successful night flights along the transmission lines with the aid of these lights.

Regardless of how the fault is located the

transport helicopter could, on our system at
least, have men and materials on the scene
hours faster than by present methods.
Mr. Slatt and Mr. Murray raise the cogent
question as to availability of winch power
for crossarm replacement and repair of conductor breaks. We use four linemen and
four groundmen for crossarm replacement on
161-kv lines. Each arm weighs about 325
pounds and can be hoisted by hand line
without difficulty by the four groundmen.
For the infrequent need of repairing broken

signed to carry a full complement of blind

flying instruments. Night flights in such a
craft are practical. In case of a permanent
fault during the night, sectionalizing can be
used to narrow the trouble area, and a fault
locator can pinpoint the difficulty. The
helicopter with men and materials can then
fly directly to the fault area with blind flying
instruments. With no fault locator available, a ground patrol travelling as fast as
possible locates the fault and radios the
trouble to the helicopter. It can then proceed directly to the trouble. We have experimented with using searchlights on a Bell
model 47D1 helicopter and have made

A 230-Kv 10,000-Megavolt-Ampere
Steel-Clad Impulse Breaker-Another
Rating in a Line of High-Capacity
High-Voltage Breakers
C. J. BALENTINE

ASSOCIATE MEMBER AIEE

Synopsis: This paper describes a further

step in the development of a line of highvoltage high-capacity steel-clad impulse
oil circuit breakers to fulfiU the industry
requirements for increased interrupting
ratings at 138 kv, 161 kv, 230 kv, and 330
kv. The 230-kv 10,000-megavolt-ampere
breaker introduced in this paper follows the
design concepts formulated for the initial
step and offers the same excellent operating
characteristics associated with the impulse
oil-blast principle of interruption. A new
tank configuration results in an oil reduc-

tion of 40 per cent over the 230-kv conventional round tank breaker while doubling
the short-circuit interrupting rating of that
design. It further minimizes ground shock
disturbance during the interruption of
heavy-duty fault currents and allows overall tank heights to be reduced to such an
extent that it is now possible to ship 230-kv
breakers with all three poles factory-assembled and welded to a unit base. Complete
electrical, interrupting, and mechanical design tests demonstrated that the breaker
meets all industry standards with ample
margins of safety. Tests at the Switchgear
Development Laboratory included both
fault duty interruptions and the switching
of line charging currents. These tests have
fully proved the adequacy of the design and
indicate that higher interrupting ratings
could be obtained, with modifications.

THE initial step in the development of

Ta line of high-voltage high-capacity

J. M. MILNE

NONMEMBER AIEE

steel-clad impulse oil circuit breakers for

applicationtoall voltageand high capacity

interrupting ratings from 138 kv up to

and including 330 kv has already been de-

scribed.

This paper introduces another step in

the program, a 230-kv 10,000-megavoltampere steel-clad impulse oil circuit
breaker whose design features follow the
same general pattern and offer the same
excellent performance characteristics of
the impulse oil-blast principle of interruption. The triple-pole breaker is illustrated in Fig. 1.
Along with these excellent performance
characteristics, the 230-kv breaker offers
further outstanding advantages. Through
the use of a special tank design, a very appreciable reduction in oil volume has been
realized over that of conventional round
tank breakers at this voltage level. The
new tank configuration, as compared to
the conventional 230-kv round tank dePaper 53-349, recommended by the AIEE Switchgear Committee and approved by the AIEE Committee on Technical Operations for presentation
at the ATEE Pacific General Meeting, Vancouver,
B. C., Canada, September 1-4, 1953. Manuscript
submitted June 8, 1953; made available for printing July 7, 1953.
C. J. BALENTINE and J. M. MILNL are with the
General Electric Company, Philadelphia, Pa.

conductors we would plan on using winch

power from the track laying cross country
vehicle normally located at Division Headquarters. This vehicle would be moved by
truck along the highway to the nearest point
of access to the line trouble. In the meantime, the crew, carried by helicopter, can
set up the draw bench, cut out the damaged
section of conductor, make the initial splice,
and be ready to make the final splice and
handle the conductors when the tractor
arrives. In this connection we have found
the helicopter very helpful in guiding line
equipment to trouble areas where storms
have destroyed roads.

sign, results in an oil reduction of 40 per

cent while doubling the short-circuit interrupting rating. Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional front view of the new structure and
Fig. 3 is a side view.

