High voltage disconnect protection

The apparatus comprises a high voltage disconnect and load isolation switch. During normal operations commercial power is conducted through a pair of contacts a and b to a load. When a high voltage (HV) component is detected by an HV pulse detector, a command from the HV detector opens a secondary power interrupter while simultaneously activating the opening of contacts a and b. A surge protector conducts some of the HV energy greater than the source, or commercial power, to ground. As contacts a and b open, HV ground probes are positioned at a slight distance (dielectric constant equal to the commercial power source) from these contacts. These probes provide a ground source for an HV component throughout the complete transition of contact b to the rest position, which will be at ground potential. There is now full isolation from the source of power supply.