A vacuum interrupter for a vacuum circuit breaker is disclosed, in which a center shield is arranged between an upper insulating envelope and a lower insulating envelope, whereby the center shield is not provided inside each of the insulating envelopes and thus outer diameters of the respective insulating envelopes are reduced.

A vacuum switching unit of a vacuum circuit breaker has a vacuum interrupter, an insulating sleeve which surrounds the vacuum interrupter, extends tubularly about a longitudinal axis of the vacuum interrupter and is made of an insulating material. A plurality of capacitor electrodes are integrated into the insulating sleeve.

An electrical disconnect includes a housing having a recess defined therein extending from an opening toward a base. The disconnect also includes a vacuum envelope defined within the housing near the base; a fixed contact assembly including a fixed contact structured to be in electrical communication with a voltage source disposed partially within the vacuum envelope; and a movable contact assembly including a movable contact having a first end disposed within the vacuum envelope and a second end disposed in the recess near the base and movable between a closed position in electrical contact with the fixed contact and an open position spaced apart from the fixed contact a separation distance. The housing includes a dynamic shield electrically connected to the movable contact, the dynamic shield being disposed about the recess within the housing and extending from the base toward the opening thereof.