Vacuum contactor for tough marine applications
18 January 2015
Eaton is offering a high-current (1,600A) three-phase vacuum contactor that is suitable for use in demanding marine applications, such as the control of large bow thrusters.
The main benefits of the DILM1600 vacuum contactor include an extremely long life span and minimal maintenance requirements. In addition, the efficient operating mechanism requires less power and generates less heat than the operating mechanisms used in regular air break contactors.
The sealed vacuum tubes used in the contactors are completely maintenance free and because switching in a vacuum generates no arcing (even with high currents and inductive loads) contact erosion is negligible.
This means that the switching devices are very reliable. The life span of Eaton vacuum contactors is 250,000 on-load operations, equivalent to over 60 years of use in a typical bow-thruster control application with 4,000 operations a year.
Eaton vacuum contactors are rated for use at voltages up to 1,000V and require no current de-rating at temperatures up to 60ºC. In addition, the control circuits have a very wide voltage tolerance, which facilitates use with poor quality or generator-derived supplies.
DILM1600 contactors feature integrated suppression components to aid easy integration with programmable controllers and other electronic control devices and, as standard, they are fitted with two open and two closed auxiliary contacts.
The suitability of Eaton’s vacuum contactors for marine use is confirmed by approvals from organisations that include Bureau Veritas, Det Norske Veritas, Germanischer Lloyd and Lloyd’s Register.
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