A system includes a dry contact with a first pair of switchable electrodes, a wet contact with a second pair of switchable electrodes, an arc suppressor, and a controller circuit operatively coupled to the arc suppressor and the first and second pairs of switchable electrodes. The controller circuit is configured to detect a failure of the wet contact and determine a stick duration associated with the first pair of switchable electrodes. The stick duration is based on a duration between an instance when a coil of the dry contact is deactivated and an instance of separation of the first pair of switchable electrodes during deactivation of the coil. The controller circuit generates, in-situ and in real-time, health assessment for the first pair of switchable electrodes based on a comparison of the determined stick duration with an average stick duration associated with a window of observation.

A method for diagnosing an operating state of a switching device including separable contacts, which are driven by an electromagnetic actuator including a coil connected to an electronic control device, and sensors, which are configured to measure an intensity of a coil current and a coil voltage. The method comprises: a) receiving an order to close via the electronic control device; b) controlling the electromagnetic actuator so that it closes; c) measuring and recording the coil voltage and coil current values; d) calculating and recording values of a magnetic flux through the coil, by integrating the recorded values of the coil current, the coil voltage and resistance and inductance values of the coil; and e) evaluating and recording positions of a core of the electromagnetic actuator according to a data table, which is previously recorded in the electronic control device and which defines a bijective relation between the position of the core, the magnetic flux and the coil current.

A method for diagnosing an operating state of a switching device including separable contacts, which are driven by an electromagnetic actuator including a coil connected to an electronic control device, and sensors that measure a coil voltage and an intensity of a coil current. The method includes: a) receiving an order to open the switching device via the electronic control device; b) controlling the electromagnetic actuator so that it opens; c) measuring and recording the coil voltage and coil current values d) calculating and recording values of a magnetic flux through the coil, by integrating the recorded values of the coil current, the coil voltage and resistance and inductance values of the coil; and e) evaluating and recording positions of a core of the electromagnetic actuator according to a data table, which defines a bijective relation between the position of the core, the magnetic flux and the coil current.

A method for estimating a property of an electrical switching device includes: measuring the electric current flowing through the coil; measuring the supply electrical voltage of a control circuit for the actuator; injecting an electric current pulse into the coil; identifying a first time corresponding to the time for which the current flowing through the coil reaches a predetermined threshold value when the current increases following the injection of the pulse; identifying a second time corresponding to the time for which the current flowing through the coil again reaches the predetermined threshold value when the current decreases after the spike; and estimating the resistance of the coil on the basis of the ratio of the sum of the values of the voltage that are measured between the second time and the first time, to the sum of the values of the current that are measured between the second time and the first time.

A method for operating a medium voltage circuit breaker or recloser comprising at least one electric pole, each including a movable contact and a fixed contact, being in a closed or an open position after switching operations of the medium voltage circuit breaker or recloser, and an electromagnetic actuator, includes: monitoring a travel curve of the movable contact, the travel curve being derived by an evaluation of a shape of an applied current and a shape of an applied voltage using a mathematical representation of the electromagnetic actuator.

A method may include receiving, via one or more processors, back electromotive force (EMF) data associated with each motor electrically coupled to a printed circuit board and determining, via the processors, a corresponding motor controller associated with each motor based on the EMF data. The motor controllers may be electrically coupled to the printed circuit board. The method may also include automatically adjusting, via the processors, circuit connections associated with the printed circuit board to route wiring that controls each motor to the corresponding motor controller.

A high speed arc suppressor and method include a first phase-specific arc suppressor configured to suppress arcing across contacts of the power contactor in a positive domain and a second phase-specific arc suppressor configured to suppress arcing across the contacts in a negative domain. First and second high speed switches are configured to enable and disable operation of an associated one of the first and second phase-specific arc suppressors. First and second drivers are configured to drive the first and second high speed switches.

Systems and methods for contact erosion mitigation are provided. To perform contact erosion mitigation, an order of opening/closing poles and/or contact relays of particular poles is altered, resulting in a sharing of potential arcing conditions amongst the poles/contact relays of these poles.

An arc suppressing circuit configured to suppress arcing across a power contactor coupled to an alternating current (AC) power source having a predetermined number of phases, each contact of the power contactor corresponding to one of the predetermined number of phases includes a number of dual unidirectional arc suppressors equal to the predetermined number of phases of the AC power source. Each dual unidirectional arc suppressor includes a first phase-specific arc suppressor configured to suppress arcing across the associated contacts in a positive domain, a a second phase-specific arc suppressor configured to suppress arcing across the associated contacts in a negative domain, and a coil lock controller, configured to be coupled between a contact coil driver of the power contactor, configured to detect an output condition from the contact coil driver and inhibit operation of the first and second phase-specific arc suppressors over a predetermined time.

A high speed arc suppressor and method include a first phase-specific arc suppressor configured to suppress arcing across contacts of the power contactor in a positive domain and a second phase-specific arc suppressor configured to suppress arcing across the contacts in a negative domain. First and second high speed switches are configured to enable and disable operation of an associated one of the first and second phase-specific arc suppressors. First and second drivers are configured to drive the first and second high speed switches.