnitude. It can safely protect the system and interrupt fault currents very fast.
[0021] According to a first aspect, the disclosure relates to a circuit breaker assembly, comprising: a first contact terminal and a second contact terminal; a busbar configured to enable a current flow between the first contact terminal and the second contact terminal; and an auxiliary current path electrically connected in parallel to the busbar between the first contact terminal and the second contact terminal, the auxiliary current path comprising a fuse, wherein a nominal current value of the fuse is smaller than an operating current value of the busbar; wherein the busbar comprises at least one pyrotechnic section arranged between the first contact terminal and the second contact terminal in parallel to the auxiliary current path, wherein an activation of the at least one pyrotechnic section responsive to a fault current flow between the first contact terminal and the second contact terminal interrupts the busbar, thereby commutating the fault current to the auxiliary current path for an extinction of the fault current by the fuse.
[0022] Such a circuit breaker assembly can interrupt over-currents fast and reliable without suffering from thermal aging. The circuit breaker assembly is able to interrupt the circuit before any damage can happen to the circuit. In the event of a fault, the circuit breaker assembly can open the electrical contacts very fast before the current has a chance to increase in magnitude and becomes harder to interrupt.
[0023] In an exemplary implementation of the circuit breaker assembly, the nominal current value of the fuse is a fraction of the operating current value of the busbar enabling a majority of the current flowing through the busbar. The fuse can be used as a protection device, since it will only receive a minority of the current flowing through the busbar. In case of overcurrent condition, the current is commutated to the fuse and the fuse can safely extinguish the fault current.
[0024] In an exemplary implementation of the circuit breaker assembly, the fuse is configured to withstand a predetermined system voltage between the first contact terminal and the second contact terminal in order to provide an electrical isolation between the first contact terminal and the second contact terminal when the fault current is extinguished by the fuse. Electrical isolation between the first contact terminal and the second contact terminal can be guaranteed and hence damages of the electrical circuit can be avoided. In an exemplary implementation of the circuit breaker assembly, the at least one pyrotechnic section is arranged at one or several pre-defined points of the busbar to define predetermined breaking points of the busbar. Thus, the busbar can be easier replaced or renewed after a fault condition.
[0025] In an exemplary implementation of the circuit breaker assembly, the at least one pyrotechnic section comprises multiple pyrotechnic sections arranged to form a stack. Accordingly, a thick bus bar can easily be interrupted. Thus, the circuit breaker assembly can be deployed in bus bars of high current carrying capacity.
[0026] In an exemplary implementation of the circuit breaker assembly, the at least one pyrotechnic section comprises electrically triggered explosives which are configured to explode by an electrical activation responsive to the fault current and thereby destroy the busbar and interrupt the fault current flow through the busbar. Such electrical activation can be efficiently controlled, e.g., based on a controller and a current measuring sensor device.
[0027] In an exemplary implementation of the circuit breaker assembly, the electrically triggered explosives are locked in one or more chambers of the busbar. Thus, it can be ensured that the explosives will not be triggered unintentionally.
[0028] In an exemplary implementation of the circuit breaker assembly, the electrically triggered explosives are covered with sand, in order to enable electrical isolation of the busbar when the at least one pyrotechnic section is activated and to accelerate commutation of the fault current to the auxiliary current path. The sand enables electrical isolation of the busbar when the at least one pyrotechnic section is activated. The sand accelerates commutation of the fault current to the auxiliary current path.
[0029] In an exemplary implementation of the circuit breaker assembly, the electrically triggered explosives comprise gunpowder. Gunpowder can be efficiently used to initiate an explosion resulting in a fast interruption of the busbar.
[0030] In an exemplary implementation of the circuit breaker assembly, the busbar is made of copper; and the copper is weakened at the at least one pyrotechnic section to enable a melting of the copper at the at least one pyrotechnic section when the at least one pyrotechnic section is activated. By weakening the copper at the pyrotechnic sections, copper at these sections can easily melt during activation of the pyrotechnic sections, thereby enabling a safe interruption of the busbar. In an exemplary implementation of the circuit breaker assembly, at the at least one pyrotechnic section the busbar is segmented in filaments which are configured to melt upon activation of the at least one pyrotechnic section, in order to enable a complete interruption of the busbar. By using such filaments, a safe interruption of the busbar can be guaranteed.
