A switch for a medium or high voltage traction line testing device includes a plurality of normally-opened pairs of contacts connected in series, wherein each pair of contacts is equipped with a separate control coil. The switch further comprises a wireless power transfer supply module being on ground potential for supplying cascaded wireless power transfer receivers comprising the transmitting coil, high frequency inverter and microcontroller, a plurality of cascaded wireless power transfer receivers for supplying control coil of pairs of contacts. Each of the wireless power transfer receivers is referenced to the floating potential and comprises a receiving coil. Each of the control coils is connected to one of the wireless power transfer receivers. The receiving coils of the wireless power transfer receivers are magnetically coupled, and a wireless power transfer supply module is located in the middle of the cascaded wireless power transfer receivers.

An ultrafast electromechanical switch having a drive mechanism comprising two non-movable contacts connected to electrical feedthroughs, one actuator and one movable contact. The provided ultrafast electrical (e.g., transfer, disconnect, etc.) switch is simple, compact, clean, exhibits ultralow loss, does not require high energy to operate and is capable of being automatically reset.

An ultrafast electromechanical switch having a drive mechanism comprising three non-movable contacts, an actuator and two movable contacts. The switch further including one or more precision adjustment screws coupled to the non-movable contacts for adjusting the contact pressure. The provided ultrafast electrical (e.g., transfer, disconnect, etc.) switch is simple, compact, clean, exhibits ultralow loss, does not require high energy to operate and is capable of being automatically reset.

A vacuum interrupter for a high voltage air break switch is disclosed. The interrupter has a plurality of load interrupter contacts enclosed in axially aligned vacuum bottles, each bottle containing a fixed contact and a second contact movable axially away from the fixed contact to open position and toward the fixed contact to closed position. The bottles are positioned in an tubular housing of dielectric material having a top end member and a bottom end member. The vacuum bottles are mechanically coupled to one another in a stack with the top bottle supported by the top end member. At least one air permeable hydrophobic vent member is operatively disposed in the top end member and/or bottom end member and/or tubular housing to prevent condensation in the housing. The stack of vacuum bottles are axially supported at the bottom by a cushion spring assembly keeping the bottles in compression to prevent tension loads on the braze joints of the bottles.

An ultrafast electromechanical switch having a drive mechanism comprising three non-movable contacts, an actuator and two movable contacts. The switch further including a switching chamber to provide a self-contained environment that may consist of a high-pressure gas or a vacuum and one or more precision adjustment screws coupled to the non-movable contacts for adjusting the contact pressure. The provided ultrafast electrical (e.g., transfer, disconnect, etc.) switch is simple, compact, clean, exhibits ultralow loss, does not require high energy to operate and is capable of being automatically reset.

An ultrafast electromechanical switch having a drive mechanism comprising three non-movable contacts, an actuator, two movable contacts and a first and second mounting plate forming an elliptical shell configuration about said actuator. The switch further including a switching chamber to provide a self-contained environment that may consist of a high-pressure gas or a vacuum and one or more precision adjustment screws coupled to the non-movable contacts for adjusting the contact pressure. The provided ultrafast electrical (e.g., transfer, disconnect, etc.) switch is simple, compact, clean, exhibits ultralow loss, does not require high energy to operate and is capable of being automatically reset.

The invention relates to an electric arc-blast nozzle for a circuit breaker comprising a middle portion forming a throat defining internally an axial passage for interrupting an electric arc, and two end portions extending on either side of the middle portion and being designed to receive respective arcing contacts and that are movable axially relative to each other. The middle portion and the two end portions are made of a same dielectric material obtained from a composition consisting of a fluorocarbon polymer matrix and of at least one oxide, the oxide(s) being present in a proportion by weight lying in the range 11% to 50%, relative to the total weight of the composition. The invention also relates to a circuit breaker including such a nozzle.

A vacuum circuit breaker includes: a plurality of vacuum valves each of which includes: a cylindrical vacuum container; a fixed electrode fixed inside the vacuum container; a movable conductor that protrudes from the inside of the vacuum container to the outside of the vacuum container and is movable in a direction of a center axis of the vacuum container; and a movable electrode that moves together with the movable conductor inside the vacuum container to be capable of being separated from the fixed electrode and coming into contact with the fixed electrode, the plurality of vacuum valves being connected in series with each other; and a cylindrical tank that accommodates the plurality of vacuum valves. The plurality of vacuum valves include at least two vacuum valves adjacent to each other in a direction intersecting a center axis of the tank.

A direct current circuit breaker used in a self-commutated direct current power transmission system includes a high-speed circuit breaker and a low-speed circuit breaker connected in series. The high-speed circuit breaker includes a high-speed circuit breaker interruption unit to interrupt a DC current flowing through a direct current line when a fault has occurred, and a current limiting element connected in parallel therewith. The low-speed circuit breaker includes a low-speed circuit breaker interruption unit to interrupt a DC current when a fault has occurred. A time required for the high-speed circuit breaker interruption unit to interrupt the DC current is shorter than a time required for the low-speed circuit breaker interruption unit. The low-speed circuit breaker interruption unit completes interruption of the DC current before a voltage applied to the current limiting element becomes lower than a minimum voltage allowable for the system.

An ultrafast electrical (e.g., transfer, disconnect, etc.) switch that is simple, compact, does not require high energy to operate, ultralow loss, clean, and capable of being automatically reset. The invention includes a fast electromechanical switch having a drive mechanism integrated into the switching chamber. The integration of the drive mechanism into the switching chamber provides faster contact travel and therefore a faster switching operation. Additionally, the switching chamber is a self-contained environment that may consist of a high-pressure gas or a vacuum. The invention further includes an ultrafast disconnect switch. The invention generally is an integrated piezoelectric-actuator-based mechanical switching mechanism. The mechanism has a central piezoelectric actuator that extends to pull contacts inwards in order to obtain two disconnects within a millisecond or less. Surrounding the piezoelectric actuator is a polymer insulating shell and beyond the shell is the metallic conductor.