The quantities of oil required by highvoltage tank-type circuit breakers, especially at 230 kv and above, are an important consideration to the user. To
handle these large volumes of oil during
periods of maintenance, extensive facilities must be installed. If, however, the
oil quantities are sufficiently reduced, the
oil required per triple-pole breaker may be
handled by tank trucks, and the permanent facilities can be reduced in size or
eliminated entirely. Aside from this, any
reduction in oil quantities results in time
savings because less oil is handled during
the initial installation and subsequent

maintenance periods.
In addition to decreasing considerably

Fig. 1. The new 230-kv 10,000-megavoltampere steel-clad impulse oil circuit breaker
equipped with impulse-type interrupters

Balentine, Milne-Steel-Clad Impulse Breaker

1050

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OCTOBER

1953

.
l 7lll
i
l j~ l

the required oil volume, this new tank

design reduces the over-all height of the
breaker to such an extent that it is now
possible to ship the triple-pole 230-kv
breaker on a unit base. This base mounting allows much of the assembly work to
be done at the factory. All three poles are
aligned on the base with all interphase
connections made, all bushing current
transformers are installed and wired to
terminal boards in the mechanism house,
and all control wiring is completed. The
net result is a triple-pole breaker which
may be handled as a single unit with
much of the normal installation work already completed. A very appreciable
saving in both installation time and expense is thus realized.
The required performance and design
characteristics of this breaker follow the
pattern established for the initial step in
the development of this high-capacity line
of breakers. Short-circuit currents are
interrupted with a minimum of oil deterioration and contact erosion with the
shortest possible arcing times. The design is suitable for a continuous current
rating of 1,600 amperes and for the high
momentary current ratings associated
with the high-capacity interrupting rating.

Fig. 2. Sectional view of a

single pole ofthe base-mounted

Interrupting time, 3 cycles.

Reclosing time, 20 cycles.

230-kv circuit breaker. This

illustrates one view of the new
tank configuration and shows
the relative locations of the
major components such as the
interrupter assembly, breaker
crossarm and lift rod, bushings,
and provision for double-current transformers

Interrupters
The interrupter used in this breaker
follows the design plan originally established at the 161-kv level as the starting
point for the development of a complete
line of high-capacity breakers. The plan
specifically provides for one fundamental
interrupting unit capable of extension to
increased interrupting ratings, and suitable for compounding as dictated by
voltage level requirements. Because of
the similarity of the design components
at the various voltage levels, much of the
experience gained during the development
of the 161-kv interrupter was directly
applied in fitting the design plan to the
230-kv requirement.
The impulse interrupter is shown in
Fig. 4, and the details of construction in
Fig. 5. Each impulse interrupter consists of three main components, the interrupter tube assembly, a mechanically
operated oil piston mounted adjacent to
the interrupter tube to force oil into the
interrupter arcing zone, and a grading re-

peres, 25,000 amperes at 230 kv, 26,000

amperes at 220 kv.
Short time current rating, 39,000 amperes,

momentary, 26,000 amperes, 4 seconds.

Continuous current rating, 1,600 amperes.
Basic impulse insulation level, 900-kv impulse.

Fig. 3. The new tank configuration viewed

at 90 degrees from that shown in Fig. 2. This
view shows the location of the transformer
pockets, mechanism box, and manhole

Fig. 4. The 230-kv impulse interrupter with

the static shields removed, showing the inteffupter tube assembly, the impulse piston
assembly, and the high ohmic value grading
resistor

Breaker Description
The 230-kv reduced oil volume steelclad impulse breaker is designed to meet
the following performance requirements:
Interrupting rating, 10,000 megavolt-am-

OCTOBER 1953

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Balentine, Milne-Steel-Clad Impulse Breaker

1051

Fig. 5 (left). Sectional view of the

new 230-kv impulse interrupter. This
interrupter has simultaneously operating series-breaks, laminated insulation
structures for directed oil flow and
controlled pressure generation, and a
mechanically driven oil piston

