Arc-Blasting Unit With Stationary Piston Blowpipe
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electric switching units face challenges in efficiently extinguishing electric arcs during contact separation at high voltages, particularly in gas-impervious enclosures, as arcs can persist and spontaneous extinction is unpredictable, and the use of SF6 gas is limited due to environmental concerns and high costs.
Innovation Solution
A compact arc-blasting system where a stationary piston drives a mobile enclosure, converting the conventional piston rod into a blowpipe to direct a concentrated gas flow precisely at the arc location, enhancing energy utilization and incorporating valves for easier compression chamber filling, allowing for a compact and efficient design.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If a conventional piston rod is used to drive gas flow, then the gas flow spreads prematurely in the contacts cavity, but the arc extinguishing efficiency is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional arrangement by making the enclosure mobile and the piston stationary. The piston rod is converted into a blowpipe that directs gas flow precisely at the arc location. This inversion prevents premature gas flow spreading in the contacts cavity and concentrates the gas flow energy where it is needed for effective arc extinguishing.
Solution Approach 2:
The blowpipe structure provides localized gas flow delivery precisely at the arc location. Instead of general gas flow distribution, the system concentrates the gas flow where it is most needed (at the arc), improving energy utilization and arc extinguishing efficiency while preventing premature spreading of the gas flow in the contacts cavity.
2Ease of manufacture
If the compression chamber is filled under positive pressure, then the filling process requires significant effort, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the pressure parameter during the filling process by opening valves that allow the compression chamber to fill under negative pressure (suction mode). This parameter change reduces the effort required by the driving system during filling, as the chamber naturally draws in gas rather than requiring forced compression.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple enclosures and pistons are used for multiphase switches, then each contact pair can be controlled independently, but the device complexity and size increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a single mobile enclosure and single piston that serves multiple contact pairs simultaneously. The compressed gas from the single enclosure is distributed to multiple blowpipes, each associated with a respective contact pair. This universal approach maintains adaptability for multiphase switches while significantly reducing device complexity and size compared to having separate enclosures and pistons for each contact pair.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution achieves high arc extinguishing efficiency with reduced energy spread and simplified design, enabling effective operation without SF6, while minimizing environmental impact and operational effort.
Implementation Method 1
When the contacts of switches are disconnected at such voltages, an electric arc tends to appear and opposes the cutoff of the electric current
Implementation Method 2
a chamber aside the cavity containing the contacts, in which the gas is compressed during the separation of the contacts by the displacement of a piston
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
This electric switch comprises an arcblasting unit with a compression cylinder (25) enclosing a compression chamber (27) mobile together with the mobile contacts (2), and a stationary piston (13) at an end of the compression chamber, provided with a support rod made up as a blowpipe (9) which channels the gas compressed in the chamber when the contacts separate to a nozzle (10) that directs the flow to a separation place (12) of the contacts so as to efficiently blast electric arcs. The arrangement is lightweight and occupies little space.