Patent ID: 9026375
Filing Date: 2015-05-05
Classification: G01N,G01R,H01F,H01H

Abstract:
1. A closed contact method for using an electromagnetic testing device to predict a usable life of vacuum interrupters, the electromagnetic testing device comprising: a data storage, a processor, a magnetic field coil, a tube type selector, and a display, the method comprising: a. storing, in the data storage, a library of ionic or current versus pressure calibration curves for individual vacuum interrupters; b. storing, in the data storage, a library of trend data for each individual vacuum interrupter, wherein the trend data comprises: c. storing, in the data storage, a tube chart of tube types, wherein each tube type has a tube identifier, and wherein each tube identifier has a tube specific ionic or current versus pressure calibration curve; d. e. placing an installed vacuum interrupter within the flexible magnetic field coil without removing the installed vacuum interrupter from an installed location; f. actuating the electromagnetic testing device to generate a DC potential to cross a first gap in the installed vacuum interrupter between a vapor shield in the installed vacuum interrupter and a contact assembly in the installed vacuum interrupter; g. implementing computer instructions, via the processor, to measure ion current flow across the first gap using the flexible magnetic field coil; h. selecting, via the tube type selector, a tube type for the installed vacuum interrupter, forming a selected tube type; i. implementing, via the processor, computer instructions stored in the data storage to link one of the tube types in the chart of tube types to the selected tube type to associate an ionic or current versus pressure calibration curve with the selected tube type; j. selecting an output reading for the electromagnetic testing device consisting of: a direct pressure reading in Pascals or an ionic current reading in amps; k. actuating testing by the electromagnetic testing device by implementing computer instructions to instruct the processor to: l. determining anticipated life expectancy of the installed vacuum interrupter by implementing computer instructions stored in the data storage to instruct the processor to: