Plate

Arc splitter plates, also known as deion plates, are critical components in electrical interruption devices such as circuit breakers, contactors, and switches. They consist of multiple parallel metal plates separated by insulating materials, arranged within an arc chute. When an electrical arc forms during circuit interruption, these plates split the arc into smaller segments, increasing its voltage requirement and cooling it rapidly through thermal conduction and deionization, thereby extinguishing the arc and preventing damage to equipment.

Arc splitter plates operate on the principle of arc division and cooling. When an electrical arc is drawn between contacts, it is forced into the plate assembly. The plates divide the single arc into multiple shorter arcs in series, each requiring additional voltage to sustain. Simultaneously, the metal plates absorb heat from the arc through thermal conduction, while the insulating gaps promote deionization of the plasma by cooling and recombination of ions, rapidly increasing arc resistance until current cannot be maintained and the arc is extinguished.