Vacuum Load-breaking switches

Vacuum Load-breaking switch and Disconnect switches can be supplied with equipment to provide a limited load switching capability. Arcing horns, whips, and spring actuators are typical at lower voltages.

These switches are used to de-energize or energize a circuit that possesses some limited amount of magnetic or capacitive current, such as transformer exciting current or line charging currents.

An air switch can be modified to include a series interrupter (typically vacuum or SF6) for higher voltage and current interrupting levels.

These interrupters increase the load break capability of the disconnect switch and can be applied for switching load or fault currents of the associated equipment.