Some new ideas in circuit breaker design

IN THE LIGHT of the present trends that are influencing the design, application, and operation of circuit breakers in electric power systems it seems reasonable to expect that the satisfactory circuit breaker of the future must have the ability to interrupt, in a few cycles and with minimum arcing, a circuit carrying a large load, and do this effectively without the use of oil. In the course of electrical engineering work at the University of Colorado, the authors developed 2 circuit breaker designs which show possibilities of incorporating the several desirable features requisite in a satisfactory circuit breaker. One design is an air-stream circuit breaker operating with compressed air, the other a vapor-blast circuit breaker operating with the use of ordinary water.