JP2002509335A - Electrical switching device and method for performing electrical disconnection of a load - Google Patents

Abstract

The electrical switching device comprises a high speed electromechanical switch 5, an illuminating light source 8, and sufficient conductivity to be sensitive to illumination and to bypass the electromechanical switch when illuminated by the illuminating light source. It has at least one switching element 7 adapted to generate a current path but to be electrically insulated when not illuminated. The high-speed electromechanical switch is a switch that can be rapidly deionized after the electric arc generated when the contacts of the mechanical switch are separated has disappeared.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to electrical switching devices having high speed mechanical electrical switches. This device is primarily intended to disconnect large amounts of power, such as when an overcurrent occurs.

[0002] The invention also relates to a method for performing an electrical disconnection of a load according to the preamble of the claimed method.

[0003] More precisely, the purpose of the device is to connect and disconnect parts to or from other equipment or objects connected to it, which are included in the power plant, Connecting and disconnecting objects in the network. Thus, the term "subject" is used in a broad sense. The "subject" herein includes all equipment and devices included in the power plant and the power network, and also entirely includes each part of the power plant and / or the power network.

[0004] As an example, the object can be an electrical device with a magnetic circuit, for example a generator, a transformer or an electric motor. Other objects, such as power lines and cables, switchgear, etc., can also be considered. The present invention is intended to be used for medium and high voltages. According to IEC standards,
Medium voltage means 1-72.5 kV, while high voltage means> 72.5 kV. Therefore, a transmission level, a lower transmission level, and a distribution level are included.

In power plants, known circuit breakers, such as SF ₆ breakers, oil breakers or so-called vacuum breakers, are usually used for connecting and disconnecting the object of interest. In some rare cases where very high speeds are required, semiconductor "breakers" such as, for example, thyristors or IGBTs can be used.

[0006] All of the above-mentioned circuit breakers are designed such that when breaking, galvanic separation occurs between two metal contacts (arcing contacts). The current to be interrupted between the two metal contacts continues to flow as an arc. In this case, the interruption or interruption is achieved by configuring the breaker such that this arc is extinguished when the current passes through zero, ie when the current flowing through the breaker reaches zero and changes polarity. The current through the breaker reaching zero and changing polarity occurs twice every 20 ms in a 50 Hz network. Thus, these circuit breakers function only for alternating currents, and not for direct currents that do not pass through zero.

A circuit breaker having a configuration according to the above describes both in the case of most interruptions with a relatively medium current, the so-called operating current, but also in the case of interruptions with large overcurrents and fault currents. It must be designed to be able to perform the cutoff.

[0008] The circuit breaker, when interrupting excessive current in the arc between the arcing contacts,
It must be designed to handle large amounts of energy. After a successful interruption of the current in order to avoid reignition of the arc, i.e. to ensure that the interruption is sustained, for a short time interval the gap between the contacts is very large dielectric Must have strength.

Circuit breakers, such as SF ₆ breakers, oil breakers or so-called vacuum breakers, have to handle large thermal and electrical loads in one and the same critical area during short time intervals. Thus, the structure will be relatively complicated and the blocking time will be relatively long.

[0010] The overcurrents which are mainly aimed here are short-circuit currents which occur in the connection to the switched object, for example as a result of a fault in the electrical insulation system of the object to be switched. Such a fault means that the fault current (short circuit current) of the external network / device will tend to flow through the arc. This can lead to failure. It can also be mentioned that the Swedish power network has a maximum short circuit current (fault current) specification of 63 kA. The short circuit current may actually be 40-50 kA.

One problem with the circuit breakers is that they have a long shut-off time.
The maximum blocking time (IEC standard) for a complete blocking to be performed is 150 milliseconds (m
s). It is very difficult to reduce the cutoff time to 90 to 130 ms or less depending on the operation state. As a result, during the entire time required for the circuit breaker to make a cut-off, if there is a fault therein, a very large current will flow through the switched object. The sum of the fault currents of the external power network means that the objects to be switched during this time interval are significantly stressed. During this time interval, the operation of the network will also be disturbed. Thus, other devices connected to this network will also be significantly disturbed or severely damaged. In order to avoid damage to the objects to be switched and overall breakdown, do not cause any of the damage described previously and act on the short-circuit current / fault current during the break time of the circuit breaker This is configured as possible. The need to configure a switched object to be able to accept short circuit / fault currents for a significant amount of time creates significant disadvantages that make the configuration more expensive and degrade. With regard to disturbances of the network and the devices connected to it, there is no immediate integration of protection in the network, so each manufacturer must protect sensitive devices with "back-up" and network stabilization devices. No. More sensitive devices, such as microprocessor-based systems such as communication and computer systems, often require a correspondingly high cost to restart.

