Russian vacuum circuit breakers for electrical networks

Development of vacuum interrupters (VI) and vacuum circuit breakers (VCB) was started in the USSR under the guidance of V. Granovsky in the All-Union Electrotechnical Institute (VEI, 1955-1964) and then continued by his colleagues and scholars in different scientific and industrial establishments. At present vacuum contactors, compact vacuum circuit breakers (VCB) for switching currents up to 20 kA at 10 kV that weight less than 30 kg, and VCB for switching currents up to 31.5 kA at 6110 kV widely used in electrical distribution networks are being produced in Russia. The total production output of vacuum contactors for the voltages up to 1200 V is about 1000 pieces per year, VCB for voltages up to 10 kV about 6000 pieces/year and VCB for 35-110 kV-about 600 pieces/year. VCB are being mostly employed in rural and urban distribution networks, in transport, in the oil-gas, metallurgy and mining industries of Russia