TON
ERATOR

sistor to divide the voltage between the

interrupters of a pole unit.
Within the interrupter tube assembly
there are two sets of series-arranged contacts operating simultaneously. These
contacts provide the dual function of
current carrying and current interruptions. Within the arcing zone of each set
of contacts, a laminated insulation structure directs oil flow into the arc to obtain
maximum utilization of generated pressures. These insulation structures are
shown in Fig. 6. Suitable electrostatic
shielding is provided at both the upper
and lower ends of the interrupter.
The individual contact assemblies are
made up of a movable contact rod and a
set of stationary segmental fingers, both
of whose contact surfaces are faced with
arc-resistant material. The two sets of
contacts are electrically connected through
a metallic member which carries fingers
engaging the upper movable contact rod
and the stationary fingers for the lower
set of contacts.
The movable contact rods are joined to
a common cross-member which is attached to the external contact of the interrupter. The upper contact rod is
joined to the cross-member through an
insulating rod, while the lower contact rod
is joined to it directly. Simultaneous
operation of the two sets of contacts is
thus assured since any motion of the external contact produces a corresponding
movement of each of the two movable
contact rods.
The movable crossarm of the breaker

Fig. 6 (above). A view of the internal components of the interrupter

tube assembly showing both the upper and lower laminated insulation
structures with the intermediate contact finger support and the current
transfer and arcing Angers

completes the circuit between the interrupters in a pole unit. This crossarm has
segmental fingers which engage the external contacts of the interrupters to insure the necessary momentary currentcarrying ability required by these high interrupting ratings.
The oil piston assembly housed in an
insulating cylinder is supported from the
interrupter tube. The piston, its operating rod, and the required valving are
located within the cylinder while the
springs for operating the piston are outside
the cylinder. Crossover tubes connect
the piston cylinder to the interrupter tube
and guide the oil flow into the interrupter
arcing zones. Valves within the interrupter prevent a reverse flow of oil
through these crossover tubes during the
interruption of heavy-duty currents.
The piston rod is operated by the
breaker crossafm which charges the piston
on every closing operation. On opening,
the stroke of the piston is such that it
gives continued action following the extinction of a fault, thus flushing the interrupter after each operation. As a result, the interrupter is supplied with fresh
oil for each operation regardless of how
repetitive the duty might be.
A high ohmic value-grading resistor
(500,000 ohms) is shunted across each interrupter to divide the recovery voltage
between the interrupters in a pole unit.
The resistor unit is made up of a series of
carbon impregnated ceramic discs assembled within a tube.
This interrupter utilizes impulse oil

blast action to provide constant interrupting times over the entire range of currents.
The mechanically driven piston provides
a positive oil flow at the lighter currents
so that the action of this interrupter at
such currents is entirely independent of
self-generated oil blast action. At the
higher duties oil blast action causes the
valving within the interrupter to isolate
the piston from the interrupter and effect
circuit interruption entirely through selfgenerated oil blast. This combination of
impulse oil blast and self-generated oil
blast action holds arcing times, oil deterioration, and contact erosion to a
minimum over the entire range of fault
currents. In addition, the mechanically
driven oil piston provides a steady stream
of clean, pressurized oil during the interruption of line switching currents to pre-

Fig. 7. A view of a single-pole unit being

prepared for hydrostatic pressure test. Whitewash stress coat was applied to all the welds
(the main tank weld has not yet been coated
in this photograph) prior to the test to check
for stress concentrations. The hydrostatic test
showed the domed construction to be very
strong with all welds free of stress concentrations

Balentine, Milne-Steel-Clad Impulse Breaker

1052

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OCTOBIER 1953

Fig. 10 (right). A
plot of interrupting
time versus current
showing the essen-

tially constant inter-

rupting time characteristic at all curent

magnitudes. These
tests were made on
a complete pole unit
at 133 kv and 53.5
kvkV
A

