For protecting wildlife from electrocution by high voltage components, dielectric covers are used to cover fuse cutouts, insulators, or other high voltage components. The cover includes through-holes for receiving retaining pins to secure the cover in place. The holes are the weak link in flashover prevention since the holes form an air gap, which has a breakdown voltage lower than that of the cover material. To prevent a bird's wing or a squirrel's tail from directly covering the hole in the surface of the cover, an arched or tubular hood is formed around each hole to block the bird or squirrel from directly covering the hole, reducing the risk of a flashover through the hole. The hoods extend out about 1-1.5 inches to essentially add a 1-1.5 inch air gap between the animal and the hole without enlarging the cover.

A fuse cutout cover is disclosed that allows a lineman to engage a metal hook assembly and pull ring of the cutout with a loadbreak tool. The cutout also includes a wire connector and a metal top connector that leads from the wire connector to the top of the fuse. A front opening in the cover allows easy access by a loadbreak tool over a wide range of angles. A roof of the cover extends beyond the sidewalls of the opening and covers an end of the top connector. An inner vertical wall of the cover has a bottom edge that rests on the top surface of the top connector to space the roof from the top connector to provide additional vertical clearance when positioning the loadbreak tool to engage the cutout. The wall also blocks access to the enlarged open to prevent birds from nesting in the opening.

A pole assembly of a switching device is provided. The pole assembly includes a first interrupter unit operably connected to a pole plate of the pole assembly via first post insulators. The first interrupter provides a path for current flow through the first interrupter in a closed state and interrupts the current flow in an open state. A second interrupter unit is operably connected to the first interrupter unit and to the pole plate via second post insulators. The second interrupter allows the current flow through the first interrupter unit in an open state and grounds the switching device in a closed state. The pole assembly includes a dielectric shield physically disposable between and operably connected to the first post insulators and the second post insulators for uniformly distributing an electric field generated during operation of the pole assembly.

A three-position disconnector switch includes: an earthing contact; a power out contact; a power in contact; a first piston; and a second piston. In a connected switch position the first piston makes an electrical connection with the power out contact and the second piston makes an electrical connection with the power out contact and the power in contact. In a disconnected switch position the first piston makes an electrical connection with the power out contact and the second piston makes an electrical connection with the power out contact. In an earthed switch position the first piston makes an electrical connection with the earthing contact and with the power out contact and the second piston makes an electrical connection with the power out contact.

A hot stick for manipulating a probe from a position a selected distance away from a workpiece, the tool including an arm, a connector coupled to the arm, the connector including a connector body having a contoured first surface, and a mechanism movable relative to the connector body and configured to cooperate with the first surface of the body to retain a probe.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a switch assembly for a detection unit of a switchgear or controlgear. The switch assembly comprises a shaft rotatably arranged between opposite side walls of a compartment for accommodating an electrical component, the electrical component coupled to at least one connecting busbar of the switchgear; at least one conductive unit, each conductive unit being rotatable about the shaft between an open position and a close position; and at least one coupling mechanism arranged in the compartment and configured to electrically couple the conductive unit to the detection unit, wherein each coupling mechanism is electrically coupled to the respective connecting busbar when the conductive unit is in the close position, and is electrically decoupled from the respective connecting busbar when the conductive unit is in the open position and is grounded, and wherein each coupling mechanism comprises a connecting unit for receiving a terminal of the detection unit positioned outside the compartment. In this way, maintenance or replacement of the detection unit will not affect the airtightness of the compartment. Furthermore, the connecting unit can also be used to receive the terminal of other kind of detection unit, such as terminals of test assemblies.

For protecting wildlife from high voltage conductors proximate to a utility pole, dielectric covers are used to cover fuse cutouts, bushings, or other connections to insulators. Such covers include a vertical slot for receiving an energized wire so the cover can be installed using a hot-stick while the wire is energized. To eliminate leakage currents flowing across the cover under high voltage conditions, which previously led to localized melting of the cover, inner walls of the cover are molded that are laterally separated from the outer walls of the cover. The double wall design eliminates leakage currents due to the extra dielectric wall and air gap, and the inner wall is not subject to contamination from conductive pollutants. The double wall design also increases the insulating properties of the cover.

A switchgear includes: a tank having a first through hole; a fixed contact in the tank; a movable contact capable of reciprocating between a position in contact with the fixed contact and a position separated from the fixed contact; and an operating rod capable of reciprocating in a direction parallel to the direction of movement of the movable contact, and penetrating through the first through hole. The switchgear further includes: a connecting plate connecting the movable contact and the operating rod; a shielding plate disposed closer to the fixed contact than the connecting plate, having a second through hole through which the operating rod penetrates and a third through hole through which the movable contact is capable of passing formed therein; a first bearing disposed in the first through hole to support the operating rod; and a second bearing disposed in the second through hole to support the operating rod.

An earthing switch circuit is provided and is connected to a direct current (DC) link including a positive terminal and a negative terminal having capacitance or energy storage capability. The earthing switch circuit includes a dynamic braking circuit having a single or plurality of dynamic braking (DB) switches, and at least one dynamic braking (DB) resistor disposed between the plurality of DB switches, and an earthing switch connected between the DB circuit and ground. The at least one DB resistor dissipates energy thermally when performing a dynamic braking operation and simultaneously decreases in-rush current for the earthing switch circuit upon closure of the earthing switch.

The invention relates to a center break switch having a contact system for electrical current conduction and bus transfer switching. The contact system includes two moving contacts. One of the two moving contacts includes a finger contact and the other moving contact includes a first contact. Each moving contact includes a contact for bus transfer switching, wherein one of the two contacts includes a spherical contacting element, and the other contact includes a rectangular contacting element. The spherical contacting element and the rectangular contacting element engage during switching for the bus transfer, and stay in contact when the finger contact is engaged with the first contact for electrical current conduction.