Studies of On-line Monitoring of Pressure in Vacuum Interrupters

Some methods for on-line monitoring of pressure in vacuum interrupters were reviewed. Experiments were carried out to investigate the characteristics of an inverted magnetron vacuum gauge in pulsed discharge mode, which can measure pressures ranging from 3times10 -4 Pa to 0.5 Pa. According to the experimental results, a kind of vacuum tube with intellectualized vacuum sensor was developed to implement the on-line monitoring of pressure in vacuum interrupters. Discharge in the vacuum sensor was performed in a pulsed mode. The vacuum sensor was powered by batteries and was able to communicate the results of measurement to other devices by radio, infrared or optical fibre