4----_ _ _ _

A
-_
iCD9 _
- _
_ 2
_
a.
_ _
- _
a > _ _
u
_
Z
d4
00

IMPERES INTERRUPTED
~~~~~~~~~Al

Breaker

Fig. 8. A view taken through the large manhole showing the removable maintenance platforms in use while making breaker adjustments
vent circuit re-establishment following
the initial interruption of the arc.

Bushings
The bushings are of the oil-filled centerclamped pressure-sealed design similar to
those currently used on high-voltage
breakers.
Special improvements, however, were
incorporated into the standard bushing
design, to adapt it for use in high-capacity
breakers. Since so many of the breakers
at this voltage level have the higher interrupting ratings, this modified bushing
design has now been adopted as the standard for 230-kv service regardless of rating.

X 10'

pand to some extent when subjected to

The configuration of this new breaker

structure is markedly different from that
of the conventional round-tank design.
The main body of the tank consists of
two elliptical, domed sections welded together with the current transformer
pockets, and the mechanism box welded
into the top of the assembly. Formed
plates, welded externally to its underside,
support the tank structure.
Fig. 7 shows a single-pole unit, following fabrication, being prepared for the
hydrostatic pressure test. Prior to this
test a whitewash stress coat was applied to
all welds to check for stress concentrations. (This stress coat may be seen in
the photograph on all the welds except the
main tank weld to which it had not yet
been applied.) The hydrostatic test
proved the dome-type construction to be
very strong and showed all welds free of
stress concentrations.
This tank configuration is inherently
more flexible than a cylindrical one. Because it is more flexible, the domes ex-

the pressures associated with the interruption of heavy-duty fault currents. The
flexing provides cushioning for the internal tank pressures, and results in a considerable reduction of ground shock over
that produced by round-tank designs.
The tank supports, while sturdy, and
providing maximum stability, are also
designed to allow flexing of the over-all
structure further to minimize ground
shock disturbance. To check thoroughly
the design for loadings and stresses, strain
gauge and deflection measurements were
made on the breaker during fault-interrupting tests.
There is provision for two current transformers on each bushing. On top of each
current transformer pocket is an adjustable adapter which swivels on what is effectively a ball-and-socket joint. This
feature on the adapter makes it possible to
install bushings with a minimum of effort since all adjustment can be obtained
by rocking on the swivel with no shimming being necessary. The bushing is
mounted on the adapter on a flat seat so

3.0

2S8
_ 1\1 1

=|

-TRIP

2.6

POSITION

IA P

fl ij
I0
V

llJ

i-,
0 1

w
z C,
-I

P
IE

.80
.6
4
.2
Jo

14 15 16

TIME IN CYCLES

Fig. 9. Time travel chart showing the closing,

tripping, and reclosing operations of the breaker

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10

ID

EEThI:t:LmThIrn
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

OCTOBER 1953

2.4
2.2
20
0 1.8
CD 1.6
1.4

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

AMPERES INTERRUPTED
Fig. 11. A plot of interrupting time versus 100 per cent leading power factor currents showing
successful interruptions over a wide range of currents with contact parting times obtained on
various portions of the current wave

Balentine, Milne-Steel-Clad Impulse Breaker

1053

~
t\r-P~~~~~\/
~~A

S-

(//V(\Vf4V/\V
~

f\/

7>

/m%\

____.
_~_.
~ ~
~ ~ ~.M

~~

__gX____R_

Fig. 12. Oscillogram of interruption of 80-ampere capacitance current at 70 kv on a single interrupter. Arcing time on this test was 0.9 cycle
Curve D Bus voltage
Curve C-Current through circuit breaker
Curve A Trip coil current
Curve E Contact travel
Curve B Generator voltage
The pole unit mechainism boxes are
welded into the top of th.e breaker tank.
The pole unit linkage is c ontained within
the mechanism box with conly the breaker
lift rod passing into the nnain tank structure. A removable top cover on the

that if it is necessary to remove a bushing,

the adapter will maintain its alignment
and the bushing may be reinstalled without further adjustment. Provision is
made for mounting a potential device on
each of the current transformer pockets.

Table 1. Representative Performance on Line-Charging Currents-Tests on a <Single Interrupter

8
8
8
8
8
8
708.

70.
70.
70.
70.
70.
70.

Arc Duration,
Cycles

...........

708.

Interruption Time,
Cycles

Remarks
no restrikes

2.3
2.1 ...