[0012] Semiconductor power devices such as thyristors, MOSFETs and IGBTs by themselves cannot withstand the voltage of interest, and a large number must be connected in series. For high voltage applications, about 100 such components must be connected in series. In order to ensure reliable operation, ie to distribute voltage and power evenly to the components, the control system of the device is complicated. The use of semiconductor components made of silicon also results in relatively high losses and requires efficient cooling. This is because if not cooled, the components may thermally break down. The overall system of individually controlling, regulating and cooling all components connected in series with respect to individual voltage levels tends to be very complex, thus increasing the cost of the overall system. The cost can significantly exceed the cost of circuit breakers, and the use of such semiconductor components in power plants and power networks for the applications discussed herein is generally ruled out.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to make it possible to obtain better switching and to reduce the stress on the objects to be switched and also on the networks and devices connected to it. It is to obtain devices and methods that are less and cost-effective in such situations.

This object is obtained according to the invention by providing a device according to the features of claim 1. Here, the second electrical switch is designed such that a switching element, hereinafter referred to as a shunt element, is connected in parallel with the first electrical switch. The first
The electrical switch is in the form of a high speed mechanical electrical switch, so that the contacts are contacts having metallic conductivity. The shunt element is designed such that it can be brought into a conductive state by being illuminated by, for example, a light beam or an electron beam.
When a disconnection or disconnection is performed, the shunt element is subjected to said irradiation, whereby the shunt element becomes conductive and the mechanical switch performs the disconnection without significant thermal or electrical load. Can be controlled. Preferably, when the breaker is at a remote position, the illumination to the shunt element stops. Stopping irradiation of the shunt element means that the conductivity of the element is reduced.

[0015] By using a switch capable of being rapidly deionized as the high-speed mechanical electric switch after the electric arc generated therein disappears when the contacts of the mechanical switch are separated, the contacts are separated. Commences movement and thus initiates a disconnection operation by the occurrence of an electric arc between them, and starts irradiating said switching element with a certain delay for the contacts to commence movement; and The disconnected state can be achieved at high speed. In this way, an electric arc is generated, but the switching element will be able to be fully illuminated during a short time interval before obtaining a disconnected state. The time is long enough to deionize the gap between the contacts and prevent the electric arc from reigniting when the irradiation stops. Also, a significant advantage over the prior art is that when the device becomes conductive, the switching elements are illuminated and therefore the electromechanical switch can be closed without any transient current.

Thus, the present invention does not rely only on mechanical action for opening and closing the circuit,
And the principle that instead of using costly and lossy conventional power semiconductor components connected to it, a mechanoelectric switch and a shunt element whose conductivity is controlled by irradiation are used instead. Based on This method of relieving mechanical contacts from electrical and thermal stresses during the operating period of interest means that the breaker can be configured for very fast interruptions. This switching device will work well for both AC and DC currents.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the electromechanical switch is a vacuum circuit breaker.
The use of a vacuum circuit breaker is highly preferred in this type of electrical switching device. This is because the gap between the contacts can be deionized in a very short time, such as 10 μs. This is due to the fact that the electric arc ignites in the metal vapor from the contacts in the vacuum circuit breaker. In this case, when the current is removed by closing the shunt element, the vapor of the metal escapes and adheres to the inner wall of the circuit breaker and equivalents, so that there are no more ions carrying the current through the gap, Then, the cutoff is completed. This means that the switching elements must be fully illuminated during relatively short time intervals, so that less energy is required to control the shunt elements. This also means that it is possible to use a new type of illumination source, such as a light source, which can only illuminate during short time intervals. Furthermore, the thermal stress on the irradiation source is also reduced.

