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Vacuum interrupter/ operator
Figure 10: Upper and lower primary disconnects (outer-phase barrier removed)
Primary disconnects
Figure 10: Upper and lower primary disconnects (outer-phase barrier removed) is a side view of the circuit breaker with the outer-insulating phase barrier removed to show details of the primary disconnects. Each circuit breaker has three upper- and three lower-primary disconnects. Upper- primary disconnects are connected to the stationary contacts of the vacuum interrupters, and the lower-primary disconnects are connected to the movable contacts. Each disconnect arm has a set of multiple spring-loaded fingers that mate with bus bars in the metal-clad switchgear. The number of fingers in the disconnect assembly varies with the continuous and/ or interrupting rating of the circuit breaker.
There are three insulating push rods. Each push rod connects the movable contact of one of the vacuum interrupters to the jack shaft driven by the closing and tripping mechanism. Flexible connectors provide secure electrical connections between the movable contacts of each vacuum interrupter and its
Phase barriers
Figure 11: Type 38-3AH3 vacuum circuit breaker with inter-phase and outer-phase barriers installed on page 17 is a rear view of a type 38-3AH3 vacuum circuit breaker that shows the outer- (phase-to-ground) and interphase-insulating barriers. These glass-polyester insulating barriers are attached to the circuit-breaker frame and provide suitable electrical insulation between the vacuum-interrupter primary circuits and the housing.
Stored-energy operating mechanism
The
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