[0031] In an exemplary implementation of the circuit breaker assembly, the busbar is lined with sand in order to extinguish an arc that occurs when the at least one pyrotechnic section is activated. The sand can efficiently extinguish the arc. Other materials as sand can be used as well.
[0032] In an exemplary implementation of the circuit breaker assembly, the nominal current value of the fuse is within a range of one or more Amperes. Such nominal current value of the fuse allows to apply the fuse in high current busbars carrying current of hundreds or thousands of Amperes.
[0033] In an exemplary implementation of the circuit breaker assembly, the fuse is configured to withstand a predetermined system voltage between the first contact terminal and the second contact terminal of 1000 Volts or higher.
[0034] Such circuit breaker assembly withstanding a system voltage of 1000 Volts and higher can be efficiently applied in electric vehicles, DC microgrids, battery systems, PV and datacenters.
[0035] In an exemplary implementation of the circuit breaker assembly, the circuit breaker assembly comprises: a microcontroller configured to capture the current flow between the first contact terminal and the second contact terminal and to activate the at least one pyrotechnic section when the current flow corresponds to a fault current flow. Thus, detection of an overcurrent and controlling the activation of the at least one pyrotechnic section can be efficiently performed.
[0036] In an exemplary implementation of the circuit breaker assembly, the circuit breaker assembly may be configured to drive the fault current down to zero in less than 100 microseconds. In other implementations, the fault current may be extinguished in some more time, e.g., in less than 150, 200, 250, 300, 350, 400, 450, 500 or more microseconds, for example.
[0037] Such circuit breaker assembly provides a high-speed circuit breaker device. According to a second aspect, the disclosure relates to a method for handling a circuit breaker assembly according to the first aspect described above, the method comprising: detecting a fault current based on the current flow between the first contact terminal and the second contact terminal crossing a threshold; and activating the at least one pyrotechnic section upon detecting the fault current to interrupt the busbar.
[0038] Such method allows an ultra-fast interruption of fault currents, thereby protecting the circuit from damage.
[0039] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0040] Further embodiments of the disclosure will be described with respect to the following figures, in which:
[0041] Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram illustrating a circuit breaker assembly according to the disclosure; and
[0042] Figure 2 shows a schematic diagram illustrating a method for handling a circuit breaker assembly according to the disclosure.
[0043] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
[0044] In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part thereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration specific aspects in which the disclosure may be practiced. It is understood that other aspects may be utilized and structural or logical changes may be made without departing from the scope of the disclosure. The following detailed description, therefore, is not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the disclosure is defined by the appended claims.
[0045] It is understood that comments made in connection with a described method may also hold true for a corresponding device or system configured to perform the method and vice versa. For example, if a specific method step is described, a corresponding device may include a unit to perform the described method step, even if such unit is not explicitly described or illustrated in the figures. Further, it is understood that the features of the various exemplary aspects described herein may be combined with each other, unless specifically noted otherwise.
[0046] In the following, circuit breakers and fuses are described. A fuse is an electrical safety device that operates to provide overcurrent protection of an electrical circuit. Its essential component is a metal wire or strip that melts when too much current flows through it, thereby stopping or interrupting the current. It is a sacrificial device; once a fuse has operated, it is an open circuit, and must be replaced or rewired, depending on its type. A circuit breaker is an electrical safety device designed to protect an electrical circuit from damage caused by overcurrent. Its basic function is to interrupt current flow to protect equipment and to prevent the risk of fire. The generic function of a circuit breaker or fuse, as an automatic means of removing power from a faulty system, is often abbreviated as OCPD (Over Current Protection Device).
[0047] The following figures illustrate the circuit breaker assembly and a method for handling the circuit breaker assembly in detail.
[0048] Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram illustrating a circuit breaker assembly 100 according to the disclosure.
[0049] The circuit breaker assembly 100 comprises: a first contact terminal 111 and a second contact terminal 112; and a busbar 110 configured to enable a current flow 101 between the first contact terminal 111 and the second contact terminal 112.
[0050] The circuit breaker assembly 100 comprises: an auxiliary current path 130 electrically connected in parallel to the busbar 110 between the first contact terminal 111 and the second contact terminal 112. The auxiliary current path 130 comprises a fuse 131 , wherein a nominal current value of the fuse 131 is smaller than an operating current value of the busbar 110.