According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the device has a controller.
The control device is adapted to control the contacts of the first electrical switch to move away first when disconnected, and that the contacts of the first electrical switch are in the closed position of the switch. A short time interval compared to the time required for the contact of the first electrical switch to move from the closed position to its maximum distant position when traveling at least a majority of the path from the contact to the maximum distance between the contacts. Meanwhile, it is adapted to control the second electrical switch so as to form a current path having sufficient conductivity by illuminating the switching element. This means that the energy required to control the switching element is small. The thermal load on the device will be relatively small.

According to yet another preferred embodiment of the present invention, which further extends the embodiment just described, the majority of the path up to the maximum distance between the contacts is the major part of the path up to the maximum distance between the contacts. is there. By waiting long during the movement of the contacts to achieve a bypass through the switching element, a very high voltage is applied after a short time interval irradiation of the switching element to deionize the gap between said contacts. It can be shut off reliably.

According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the switching element is illuminated at the end where the contacts of the first mechanical switch move away, thereby forming a current path having sufficient conductivity. The control device is configured to control the two electric switches. This means that the energy required for the irradiation in order to reliably shut off high voltages with this device is minimal.

According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the irradiation time of the switching element is such that when disconnected, the contact of the first mechanical switch moves from the closed position to a position away from the closed position by a maximum distance. Is 1/10 or less of the time required for
It is as follows. This means that the formation of any electric arc in the mechanical switch is unacceptable and the contacts are kept bypassed by a current path with sufficient conductivity throughout their movement from the closed position to the open position. About
This means that the energy required for irradiating the switching element is very small.
A very favorable possible relationship between the length of irradiation time of the switching element and the time required for the contacts of the mechanical switch to move from the closed position to the maximum distance is one preferred implementation of the present invention. According to the example, it is about 10 μs to 1 ms.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the switching element has at least one layer made of a material having an energy gap between the valence band and the conduction band of at least 2.5 eV. Suitable for such “large band gap material” are, for example, SiC, diamond, AlN, GaN and BN. In particular, such switching elements made of SiC or diamond are highly preferred for this type of electrical switching device due to the properties of these materials. Both of these two materials have a very high breakdown voltage, and therefore such switching elements, when not illuminated, are better than such switching elements made of conventionally used semiconductor materials. A significantly higher voltage can be maintained. This is more than using such switching elements of conventional materials to hold very high voltages, or a plurality of such switching elements connected in series or a small number of such switching elements connected in series. This means that one such switching element can hold the voltage that would normally require the switching element. Furthermore, both SiC and diamond are stable at very high temperatures up to 1000K. This is very useful when high power must be handled.

According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the switching element is a photoconductive element. It is easy to control this switching element.

According to still another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the second electric switch has a plurality of the switching elements connected in series. This means that the device works well when interrupting very high voltages.

According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the devices are connected in series,
And a plurality of high-speed mechanical electrical switches as described above with a second electrical switch connected in parallel with them. Such a device can be used to handle very high power, in which case the high-speed mechanical electrical switch is preferably controlled simultaneously with the second electrical switch of the device.

According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, at least one varistor is connected in parallel with the first electric switch and the switching element. Excessive voltage that would occur when interrupting an inductive load induces current in the varistor, where magnetic energy is absorbed. Thus, varistors are used to absorb magnetic energy that can be stored in a disconnected circuit.

According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the electrical switching device according to any of the embodiments of the present invention described above is used to or in a power network or other equipment included in a power plant. Therefore, it is possible to connect and disconnect the objects in the power plant. This is the preferred use of this type of electrical switching device. This is because the problem of fast connecting and disconnecting objects is particularly emphasized there.

According to the present invention, there is provided a method of performing an electrical disconnection of a load, in particular of a high power disconnection, by means of a high speed mechanical electrical switch. Here, a second electrical switch connected in parallel with the first electromechanical switch and having an illumination light source and a switching element sensitive to this illumination is located at a maximum distance from the closed position of the contacts of the first electrical switch. After traveling most of the way up, it is illuminated by the illumination light source to form a current path with sufficient conductivity to bypass the first electrical switch. Thus, at this time, the switching element goes from the insulator state to the conductor state, and the first electrical switch is deionized during the conductor state of the switching element. This method has the advantages described above in terms of possible illumination sources and the low energy required to properly control the switching element by its illumination as described above.