2 .....

08.........
0.6
.0.7
.2.1.
0.6
2
0.7
40.
..
0
.0.8
1.1
80.
0.9
120 ...
.

...........
...........
. ..........

Maximum

Maximum

Approximate
Arc Current,
Amperes

Number
of
Tests

Test
Voltage,
Kv

10.
1

restrikes

no

restrikes
restrikes
restrikes
restri'kes
restrikes

no restrikes

.2
2.3
.6..

70... .... 8.2........... 210 ............. 0.8 ...........

.
.
70
270 ...1.
1.0
8 ....
.
..0.
320
1.
7
I.0
.8

no
. .

no
no
...
4........ .........no
no
3
2..
no
..

restrikes

Table II. Representative Performance Interrupting Short-Circuit CLurrents

Test
Number

Interrupting

Test Voltage,

Kv

Operation

Time, Cycles

Pole Unit Tests

1

...................

.....

opening
opening
opening

....................

133

7,

133.

close-open

000

.8.800.&

133

open+ instantaneous

5.1,200

open

+instantaneous close-open .......133

open

+ instantaneous

open

+ instantaneous close-open.

.27

.CO10i

133

...

8
9

53

close-open

.opening
.opening .....

26
6.....

000

4,000
6

......2 8
27
.....,

..

..28.000

03.5....

2.3
.I.........

13.400..

......27

30.000

13, 600.

266.

1,20

266

2.000

2D5

..... 5.6

4.9

Single Interrupter Tests

11

.opening
.opening

12

.opening

10

13

..

opening.

72.

opening
opening

38

14 .....................

135

72.3.a....

72.5
72.5

.........

.........

38

.38

16 opening

...

....

16,200...

...... 19,700.
..29,000_
30,000.
.....

2.8

9,300

2.9
...2.7

18,300

34, 000

..

2 9

17

.current
current

carrying
carrying

71,000 initial amperes for

43,000

amperes after 1

duration

Operator

2.4

...... 2.4

Current-Carrying Pole Unit Tests

18.

mechanism box provides easy access to the

linkage. It is therefore not necessary to
drain the oil from the breaker and enter
the tank to gain access to any of the linkage parts.
The minimum oil line is within the
mechanism box so that it is possible to use
a magnetic float-type oil gauge mounted
on the side of the box to indicate the oil
level within the breaker. Connection is
made between the mechanism box and
each of the current transformer pockets
above the maximum oil line to connect the
air spaces and thus equalize pressures
above the oil in each of these locations.
The pole unit lks
linkage is of the straightline design with the minimum number of
parts to insure maximum reliability of
operation. Antifriction bearings are used
throughout to obtain high-speed operation under all conditions.
E-en though oil volumes have been reduced 40 per cent, with this type of tank
construction there is ample working space
inside the breaker. A large manhole in
the tank wall provides easy entry and
facilitates material handling into and out
of the breaker. Removable internal platforms are provided which, when installed,
provide level, safe footing, and help to
ease maintenance work. This is illustrated in Fig. 8, a view taken through the
manhole showing the platforms in use
while making breaker adjustments.
There is also provision on the underside
of the breaker top frame to attach portable hoists to aid in the interrupter installation and maintenance.

second

second for

duration

18 seconds

The operating mechanism is of the

pneumatic type similar to that introduced
on the 161-kv 10,000-megavolt-ampere
breaker. It is pneumatically trip-free

Balentine, .7vIilne Steel-Clad Impulse Breaker

1054

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OCTOBER 1 90-3

flect all the improvements that have been

incorporated into pneumatic operators
during more than 12 years of field experience.

Proof of Performance
. -

Proof of performance has been obtained through complete electrical and

mechanical design tests. The following
description of tests demonstrates that all
AIEE and American Standards Association requirements have been satisfied.

Pd- I-a-

am&

INSULATION TESTS

Fig. 13. Oscillogram of an opening operation at 72.5 kv on a single interrupter showing the
interruption of 19,700 amperes with an arcing time of 1.4 cycles
Curve E-Pressure in interrupter
Curve A Trip coil current
Curve F Pressure in oil tdnk
Curve B Generator voltdge
Curve G-Contdct trdvel
Curve C-Current through circuit breaker
Curve D-Voltage across circuit breaker

Sixty-cycle test voltages 7 per cent

above the required value and 1.5x40microsecond impulse withstand voltages
of both polarities 10 per cent above the
required value were applied in accordance
with industry standards.
THERMAL TESTS
Particular attention was paid to the
thermal design of the contact structures
to assure reliability of service. A 1,600ampere heat run demonstrated ample
thermal margin in the design of the contact structures.
