Multi-section power capacitor with internal fusing arrangement

Claim 1

A power capacitor comprising: a plurality of wound capacitor sections in an enclosure having first and second terminals extending through said enclosure; each of said capacitor sections comprising first and second electrodes and one or more sheets of dielectric material between said electrodes on both sides of said respective electrodes, said plurality of wound capacitor sections being assembled in a stack within said enclosure with ends of said sections being substantially aligned; connection means for selectively connecting said sections into electrically parallel groups of sections and for selectively connecting said electrically parallel groups of sections in series with said terminals, said connection means comprising fusing means for opening the connection of an individual one of said sections upon a dielectric breakdown within said individual section; said fusing means comprising a plurality of fuse wires each having one end connected to one end of one of said sections of one of said electrically parallel groups of sections and having a second end connected to a common electrical bus extending over said group of sections; means for insulatively supporting said common electrical bus in spaced relation to said group of sections comprising a plurality of insulative spacer elements disposed between certain adjacent ones of said sections and having an extended portion beyond said ends of said sections; and, means for insulatively locating said plurality of fuse wires comprising an insulative locater member supported by said insulative spacer elements that support said bus with each of said fuse wires extending from a point on one of said sections around said locater member to said bus.