[0029] Other advantages and preferred features of the invention will be readily apparent from the following description and other claims.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an electrical switching device 1 according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention. This device is arranged in a power plant having a switched object 2 such as a generator. This object is connected to an external power supply network 4 via a line 3. This electrical switching device is arranged for switching to the object, ie for connecting or disconnecting the object 2 and the power network 4. However, it is emphasized that said switching of the object can be performed for all other parts of the power plant. Disconnecting the object 2 from the network protects the object against fault currents from the network or devices, or protects the network against voltage and operation disturbances caused by large fault currents towards the object. / Can be done both to protect the device.

This switching device has a first electrical switch 5 in the form of a high-speed mechanical switch with two contacts. The two contacts of the first electrical switch 5 are controlled to contact each other to close the switch and to move away from each other. In this case, the mechanical switch is a switch that can be rapidly deionized after the electric arc generated during the separation of the contact of the switch is extinguished. And this switch can be a vacuum circuit breaker in this embodiment. A second electric switch 6 is connected in parallel with the first electric switch 5. The second electrical switch 6 has a switching element in the form of a photoconductive element 7. The second electrical switch also comprises an illumination light source 8 adapted to illuminate the element 7. The irradiation light source 8 makes the element 7 conductive while irradiating the element 7. As soon as the illumination of the switching element 7 stops, this switching element is in the "open" state,
Thus, a non-conductive blocking state will result. The switching element is therefore controlled by an illumination light source, which is a device electrically isolated from said element.

Furthermore, the device has a control unit 9 adapted to control the light source 8 and the mechanical switch 5. This unit is connected to the sensor 10. Sensor 10
Are suitable for detecting a parameter indicating that an overcurrent has appeared on the line 3.

A varistor 11 is connected in parallel with the mechanical switch 5. The function of the varistor 11 will be explained in detail below.

This electrical switching device operates much faster than a conventional circuit breaker. This means that the fault current in the line 3 does not rise to its highest level. It is also preferred that the inductance and the rectification time of the rectification circuit be minimized by appropriately designing the rectification circuit.

FIGS. 3 to 7 show what happens when an overcurrent is detected by the sensor 10 and when the control unit 9 controls this switching device to disconnect the object 2 from the network / device 4. FIG. At time t ₁ corresponding to the time for the detection of excessive current, is by controlled so starts the vacuum circuit breaker to separate the contacts. These contacts move apart according to the straight line in FIG. 3, which shows the distance between the two contacts. In this way, at time t ₂ , the contact reaches a position separated to the maximum distance. Time t ₂ will be about 1 ms after time t ₁ . FIG. 5 shows how the current I ₁ (see also FIG. 2) continues to flow in the form of an electric arc between the contacts of the vacuum circuit breaker, also after the time (t ₁ ) when the separation starts. ing. At time t ₃ , the light source 8 is controlled to start irradiation of the switching element 7. At time t _3, the contacts of the vacuum circuit breaker is moving most of the route to the maximum distance x ₁ between the contacts. In the present case, t ₃ is in the immediate vicinity of the end point of the movement leaving the contact, ie within the last 10 μs of this movement. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing how the conductivity σ of the switching element changes as a result of the irradiation. FIG.
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing how a current I ₂ flowing through a switching element 7 changes with time. The switching element 7 is illuminated only during short time intervals, such as 10 μs. At this time, the disconnection of the object from the network / device 4 will be completed. Figure 7 is a diagram current I ₃ flowing through the varistor 11 shows how the changes with time. As shown, the varistor is in a conductive state for a short period of time after the illumination of the switching element has ceased, and the shutoff is complete when I3 has disappeared.