[0051] The nominal current value of the fuse is essentially the normal value of the electrical current that is expected to flow through the fuse 131 at any given time. It can be a predefined value specific to the fuse. The operating current value of the busbar 110 is essentially the normal value of the electrical current flowing through the busbar 110 at normal operation conditions of the busbar 110. The operating current value of the busbar 110 can also be a predefined value specific to the busbar 110.
[0052] The busbar 110 comprises at least one pyrotechnic section 120 arranged between the first contact terminal 111 and the second contact terminal 112 in parallel to the auxiliary current path 130. An activation of the at least one pyrotechnic section 120 responsive to a fault current flow between the first contact terminal 111 and the second contact terminal 112 interrupts the busbar 110, thereby commutating the fault current to the auxiliary current path 130 for an extinction of the fault current by the fuse 131.
[0053] The nominal current value of the fuse 131 can be fraction of the operating current value of the busbar 110 enabling a majority of the current 101 flowing through the busbar 110. The fuse 131 may be configured to withstand a predetermined system voltage between the first contact terminal 111 and the second contact terminal 112 in order to provide an electrical isolation between the first contact terminal 111 and the second contact terminal 112 when the fault current is extinguished by the fuse 131.
[0054] The at least one pyrotechnic section 120 may be arranged at one or several pre-defined points of the busbar 110 to define predetermined breaking points of the busbar 110. In Figure 1 , for simplicity only one point is shown where one pyrotechnic section 120 may be arranged. The at least one pyrotechnic section 120 may comprise multiple pyrotechnic sections 120 arranged to form a stack (not shown in Figure 1). It may also comprise electrically triggered explosives 121 which are configured to explode by an electrical activation responsive to the fault current and thereby destroy the busbar 110 and interrupt the fault current flow through the busbar 110.
[0055] The electrically triggered explosives 121 may be locked in one or more chambers 122 of the busbar 110. In Figure 1 , an exemplary number of four chambers 122 is shown. However, different pyrotechnic sections 120 may have different or the same number of chambers 122. The electrically triggered explosives 121 may be covered with sand, in order to enable electrical isolation of the busbar 110 when the at least one pyrotechnic section 120 is activated and to accelerate commutation of the fault current to the auxiliary current path 130. The electrically triggered explosives 121 may for example comprise gunpowder or any other explosive material.
[0056] In one exemplary implementation, the busbar 110 may be made of copper. The copper may be weakened at the at least one pyrotechnic section 120 to enable melting of the Copper at the at least one pyrotechnic section 120 when the at least one pyrotechnic section 120 is activated.
[0057] At the at least one pyrotechnic section 120 the busbar 110 may be segmented in filaments which are configured to melt upon activation of the at least one pyrotechnic section 120 in order to enable a complete interruption of the busbar 110. The busbar 110 may be lined with sand in order to extinguish an arc that occurs when the at least one pyrotechnic section 120 is activated.
[0058] The nominal current value of the fuse 131 can be, for example, within a range of one or more Amperes. The fuse 131 may be configured to withstand a predetermined system voltage between the first contact terminal 111 and the second contact terminal 112 of for example 1000 Volts or higher. The circuit breaker assembly 100 may comprise: a microcontroller (not shown in Figure 1) configured to capture the current flow 101 between the first contact terminal 111 and the second contact terminal 112 and to activate the at least one pyrotechnic section 120 when the current flow 101 corresponds to a fault current flow.
[0059] In an exemplary implementation, the circuit breaker assembly 100 may be configured to drive the fault current down to zero in less than 100 microseconds. In other implementations, the fault current may be extinguished in some more time, e.g., in less than 150, 200, 250, 300, 350, 400, 450, 500 or more microseconds, for example.
[0060] In the following further embodiments of the circuit breaker assembly 100 are described.
[0061] The nominal current path consists of a busbar 110 that is on purpose made weak at one or several points. These weak joints are lined with electrically triggered explosives 121 shown in circles in Figure 1 . This busbar 110 is rated to be able to conduct the nominal current such as 630 A, for example. The constrictions are also covered with sand to help isolate and commutate the current 101. The auxiliary branch 130 consists of a very low current fuse 131 , which can be as low as a couple of amperes depending on the desired interruption speed. The low current fuse 131 is however rated to withstand at least the full system voltage.
