A circuit breaker includes a frame defining a housing having an interior compartment and a circuit interrupter. An actuator is connected to the circuit interrupter and configured to actuate the circuit interrupter into closed and open breaker positions. An indicator is connected to the actuator and movable between first and second positions corresponding to the respective closed and open breaker positions. A first indicator surface has first indicia indicative that the circuit interrupter is in the closed breaker position and a second indicator surface having second indicia indicative that the circuit interrupter is in the open breaker position. An opening is formed on the housing and aligned with the indicator to expose for view the respective first or second indicia when the circuit interrupter is in the respective closed or open breaker position.

A switching device that is part of a transformer in an underground residential power distribution circuit and provides fault isolation and restoration. The switching device includes a transformer interface for coupling the device to the transformer and a connector interface for coupling the device to a connector. The device also includes a vacuum interrupter having a fixed terminal and a movable terminal, where the fixed terminal is electrically coupled to the connector interface and the movable terminal is electrically coupled to the transformer interface. A control rod is coupled to the movable terminal, an actuator assembly is coupled to the control rod and is operable to move the control rod to open and close the vacuum interrupter. A capacitor is electrically coupled to the fixed terminal, and provides an interface for power line communications signals, voltage sensing, help determine power flow direction and help determine the distance to a fault.

A switch assembly that is part of a transformer in an underground residential power distribution circuit and that provides fault isolation and restoration. The switch assembly includes first and second switching devices each having an outer housing, a transformer interface electrically coupled to the transformer, a connector interface electrically coupled to a first connector and a first vacuum interrupter having a fixed contact and a movable contact, where the fixed contact is electrically coupled to the connector interface and the movable contact is electrically coupled to the transformer interface. A control board controls the first and second switching devices, where the control board is responsive to voltage signals from capacitors in the first and second switching devices.

A method for isolating a fault in an underground power distribution network. The network includes a power line, a plurality of transformers electrically coupled to and positioned along the power line, a first recloser connected to one end of the power line and a second recloser connected to an opposite end of the power line, where each transformer includes an upstream switching device and a downstream switching device, and where power is provided to both ends of the power line through the first and second reclosers and one of the switching devices is a normally open switching device. The method includes detecting overcurrent by some of the switching devices, detecting loss of voltage by some of the switching devices and sending clear to close messages to some of the switching devices to open and close certain ones of the switching devices to isolate the fault.

A vacuum circuit breaker serving as a switch includes a pair of electrodes that serve as a stationary electrode and a movable electrode, a handler including a movable shaft and a housing that operate as a first mover in withdrawing the movable electrode from the stationary electrode and closing the movable electrode toward the stationary electrode, a movable shaft that is connected as a second mover to the movable electrode, a coil spring that is connected as an elastic between the first mover and the second mover to press the movable electrode against the stationary electrode, and a shock absorber that attenuates as an attenuator contraction of the elastic when the movable electrode is withdrawn from the stationary electrode.

A dropout recloser is capable of in accordance with its operating programming after a predetermined number of fault interrupting operations, e.g., 1, 2, 3 or more but typically 3, to drop out of a cutout and hang freely in a hinge contact of the cutout providing sectionalization with an observable visible gap. The recloser includes fault interrupting and reclosing components, a drop out mechanism and a controller. The drop out mechanism may include a bi-stable actuator to affect fault interrupting operation and dropout operation. The device may include motion limiting structures. The recloser may have a number of operating modes or sequences.

A cutout mountable recloser that remains latched to the cutout until the recloser is selectively mechanically unlatched via at least rotation of a driver by an operator. During installation, including while the recloser is being latched to the cutout, the recloser can be in an open condition. Latching of the recloser to the cutout can include increasing a tension force exerted by the cutout on the recloser by increasing a linear distance between first and second terminals of the recloser. With the opened recloser latched to the cutout, the recloser can be mechanically closed via a release of stored energy from a closing mechanism. The recloser can selectively be mechanically unlatched from the cutout by a subsequent reduction in the linear distance between first and second terminals of the recloser, which can reduce the tension force being exerted by the cutout.

A method for performing a low energy pulse testing in a power distribution network that causes contacts to close and then open in about one fundamental frequency cycle of current flow time and close on a voltage waveform that produces symmetrical fault current. The method includes energizing a magnetic actuator to move the actuator against the bias of a spring to move a movable contact towards a fixed contact. The method also includes de-energizing the actuator when the movable contact makes contact with the fixed contact so as to allow the spring to move the movable contact away from the fixed contact so that the amount of time that the current conducts is about one fundamental frequency cycle of the current, where energizing the magnetic actuator occurs when an applied voltage on the switch assembly is at a peak of the voltage wave so that the current is symmetric.

A structure for closing an actuator in a magnetically actuated switch assembly, where the actuator includes an armature and a winding, and the switch assembly includes a manual actuation device coupled to one end of the armature and a movable terminal in a vacuum interrupter coupled to an opposite end of the armature. The structure includes commencing a closing operation of the actuator using the manual actuation device to move the armature towards a closed latch position, detecting that the actuator is being manually closed, and energizing the winding to assist moving the armature to the closed latch position when the armature gets to a predetermined distance from the closed latch position.

A switchgear apparatus configured for operation at voltages up to 72.5 kV includes a vacuum interrupter assembly including a vacuum bottle having an upper portion and a lower potion, a sleeve surrounding the vacuum bottle, a dielectric material surrounding the sleeve, a first terminal electrically coupled to the upper portion of the vacuum interrupter assembly, and an interchange coupled to a lower portion of the vacuum interrupter assembly. The dielectric material is molded around the sleeve and around at least a portion of the first terminal or the interchange. In some embodiments, the sleeve is molded around the vacuum bottle. In other embodiments, the sleeve may be otherwise positioned (i.e., by sliding a pre-formed sleeve) around the vacuum bottle.