The result of controlling two electrical switches connected in parallel in this way is as follows. When the contacts of the vacuum circuit breaker 5 begin to move apart, an electric arc is formed in the gap between these contacts. When the illumination light source 8 starts illuminating the switching element 7 at time t3, a current path having sufficient conductivity is formed which bypasses the vacuum circuit breaker, so that the current will flow through the switching element instead. This means that the electric arc in the vacuum circuit breaker is extinguished and the gap between its contacts is rapidly deionized. That is, as soon as the metal vapor resulting from the electric arc disappears near the contacts and adheres to the inner wall of the vacuum circuit breaker,
It means that the inside becomes vacuum. This will be achieved during time intervals as short as 10 μs. When the illumination of the switching element 7 stops, an electrical interruption of the current path takes place in the switching element 7 (shunt element), and then no current returns to the gap between the contacts of the vacuum circuit breaker. Would. This is because there is a complete vacuum in this gap. Then the shutdown or disconnection will be completed. This means that the majority of the electrical or thermal stress during the disconnection process will be assumed by the switching element 7. Any remaining magnetic energy is absorbed into the varistor 11. Therefore,
An electric arc can be allowed to form in the electromechanical switch, and yet a very fast disconnection can be obtained with this switching device. It uses a electromechanical switch that can quickly deionize after the extinction of the electric arc, thus photoconductive switching the current through the device during a short time interval to deionize the gap and complete the shutoff. This is because the element can be sufficiently turned into an element. This would not be possible with conventional switches where there is air between the gaps, for example. This is because removing the current from the mechanical switch would then require a long time to cool the plasma in the gap. This plasma will take a considerable amount of time to cool.
It is a great advantage that the time interval required to obtain a disconnection by illuminating the switching element 7 is short. This is because this means that a small amount of energy is required to control the illumination light source 8. This also means that the thermal stress acting on the illumination source is reduced, and that a new type of illumination source can be used that can only be illuminated for a short time interval. This also means that additional costs can be saved.

FIG. 8 shows how the maximum voltage U returning across the gap varies with the distance x between the two contacts without the electric arc reigniting after its deionization. FIG. Here, a is the case of the gap of the air, b in the case of gap SF _6, c is the case for the vacuum gap as in the case of the vacuum circuit breaker. As can be seen from FIG. 8, as the contacts begin to move away, this voltage that the gap withstands increases most rapidly with a vacuum gap. On the other hand this is, that this voltage means that will have a fast acceptable level than if air or SF _6, thus obtaining a cut-off at time t ₂ close to the time for the detection of excessive current It is possible. Therefore, all its negative effects are reduced.

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a part of an electric switching device according to a second preferred embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment differs from the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 in that two switching elements 7, connected in series, in parallel with one mechanical switch 5,
7 'is different. One illumination light source 8, 8 'is arranged for each of these switching elements. This means that the breakdown voltage of these switching elements will not limit the ability of the switching device to hold high voltages. Of course, it is possible to connect the required number of switching elements in series in order to improve the performance of holding a high voltage. In order to absorb magnetic energy and to ensure that the two switching elements 7, 7 'share equally generated power and voltage when disconnected, both ends of each switching element Preferably, an RC circuit 11 'is connected.
This RC circuit can also be replaced by a varistor. A disconnector can be placed between the switching element 7 and the network / device 4 and the object 2 can be disconnected from the network / device in order to achieve electrical isolation from the switching element in the disconnected state. Note that after making the connection, the disconnector can be controlled to disconnect the network / device 4 from one or more switching elements.

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of a portion of another preferred embodiment of the present invention. In this case, two mechanical electrical switches 5, 5 'are connected in series, and one switching element 7 is connected across these mechanical switches. This embodiment is an interesting implementation when the material of the switching element has a very high breakdown voltage, as in the case of using intrinsic diamond, and therefore can hold a very high voltage with this switching element. It is an example.

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of a portion of yet another preferred embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment differs from the embodiment shown in FIG. 10 in that one irradiation light source 8 is used to irradiate two switching elements 7, 7 '. Of course, it is also possible to arrange one irradiation light source to irradiate three or more switching elements.

FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram of a portion of yet another preferred embodiment of the present invention.
In this case, two mechanical electrical switches 5, 5 'are connected in series, and two switching elements 7, 7' are connected across each of the mechanical switches.
Therefore, this device is suitable for handling higher voltages.

It should be noted that the switching characteristics of the individual switching elements depend on the material used. Thus, by using "large bandgap materials" such as SiC, intrinsic diamond, AlN, GaN or BN for these switches, it is possible to maintain very high voltages, for example in the region of 10 kV or even higher. Note that a possible switch will be obtained. Therefore, the number of switching elements connected in series and the complexity of the device for controlling them and the cost thereof can be reduced. Si can also be used as a material for such a switching element.

