Series capacitor system with sequentially coordinated dual spark gap protection

Claim 1

IN AN ELECTRIC DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM, A SERIES CAPACITOR INSTALLATION COMPRISING A CAPACITOR BANK SERIES CONNECTED TO AN ALTERNATING CURRENT LINE; A FIRST AND SECOND SPARK GAP MEANS IN SHUNT CIRCUIT RELATIONSHIP WITH RESPECT TO SAID CAPACITOR BANK, EACH ADAPTED TO BREAK DOWN AND IMMEDIATELY BECOME CONDUCTING WHEN SUBJECTED TO FIRST AND SECOND INSTANTANEOUS FAULT VOLTAGES, RESPECTIVELY, IN EXCESS OF A PREDETERMINED LEVEL, OF SUFFICIENT MAGNITUDE TO DAMAGE SAID CAPACITOR BANK; A BYPASS SERIES CIRCUIT IN SHUNT CIRCUIT RELATIONSHIP WITH RESPECT TO SAID CAPACITOR BANK; SAID BYPASS SERIES CIRCUIT INCLUDING A FIRST NORMALLY OPEN SWITCH MEANS AND A SECOND NORMALLY CLOSED SWITCH MEANS; EACH OF SAID SWITCH MEANS QUICKLY OPERABLE TO ITS OTHER POSITION RESPONSIVE TO PREDETERMINED CIRCUIT CONDITIONS; THE CIRCUIT CONNECTION OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND SWITCH MEANS IN SAID NORMAL POSITION PLACING SAID FIRST SPARK GAP MEANS IN SHUNT CIRCUIT RELATIONSHIP WITH RESPECT TO SAID CAPACITOR BANK; FIRST SENSING MEANS FOR SENSING THE CONDUCTION OF SAID FIRST SPARK GAP MEANS; SAID FIRST SENSING MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID FIRST SWITCH MEANS FOR OPERATION THEREOF TO ITS CLOSED POSITION RESPONSIVE TO SAID FIRST SPARK GAP MEANS CONDUCTING WHEREBY SAID BYPASS CIRCUIT IS COMPLETED TO EXTINGUISH THEARC ACROSS SAID FIRST SPARK GAP MEANS; SECOND SENSING MEANS FOR SENSING THE CLEARING UP OF A LINE FAULT CONDITION; SAID SECOND SENSING MEANS, AND MEANS OPERATIVELY RESPONSIVE TO THE CONDITION OF SAID FIRST SWITCH MEANS, OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID SECOND SWITCH MEANS, OPERATIVELY RESPONSIVE TO THE CONDITION POSITION RESPONSIVE TO SAID FIRST SWITCH MEANS BEING CLOSED AND THELINE FAULT CONDITION BEING CLEARED UP, WHEREBY SAID BYPASS CIRCUIT IS INTERRUPTED, REINSERTING SAID CAPACITOR BANK IN SAID ALTERNATING CURRENT POWER LINE; THE OPERATION OF SAID SECOND SWITCH MEANS TO SAID OPEN POSITION DEFEATING SAID SHUNT CIRCUIT RELATIONSHIP OF SAID FIRST SPARK GAP MEANS ACROSS SAID CAPACITOR BANK, WITH SAID SECOND SPARK GAP MEANS BEING IN SHUNT CIRCUIT PROTECTIVE RELATIONSHIP WITH SAID CAPACITOR BANK, WHEREBY THE PROTECTIVE REMOVAL OF SAID CAPACITOR BANK IS TRANSFERRED FROM SAID FIRST SPARK GAP MEANS TO SAID SECOND SPARK GAP MEANS; MEANS FOR AUTOMATICALLY RETURNING SAID FIRST SWITCH MEANS TO ITS OPEN POSITION AND SAID SECOND SWITCH MEANS TO ITS CLOSED POSITION AFTER A PREDETERMINED TIME INTERVAL HAS ELAPSED FROM THE TRANSFER OF CAPACITOR BANK PROTECTION FROM SAID FIRST SPARK GAP MEANS TO SAID SECOND SPARK GAP MEANS, WHEREBY THE CAPACITOR BANK PROTECTION IS REVERTED TO SAID FIRST SPARK GAP MEANS.