First results from an electro-magnetic (EM) drive high acceleration of a circuit breaker contact for a hybrid switch

The force acting on a workpiece by magnetic fields gained more interest due to new applications. These techniques are used for decades to accelerate or move objects, for instance for fast opening circuit breakers. This contribution describes an electro-magnetic drive system, which accelerates a circuit breaker contact for a DC hybrid switch. During the opening movement an average acceleration of ~19,000 mmiddots^-2 has been realised and the first 4 mm of contact separation is reached after ~422 mus, which is enough to withstand the rated switch voltage of 3 kV