With the rise of oil-free medium-voltage switches, vacuum switches have been widely promoted and applied due to their unique advantages. Over the years, due to production processes and on-site usage environments, some vacuum switches may have varying degrees of leakage during the operation of their vacuum arc extinguishing chambers, and some may leak to the point of failure within their normal lifespan, preventing normal operation. In such cases, open-circuit decisions may lead to incorrect judgments, causing serious consequences. Most domestic vacuum switch accidents are caused by this reason. Therefore, it is very important to regularly or irregularly check the vacuum degree of vacuum switches.
The traditional detection method is the "withstand voltage method", which involves placing the vacuum switch in the open state and applying a certain voltage between the dynamic and static contacts to detect the magnitude of its leakage current, thereby inferring the vacuum level of the vacuum tube. The advantage of this method is its simple operation, but the disadvantage is that it can only qualitatively detect the quality of the vacuum tube, and cannot accurately distinguish vacuum levels between 10-4 to 10-1 Pa, thus making it impossible to determine the leakage trend (i.e., the degree of leakage relative to the last test of the vacuum switch).
A quantitative testing instrument developed by Hubei Research Institute of Cosmic Electrical Equipment Co., Ltd. for vacuum arc extinguishing chambers in switching scenarios has been patented and enables quantitative measurement without disassembly. With this quantitative measurement device, not only can the vacuum degree of the vacuum switch be measured to ensure it is within the normal range, but more importantly, the leakage rate of a specific vacuum switch can be determined more quickly. By comparing measurement results over the years, its lifespan can generally be inferred, effectively achieving the purpose of accident prevention.
The YTC3991 vacuum degree tester launched by our company is an upgraded product developed and improved through multiple field tests. This product features a compact structural design, lightweight and portable, with shorter testing time, higher reliability, stability, and accuracy in measurement, and more comprehensive functions.
The high-voltage switch vacuum degree tester is a very common high-voltage power testing device. Power workers often need to use this equipment in their daily work, so they need to master its principles and usage methods proficiently.