[0062] In the event of a fault, explosive material 121 such as a gunpowder is triggered to blow up the constrictions on the busbar 110 and hence commutate the current 101 to the low amp rated fuse 131. In this example of Figure 1 , the busbar 110 is divided into 5 smaller segments to be able to sandwich them with explosives 121. Furthermore, each segment may have constrictions done deliberately to ensure reliable and repeatable breaking at these constrictions.
[0063] Once the explosive 121 is triggered, the busbar 110 will be destroyed chemically. This results in a fast current commutation that can be in the order of tens of microseconds. Once the electrical connection is broken, all the current will flow through the low current rated fuse 131 . Suddenly, in a matter of microseconds, the fuse 131 in the auxiliary branch 130 will conduct the full fault current due to the fast current commutation. Depending on the current rating, the low current rating fuse 131 will blow up and hence interrupt the fault current and provide a reliable isolation as long as it is rated higher than the full system voltage. The busbar 110, e.g., copper busbar can also be lined with sand to quench the arc in during the commutation or explosion phase. The main idea is to cut the copper busbar directly using gunpowder energy, chemically melting the copper. In this way, there is no need to accelerate a piston or knife to cut the mechanical busbar 110 mechanically. This will result in significantly faster interruption speeds. For example, interruption speeds lower than 500 us, in particular down to 100 us can be achieved.
[0064] The circles in Figure 1 are the gun powder 121. The dashed lines represent sand that sandwiches the thin filament of the copper such that it can also melt. The copper is weakened on purpose in one or two locations where the gunpowder 121 is inserted to create a well- defined failure.
[0065] The circuit breaker assembly 100 as described above is reliable and is very fast irrespective of the current magnitude. It can safely protect the system and interrupt fault currents very fast.
[0066] The circuit breaker assembly 100 according to the disclosure can be applied in datacenters, DC systems, especially LVDC up to 1500 V, renewables such as PV, or electric vehicles and charging stations. The fuse is highly useful in DC systems or in any system where complete fault current interruption in less than 1 ms is mandatory.
[0067] The circuit breaker assembly 100 according to the disclosure provides a solution for a novel fuse, also called “hybrid fuse” to interrupt fault currents in less than 1 ms. The circuit breaker assembly 100 according to the disclosure is a device for limiting and interrupting fault currents really fast with no conduction losses. The device can be deployed in datacenters, PV, battery systems, electric vehicles, or DC microgrids, and other applications, for example.
[0068] Figure 2 shows a schematic diagram illustrating a method 200 for handling a circuit breaker assembly according to the disclosure. The circuit breaker assembly 100 may correspond to the circuit breaker assembly 100 as described above with respect to Figure 1 .
[0069] The method 200 comprises detecting 201 a fault current based on the current flow 101 between the first contact terminal 111 and the second contact terminal 112 (shown in Figure 1) crossing a threshold. The method 200 comprises activating 202 the at least one pyrotechnic section 120 (as shown in Figure 1) upon detecting the fault current to interrupt the busbar 110 as shown in Figure 1 . Such method allows a high-speed interruption of the fault current, thereby protecting the circuit from damage. While a particular feature or aspect of the disclosure may have been disclosed with respect to only one of several implementations, such feature or aspect may be combined with one or more other features or aspects of the other implementations as may be desired and advantageous for any given or particular application. Furthermore, to the extent that the terms "include", "have", "with", or other variants thereof are used in either the detailed description or the claims, such terms are intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term "comprise". Also, the terms "exemplary", "for example" and "e.g." are merely meant as an example, rather than the best or optimal. The terms “coupled” and “connected”, along with derivatives may have been used. It should be understood that these terms may have been used to indicate that two elements cooperate or interact with each other regardless whether they are in direct physical or electrical contact, or they are not in direct contact with each other.
[0070] Although specific aspects have been illustrated and described herein, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that a variety of alternate and / or equivalent implementations may be substituted for the specific aspects shown and described without departing from the scope of the disclosure. This application is intended to cover any adaptations or variations of the specific aspects discussed herein.
[0071] Although the elements in the following claims are recited in a particular sequence with corresponding labeling, unless the claim recitations otherwise imply a particular sequence for implementing some or all of those elements, those elements are not necessarily intended to be limited to being implemented in that particular sequence.
[0072] Many alternatives, modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the above teachings. Of course, those skilled in the art readily recognize that there are numerous applications of the disclosure beyond those described herein. While the disclosure has been described with reference to one or more particular embodiments, those skilled in the art recognize that many changes may be made thereto without departing from the scope of the disclosure. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents, the disclosure may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein.
Claims
CLAIMS:
1. A circuit breaker assembly (100), comprising: a first contact terminal (111) and a second contact terminal (112); a busbar (110) configured to enable a current flow (101) between the first contact terminal (111) and the second contact terminal (112); and an auxiliary current path (130) electrically connected in parallel to the busbar (110) between the first contact terminal (111) and the second contact terminal (112), the auxiliary current path (130) comprising a fuse (131), wherein a nominal current value of the fuse (131) is smaller than an operating current value of the busbar (110); wherein the busbar (110) comprises at least one pyrotechnic section (120) arranged between the first contact terminal (111) and the second contact terminal (112) in parallel to the auxiliary current path (130), wherein an activation of the at least one pyrotechnic section (120) responsive to a fault current flow between the first contact terminal (111) and the second contact terminal (112) interrupts the busbar (110), thereby commutating the fault current to the auxiliary current path (130) for an extinction of the fault current by the fuse (131).
2. The circuit breaker assembly (100) of claim 1 , wherein the nominal current value of the fuse (131) is a fraction of the operating current value of the busbar (110) enabling a majority of the current (101) flowing through the busbar (110).
3. The circuit breaker assembly (100) of claim 1 or 2, wherein the fuse (131) is configured to withstand a predetermined system voltage between the first contact terminal (111) and the second contact terminal (112) in order to provide an electrical isolation between the first contact terminal (111) and the second contact terminal (112) when the fault current is extinguished by the fuse (131).
4. The circuit breaker assembly (100) of any of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one pyrotechnic section (120) is arranged at one or several predefined points of the busbar (110) to define predetermined breaking points of the busbar (110).
5. The circuit breaker assembly (100) of any of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one pyrotechnic section (120) comprises multiple pyrotechnic sections (120) arranged to form a stack.
6. The circuit breaker assembly (100) of any of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one pyrotechnic section (120) comprises electrically triggered explosives (121) which are configured to explode by an electrical activation responsive to the fault current and thereby destroy the busbar (110) and interrupt the fault current flow through the busbar (110).
7. The circuit breaker assembly (100) of claim 6, wherein the electrically triggered explosives (121) are locked in one or more chambers (122) of the busbar (110).
8. The circuit breaker assembly (100) of claim 6 or 7, wherein the electrically triggered explosives (121) are covered with sand, in order to enable electrical isolation of the busbar (110) when the at least one pyrotechnic section (120) is activated and to accelerate commutation of the fault current to the auxiliary current path (130).
9. The circuit breaker assembly (100) of any of claims 6 to 8, wherein the electrically triggered explosives (121) comprise gunpowder.
10. The circuit breaker assembly (100) of any of the preceding claims, wherein the busbar (110) is made of copper; and wherein the copper is weakened at the at least one pyrotechnic section (120) to enable a melting of the copper at the at least one pyrotechnic section (120) when the at least one pyrotechnic section (120) is activated.
11. The circuit breaker assembly (100) of any of the preceding claims, wherein at the at least one pyrotechnic section (120) the busbar (110) is segmented in filaments which are configured to melt upon activation of the at least one pyrotechnic section (120) in order to enable a complete interruption of the busbar (110).
12. The circuit breaker assembly (100) of any of the preceding claims, wherein the busbar (110) is lined with sand in order to extinguish an arc that occurs when the at least one pyrotechnic section (120) is activated.
13. The circuit breaker assembly (100) of any of the preceding claims, wherein the nominal current value of the fuse (131) is within a range of one or more Amperes.
14. The circuit breaker assembly (100) of any of the preceding claims, wherein the fuse (131) is configured to withstand a predetermined system voltage between the first contact terminal (111) and the second contact terminal (112) of 1000 Volts or higher.
15. The circuit breaker assembly (100) of any of the preceding claims, comprising: a microcontroller configured to capture the current flow (101) between the first contact terminal (111) and the second contact terminal (112) and to activate the at least one pyrotechnic section (120) when the current flow (101) corresponds to a fault current flow.
Citation Information
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