Electric gap device using porous material in the arc chamber

Claim 1

A SERIES CURRENT INTERRUPTING GAP UNIT FOR VALVE TYPE LIGHTNING ARRESTERS COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A PLURALITY OF INDIVIDUAL SERIALLY CONNECTED HORN GAPS SANDWICHED BETWEEN STACKED AXIALLY ALIGNED BODY PLATES OF POROUS CERAMIC MATERIAL, EACH PAIR OF CONTIGUOUS PLATES FORMING BETWEEN THEIR FACING SURFACES A CLOSED ARC CHAMBER HAVING A RELATIVELY SHALLOW PORTION AT ONE SIDE IN WHICH THE PART OF ITS HORN GAP WHICH HAS THE MINIMUM ELECTRODE SPACING IS LOCATED, SAID ARC CHAMBER HAVING A RELATIVELY DEEP ARC DEIONIZING PORTION WITH A SUBSTANTIALLY LARGER RATIO OF VOLUME TO WALL SURFACE OF SAID THAN SAID RELATIVELY SHALLOW PORTION, THE RUNNERS OF SAID GAP DIVERGINGLY EXTENDING INTO SAID ARC CHAMBER AND TERMINATING IN TIPS AT OPPOSITE ENDS OF SAID RELATIVELY DEEP PORTION, SAID RELATIVELY DEEP PORTION HAVING AN ARCUATE WALL EXTENDING BETWEEN SAID TIPS AND FACING THE POINT OF MINIMUM GAP ELECTRODE SPACING, THE CONFIGURATION OF SAID HORN GAP ELECTRODES PROVIDING THE SOLE MEANS FOR ELECTROMAGNETICALLY FORCING AN ARC INITIALLY STRUCK BETWEEN SAID ELECTRODES AT THEIR POINT OF MINIMUM SPACING INTO SAID ARC CHAMBER ALONG SAID RUNNERS TO THEIR TIPS AND AGAINST SAID ARCUATE WALL, SAID ARCUATE WALL HAVING A PLURALITY OF CONDUCTIVE DEIONIZING GRIDS INSERTED THEREIN AND EXTENDING RADIALLY INWARDLY THEREFROM ACROSS THE PATH OF AN ARC ALONG SAID WALL BETWEEN SAID HORNS, THE POROSITY OF THE WALLS OF SAID RELATIVELY SHALLOW PORTION OF SAID ARC CHAMBER SERVING TO ABSORB AND SHRINK A HIGH CURRENT ARC STRUCK ACROSS THE POINT OF MINIMUM SPACING OF GAP ELECTRODES SO AS TO PRESERVE THE AUTOMATIC ACTION OF THE HORN GAP IN RAPIDLY MOVING SUCH HIGH CURRENT ARC AWAY FROM SUCH POINTS, SAID RELATIVELY DEEP PORTION OF SAID ARC CHAMBER SERVING TO PROVIDE A RAPID GAP RECOVERY VOLTAGE AFTER NORMAL CURRENT ZERO WITHOUT DEVELOPING SUBSTANTIAL ARC VOLTAGE BEFORE CURRENT ZERO.