Inverted Circuit Breaker Drive Mechanism for Energy Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
High voltage circuit breakers face challenges in reducing drive energy while maintaining compactness, as hot gases generated during high current breaking can lead to dielectric ignition, requiring over-dimensioning and increasing costs.
Innovation Solution
A circuit breaker design with a drive bar coupled to a drive member, featuring a first contact with a main and arcing contact, and a second contact with a shorter stroke, where the drive bar and second contact move together, reducing kinetic energy consumption by inverting the mass distribution and optimizing the transmission mechanism to minimize drive energy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If a double-acting motion system is used to reduce drive energy, then drive energy is reduced, but the structure becomes more complex and hot gases can be projected into the vicinity of main contacts
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional arrangement by coupling the drive bar to the second contact (with shorter stroke) rather than the first contact (with longer stroke). This inversion allows the transmission means to be disposed on the side adjacent to the drive bar, simplifying the structure while maintaining the double-acting motion that reduces drive energy consumption by 30%.
Solution Approach 2:
The circuit-breaking chamber is divided into two independent contacts with different stroke lengths, allowing each contact to be optimized separately. The first contact has a longer stroke for effective arc extinction, while the second contact has a shorter stroke that can be directly coupled to the drive bar, reducing overall system complexity and energy requirements.
2Reliability
If the circuit breaker is over-dimensioned to prevent dielectric ignition from hot gases, then dielectric integrity is maintained, but compactness is reduced and costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent redirects the harmful hot gases generated during arc extinction away from the main contacts and towards the arc blast nozzle. By inverting the mass distribution and optimizing the transmission mechanism, the hot gas flow is channeled to assist in arc extinction rather than causing dielectric ignition, converting a harmful effect into a beneficial one and eliminating the need for over-dimensioning.
Solution Approach 2:
The arc blast nozzle acts as an intermediary that redirects hot gases away from the main contacts. The optimized transmission mechanism serves as a mediator that controls the motion of contacts to ensure hot gases are directed towards the arc extinction zone rather than towards the main contacts, preventing dielectric ignition without requiring increased dimensions.
3Reliability
If the first contact has a longer stroke for effective arc extinction, then arc extinction performance is improved, but kinetic energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of coupling the drive bar to the first contact with the longer stroke, the patent inverts the arrangement and couples it to the second contact with the shorter stroke. This allows the first contact to achieve its longer stroke through the transmission means while the drive bar only needs to move a shorter distance, significantly reducing kinetic energy consumption while maintaining arc extinction performance.
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 design achieves a 30% reduction in kinetic energy consumption and maintains compactness, reducing the risk of dielectric ignition by redirecting hot gases away from the contacts, thus enhancing the energy budget and preventing electrical arcing.
Implementation Method 1
a drive bar (70) coupled to a drive member in such a manner as to move in translation along an axis (A-A'); transmission means (5) for separating the first contact (3) and second contact (4) from each other during a circuit-breaking operation
Implementation Method 2
an electric arc blast nozzle (32), all secured together... redirecting hot gases away from the contacts
Implementation Method 3
transmission means (5) for separating the first contact (3) and second contact (4) from each other... adapted to transmit the motion of the driven second contact (4) to the first contact (3)
Data Source
AI summary
This invention relates to a circuit breaker (1) for high or medium voltages, of the type having a drive bar (70) coupled to a drive member, and a circuit-breaking chamber (2) facing it and having two contacts (3, 4), each contact (3, 4) including a main contact (30, 40 respectively) and an arcing contact (31, 41 respectively), with one of the two contacts (3) being fixed to a blast or extinguishing nozzle (32). According to the invention, the second contact (4) and the drive bar (70) are joined together by coupling means (6) in such a way that they move together in translation in the same direction, the transmission means (5) being disposed on the side (21) of the chamber (2) that is adjacent to the drive bar (70), and are adapted to transmit the motion of the driven second contact (4) to the first contact (3).