OPERATIONAL TIMING TESTS
Timing tests made on all types of duties
indicate that in addition to high-speed
closing and tripping reclosing times of 15
cycles or less are possible. Typical time
travel charts are shown in Fig. 9.

G
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

.~~~~~~

Fig. 14. Oscillogram showing the interruption of 29,000 amperes in 0.9 cycle of arcing with
38 kv imposed on a single interrupter

Curve D Voltage across circuit bredker

Curve E-Pressure in interrupter
Curve G-Contact trdvel

Curve A Trip coil current

Curve B-Generator voltdge
Curve C -Current through circuit breaker

with a simplified mechanical system. The

few moving parts present in the mechanical assembly result in a ruggedoperator providing the utmost dependability
for high-speed operations.2
The mechanism is capable of 20-cycle
reclosing or less on either single operations

or multiple-duty cycles as dictated by in-

dustry requirements. The over-all highspeed tripping time required for minimum

interrupting time is obtained by means of

a flux-shifting trip device backed up by
over 20 years of field experience.
The accessories of the air system reA

OPERATIONAL LIFE TESTS

An operational life test was conducted
far more severe than anything that will be
encountered in actual service. Five
thousand operations made up of 3,000
close-and-trip, 1,000 trip-free, and 1,000
reclosing operations were performed as
evidence that during the life of the breaker
maximum dependability will be obtained.
INTERRUPTING TESTS
The breaker has been thoroughly
checked on interrupting tests on all types

-A
i
B~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A

%.

---

- /X@<VAVwNAAvAVAAIX/X/
F

.-

Fig. 1 5. Oscillogram of a 1 4-cycle reclosing operation showing the interruption of 30,000 amperes with an arcing time of 1.2 cycles on the first
operation and 13,600 amperes in 1.0 cycle on the second operation. This test was made at 53.5 kv on a single-pole unit
Curve E-Voltage across circuit breaker
Curve C- Generator voltage
Curve A-Trip coil current
Curve F-Contdct trdvel
Curve D-Current through circuit breaker
Curve B-Pressure in oil tdnk
OCTOBER 1953

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Balentine, M'ilne-Steel-Clad Impulse Breaker

1055

Table Ill. Integrated Interrupting Amperes on

a Single Set of Contacts
Single Pole
Voltage

Number of
Tests

Range of Arc
Current, Amperes

266 ........... 5
90 to 1,540
650 to 4, 800
200 ........... 6
.690 to 6, 100
133 ........... 10
133.
1........ I 150 to 8,800
..........
133.
790to3,400
..........
590 to 6,800
133.
..........
133 .
2,700
..........
7 to 8, 100
.
53.5
1........... 5,300
53.5 ........... 1............ 9,000
53.5 ........... 1............ 14,100
53.5 ........... 1............ 29,000
53.5. .......... 1............ 29,000
53.5. .......... I............ 5,400
53.5 ........... 1............ 8,800
53.5........... 1............ 13,100
53.5 ........... 1............ 13,000

53,5
53.5. ..........
53 .5
53.5. ..........
53.5 ...........
53.5 ...........
.
53.5
..........
...........

1..

1............
1.............
1

...........

1............
1............

I............

15,300
18,900
20,000
23,000
28,000
28,000
21,000

Total ...... 70 .435,000

of operations and under the various conditions which can be expected to arise on
230-kv systems. Fault-interrupting tests
were made under normal and overvoltage
conditions with various duty cycles imposed on the breaker. The interruption
of line charging currents was adequately
tested. Momentary and 4-second current carrying tests were made.
Fig. 10 shows a plot of interrupting
time versus current under short-circuit
conditions, showing the essentially constant interrupting time characteristics at
all current magnitudes. These tests were
made on a complete pole unit at 1:33 kv
and 53.5 kv.
Fig. 11 is a plot of interrupting time
versus line charging or capacitor currents
at 100 per cent leading power factor.
These tests were taken with synchronouslycontrolledtrippingto obtaincontact
parting on various portions of the current
wave to insure that the data are representative of actual field operating conditions. These tests were made at 70 kv on
a single interrupter. The minimum current of 5 amperes represents the 3-phase
equivalent of 2,000 kva, while the maximum current represents 125,000 kva.
This represents a spread of approximately
7 to 450 miles of overhead 230-kv line.
These data are shown in Table I, andarepresentative oscillogram in Fig. 12.
Table II shows a set of representative
data taken from opening and 15-cycle reclosing tests. Oscillogram Fig. 13 of test
13 shows the interruption of 19,700 rms