The invention is of course not limited to the preferred embodiments described above,
It will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that many modifications are possible within the scope of the basic concept of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

The number of switching elements, mechanical switches and others can of course be varied arbitrarily.

The illumination source may be any type of light source, for example, using visible light, UV light, IR light, or any form of coherent light (eg, from a laser), electron beam, ion beam, x-ray, etc. There can be.

Finally, the switching device according to the invention can be used not only to interrupt excessive currents, but also to interrupt and set current paths in normal operating conditions.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the most essential parts of an electrical switching device according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a schematic diagram of a portion of the switching device according to FIG. 1 used to explain the function of the switching device according to the present invention in connection with FIGS. 3 to 9;

FIG. 3 shows the distance x between two contacts in a mechanical electrical switch of the electrical switching device as a function of time when the electrical switching device according to FIG. 1 is disconnected.

FIG. 4 shows the conductivity of the photoconductive switching element in the device according to FIG. 1 as a function of time when the electrical switching device disconnects the load.

FIG. 5 shows the current I ₁ through the mechanical electrical switch of the device according to FIG. 1 as a function of time when the electrical switching device disconnects the load.

FIG. 6 shows the current I ₂ flowing through the switching element of the device according to FIG. 1 as a function of time when the electrical switching device disconnects the load.

FIG. 7 shows the current I ₃ flowing through the varistor of the device according to FIG. 1 as a function of time when the electrical switching device disconnects the load.

FIG. 8 shows the return voltage that an electromechanical switch can withstand for contacts in different environments as a function of the distance between the contacts.

FIG. 9: Acceptable without jeopardizing interruption of the electromechanical switch when the vacuum circuit breaker goes from the closed state to the open state and when the circuit breaker has another medium in the gap between the contacts FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a change in return voltage as a function of time.

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of an electric switching device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of an electric switching device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of an electric switching device according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram of an electric switching device according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of front page (81) Designated country EP (AT, BE, CH, CY, DE, DK, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, IE, IT, LU, MC, NL, PT, SE ), OA (BF, BJ, CF, CG, CI, CM, GA, GN, GW, ML, MR, NE, SN, TD, TG), AP (GH, GM, KE, LS, MW, SD, SZ, UG, ZW), EA (AM, AZ, BY, KG, KZ, MD, RU, TJ, TM), AL, AM, AT, AU, AZ, BA, BB, BG, BR, BY, CA, CH, CN, CU, CZ, DE, DK, EE, ES, FI, GB, GE, GH, GM, HR, HU, ID, IL, IN, IS, JP, KE, KG , KP, KR, KZ, LC, LK, LR, LS, LT, LU, LV, MD, MG, MK, MN, MW, MX, NO, NZ, PL, PT, RO, RU, SD, SE, SG, SI, SK, SL, TJ, TM, TR, TT, UA, UG, US, UZ, VN, YU, ZW (72) Inventor Min, Pan Uppsala, Sweden 40 Bakhtargatan Bee F Term (Reference) 5G004 AA01 AB01 BA03 BA04 DA01 DA05 DC09 5G028 AA22 FB06 FB08 FC02

Claims (25)

