2009 R&D 100 Winner
The IntelliRupter PulseCloser from S&C Electric Company, Chicago, Ill., helps address the increasing demand for improved electrical power reliability (the availability of power) and power quality (the suitability of this power). Its primary function is replacement of conventional overhead line reclosers in medium-voltage electric distribution systems.
IntelliRupter PulseCloser provides the same functionality as a medium-voltage (10-kV to 27-kV) recloser, which has been used in electric power distribution since the 1940s. However, it provides innovations in several areas. It reduces the stresses placed on the electric distribution system during “reclosing” by up to 98%, reducing the likelihood that a reclosing event will damage a transformer, cause a joint or connector to melt or weld, cause a wire to touch the ground, or start a fire from molten metal. Intelligent fuse-saving eliminates unnecessary momentary power interruptions; and pulseclosing eliminates the voltage sags characteristic of conventional reclosing systems. IntelliRupter PulseCloser has a very fast interrupting time and five-times-tighter tolerance in measuring current and calculating its time-current characteristic, allowing significantly more devices in series to coordinate.
Technology
Recloser
Developer
S&C Electric Company
