MANUFACTURED WITH PRIDE IN THE USA
Watteredge produces a variety of custom fabricated high current AC and DC switches for industrial applications. These switches are specifically designed for high current AC and DC switching applications that offer increased safety, reliability, and a longer lifespan. Watteredge’s switches are designed to provide superior performance in harsh environments of electrochemical processes, metals refining, plating, specialty metal melting furnaces, and rectifier bypass operations.
Watteredge produces the following high current DC switches:
Disconnect/Isolating Switches
These switches are available in single or back-to-back configurations for both AC and DC high power applications. Watteredge’s disconnect/isolating switches can be installed in copper or aluminum bus systems without additional support. Furthermore these switches use Watteredge’s proprietary sealed silver contact assembly to increase safety and decrease failure rate. All disconnect switches produced by Watteredge meet ISO 9001 standards. These switches are able to be mounted in any possible orientation a customer wants and these switches have a working voltage of up to 1000 volts. These switches have a variety of applications including RTD (Resistance Temperature Detector) Temperature, Voltage monitoring, Pre-arcing contacts for back EMF (Electromotive fields), control boxes, and pneumatic protection systems.
Polarity Reversing Switches
Watteredge’s polarity reversing switches work as an off-load vacuum contact switch that utilizes a proprietary vacuum contact assembly. These switches are available in both air cooled and water cooled configurations for DC reversing applications. They are able to be mounted in any orientation possible and have a working voltage of up to 1000 volts. They have many options and accessories that can be added to them when a customer goes through our order process. These switches are used in a variety of industries such as chlor-alkali copper refining, plating, specialty metal melting furnaces, and metals refining.
Vacuum Contact Modules
Several of Watteredge’s switches use our patented vacuum contact module. This module provides high performance in low voltage, high current DC applications. Switches that have this contact module have a longer life, low contact resistance and increased productivity through decreased downtime. These contact modules are present in Watteredge’s fixed vacuum contact switches, portable vacuum contact switch, shorting (load break) switches, and our vacuum contact module design options.
Fixed Vacuum Contact Switches
Theses switches were designed to overcome the deficiencies of conventional shorting switches presently used in electrolytic cell applications. The vacuum contact module in the switch prevents corrosion on the contact surfaces. Theses switches are used in a variety of different industries for applications such as electrolytic cell shorting (Single Pole Single Throw/ Double Pole Double Throw), transfer switches (SPST, DPDT), polarity reversing, and circuit grounding.
Watteredge’s portable vacuum contact switches utilizes the vacuum contact module and in
Portable Vacuum Contact Switches
Watteredge’s portable vacuum contact switches utilizes the vacuum contact module and incorporates solid state control logic for programmed switch opening and closing. These switches have a variety of design and custom configurations available for purchase such as a service alarm and switch transport options. Additionally, they are available in 30kA through 250kA.
Shorting (Load Break) Switches
Watteredge’s shorting switches utilize a number of current-carrying elements, each containing a vacuum contact module and a pneumatic actuator. This system minimizes the stored inductive energy during switch opening. Shorting switches are used in cell chlor-alkali production, aluminum reduction potlines, and electrolytic manganese dioxide.
Vacuum Contact Module Design Options
Watteredge’s vacuum contact modules act as a high current DC shorting switch. As stated before these modules provide superior performance in harsh environments. Using switches that include this contact module result in a reduction of overall maintenance and energy costs. Besides the benefits already listed, there are several additional ones such as a longer life span than any other configuration available on the market, absence of exposed arcing and flying hot metal, and operation at higher temperatures without harm to contacts. Watteredge has both air cooled and water cooled switch designs and switches that can operate up to 250,000 amps. Watteredge has vacuum contact modules available for chlor-alkani cell processes, metal refining, and matrix switch elements.
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About the Author: Ben Gontarz