[Claims] 1. An electrical switching device comprising a high-speed mechanical electrical switch (5), wherein a second electrical switch (6) is connected in parallel to said first electrical switch, said high-speed mechanical electrical switch (5). That said second electrical switch produces an illuminating light source (8) and a current path having sufficient conductivity to bypass said first electrical switch when illuminated by said illuminating light source, Having at least one switching element (7) adapted to be in an electrically insulating state when it is not illuminated; and wherein the high-speed electromechanical switch (5) is adapted to operate when the contacts of the mechanical switch leave. Electrical switching device, characterized in that the switch is capable of being rapidly deionized after the electric arc between them has extinguished. 2. Device according to claim 1, wherein said electromechanical switch (5) is a vacuum circuit breaker. 3. The device according to claim 1, further comprising a control unit (9), wherein the first electrical switch is provided when the mechanical electrical switch is disconnected. (5) initially controlling the contacts to move in a direction away from each other, and when the contacts of the first switch have moved at least most of a distance from a closed position to a maximum distance, the switching element ( 7) sufficient electrical conductivity for a short time interval compared to the time required for the contact of the first electrical switch to move from its closed position to a position at a maximum distance by being illuminated. A device adapted to control said second electrical switch (6) to form said current path having: 4. The device of claim 3, wherein the majority of the travel distance path is a major portion of a maximum distance path between the contacts. 5. The device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the control unit (9) illuminates the switching element (7) at the end where the contacts of the first mechanical switch have moved away. Controlling the second electrical switch (6) such that a current path having sufficient conductivity is formed. 6. The device according to claim 3, wherein the irradiation time of the switching element is closed when the connection of the first mechanical switch is closed. A time that is less than 1/10, preferably less than 1/50 of the time required to completely move from the left position to the position farthest away. 7. The device according to claim 3, wherein the first switch (5) is completely moved from a closed position to a position farthest away from the closed position. Requires about 1 ms, and the length of time for irradiating the switching element (7) to form the current path having sufficient conductivity is 10 minutes.
in the range of μs. 8. The device according to claim 1, wherein the switching element has an energy gap between a valence band and a conduction band of at least 2.5 eV. A device comprising a semiconductor device having at least one layer made of a material. 9. Device according to claim 8, wherein the switching element (7) is a semiconductor device having at least one layer made of SiC. 10. Device according to claim 8, wherein the switching element (7) is a semiconductor device having at least one layer made of diamond. 11. Device according to claim 1, wherein the switching element (7) is a photoconductive element. 12. The device according to claim 1, wherein the second electrical switch (6) comprises a plurality of the switching elements (7, 7 ') connected in series. A device comprising: 13. Device according to claim 1, wherein the first electrical switch comprises a plurality of high-speed mechanical electrical switches (5, 5 ′) connected in series. And each of said high speed mechanical electrical switches (5, 5 ') has a second electrical switch connected in parallel with them. 14. The device according to claim 1, wherein said first electrical switch comprises a plurality of high-speed mechanical electrical switches (5, 5 ') connected in series. And the high speed mechanical electrical switch (5, 5 ') has at least one second electrical switch connected in parallel with them. 15. The device according to claim 1, wherein at least one device for absorbing magnetic energy that may be generated when the device is disconnected. 11) is the first electric switch (5).
And a device connected in parallel with the switching element (7). 16. The device according to claim 15, wherein the device for absorbing magnetic energy is a varistor (11). 17. The device according to claim 15, wherein the device for absorbing magnetic energy is an RC circuit. 18. The device according to claim 1, wherein the switching element (7) and the irradiation device (8) are electrically separated from one another. device. 19. The device according to claim 1, wherein one or more switching elements (7, 7 ') are illuminated.
A device comprising a plurality of illumination light sources (8). 20. Device according to claim 1, wherein a control unit (9) is connected to the first electrical switch and to the second electrical switch, whereby the control unit is connected to the first electrical switch and the second electrical switch. A device that controls its function according to information that arrives. 21. The device according to claim 20, wherein an overcurrent condition detecting component (10) is connected to the control unit (9), thereby providing information on the condition indicating an overcurrent condition. Features device. 22. The device according to claim 1, wherein the object is to or from a power network (4) in a power plant or another device included in the power network. 2) that the device is configured to connect and disconnect at high speed and that the first electrical switch (5) and the second electrical switch (6)
A device connected to a line (3) to the device. 23. The device according to claim 1, wherein the high voltage is at an intermediate voltage and at least 1 kV, suitably at least 5 kV, especially at least 10 kV and preferably at least 20 kV. A device characterized in that said device is adapted for use with high voltages, in particular above 40 kV, more particularly above 72 kV. 24. The power grid (4) or further devices provided in the power plant and for connecting and disconnecting the object (2) to and from the power plant, respectively, from the power grid. A method using the electric switching device (1) according to any one of the above. 25. A method for performing an electrical disconnection of a load (2) by means of a high-speed mechanical electrical switch (5), in particular a disconnection of a high power, the first machine comprising: A second electrical switch (6) connected in parallel to the electrical switch and having an illumination light source (8) and an illumination-sensitive switching element (7) maximizes the contacts of the first electrical switch from a closed position. Forming a current path with sufficient conductivity to bypass the first electrical switch through the illumination by the illumination light source after moving the majority of the path to the distant position, and thus the switching element The method of going from an insulator state to a conductive state and wherein the first electrical switch is deionized during the conduction of the switching element.