amperes at 72.5 kv on a single interrupter
with an arcing time of 1.4 cycles. Test
14 shows the interruption of 29,000 nms
amperes in 0.9 cycles of arcing with 38
kv imposed on a single interrupter. This

Fig. 16. The contacts from a A..

230-kv interrupter after it had
been subjected to an integrated
interrupting duty of 435,000
amperes. This represents over
17 times the rated amperes with
the contacts still capable of
Further duty

is shown in the oscillogram of Fig. 14.

Fig. 15 is the oscillogram of a 14-cycle reclosing operation. The currents on the
first and second operation were 30,000
and 13,600 amperes respectively, with
arcing times of 1.2 and 1.0 cycles respectively. This test was made at 53.5 kv on
a single-pole unit. Tests 8 and 9 are
typical opening operations under doublevoltage conditions.
The momentary and 4-second currentcarrying tests are shown in the last two
lines of Table II. Although these tests
were made at currents having considerable
margin over the required values, there
was no burning or pitting of the contacts
in the interrupter or on the breaker-moving crossarm.
To demonstrate the suitability of the
contact arcing material for prolonged field
service with no renewal or replacement
necessary, the interrupters were subjected
to a lengthy series of tests covering a wide
range of current magnitudes. The complete series is shown in Table III. The
integrated duty on the series amounted
to 435,000 amperes, which is over 17
times the rated interrupting amperes of
the breaker. After the tests were completed, the contacts were still capable of
carrying current as shown in Fig. 16.
During the interruption of even the
heaviest fault duties, the breaker showed
no visible signs of distress. The elliptical
domed-tank construction in conjunction
with its semiresilient mounting proved
ideal for minimizing ground shock disturbance.

Conclusions
The semielliptical tank construction
provides an ideal breaker structure since
it reduces oil volume greatly, allows base
mounting of the triple-pole assembly, and
minimizes ground shock disturbance
during the interruption of heavy-duty
faults.
Test data substantiate the use of an interrupter design plan predicated upon
covering all high-capacity ratings with a
basic unit capable of extension to higher
voltage levels and increased interrupting
duties.

The performance of all the components

was such that the breaker design could be

readily extended to increased interrupting

ratings.

References
1. A 161-Kv 10,000 AMEGAVOLT-AMPERE STEEL-

CLAD IMPULSE CIRCUIT

Authorized licensd use limted to: IE Xplore. Downlade on May 10,2 at 19:53 UTC from IE Xplore. Restricon aply.

FIRST

oF

Discussion
W. M. Leeds (Wlestinghouse Electric Corporation, East Pittsburgh, Pa.): The
authors make a considerable point of the
effect of the circuit-breaker tank shape and
method of mounting on the base in reducing
the shock load transmitted to the foundations during short-circuit current interruptions. Since strain-gauge measurements
were made to determine this stress it would
be interesting to know by approximately
what factor the shock has been reduced as
compared to a conventional cylindrical tank
breaker for a particular interrupting duty.
Also we should like to know the approximate ratio of shock load to dead weight
which must be withstood bythe foundations.
C. J. Balentine and J. M. Milne: No direct
comparison of shock measurements for
10,000-megavolt-ampere ratings exists between conventional round-tank breaker designs and the new design because this higher
rating has never been built into the cylindrical construction.
Based on measurements made on the 5,000megavolt-ampere rating in the round-tank
design, however, which were supplemented
with calculations to determine the amount
of shock loading which could be expected
when interrupting 10,000 megavolt-amperes
considerably less ground shock was obtained
with the new tank structure than was indicated by the measurements and calculations
made.
Although both the measurements and
visual observation confirmed the fact that
ground shock disturbance has been considerably lessened, no change has been made
in the present recommendations for foundation designs. More data will be obtained
before any changes in recommendations are
made.

Balentine, Milne-Steel-Clad Impulse Breaker

1056

BREAKER-THE

LINE oP HIGH-CAPACITY HIGH-VOLTAGE CIRCUIT

BREAKERS, c. J. Balentine, C. M. Ratliff, Jr., G. C.
McBride. AIEE Transactions, vol. 72, pt. III,
April 1953, pp. 312-21.
2. OPERATING MECHANISMS FOR HIGH-CAPACITY
HIGH-vOLTAGE OIL CIRCUIT BREAKERS, E. B.
Rietz. Ibid., pp. 256-63.
A

OCTOBER 1953