Critical Length Criterion and the Arc Chain Model for Calculating the Arcing Time of the Secondary Arc Related to AC Transmission Lines

The prompt extinction of the secondary arc is critical to the single-phase reclosing of AC transmission lines,including half-wavelength power transmission lines.In this paper,a lowvoltage physical experimental platform was established and the motion process of the secondary arc was recorded by a high-speed camera.It was found that the arcing time of the secondary arc rendered a close relationship with its arc length.Through the input and output power energy analysis of the secondary arc,a new critical length criterion for the arcing time was proposed.The arc chain model was then adopted to calculate the arcing time with both the traditional and the proposed critical length criteria,and the simulation results were compared with the experimental data.The study showed that the arcing time calculated from the new critical length criterion gave more accurate results,which can provide a reliable criterion in term of arcing time for modeling and simulation of the secondary arc related with power transmission lines.     

Dynamic physical characteristics of DC arc on arcing horn for HVDC grounding electrode line

The dynamic physical characteristics of a DC arc on an arcing horn for a high voltage direct current(HVDC) grounding electrode line are significantly different from those of the switching device arc,secondary arc,AC fault arc and pantograph-catenary arc.In this work,an experimental platform for the DC arc on the arcing horn was built,and mechanisms of the arc column short circuit and arc root movement were studied.This work further analyzes the characteristics and mechanisms of the arc motion wh...     

阴极端面旋转弧根的数值分析

辅助电弧的阴极弧根在管状钨阴极端面旋转时，随着阴极弧根旋转频率的增加，在阴极端面形成一圈温度较高的区域；区域中各点的温度（除弧根处温度）趋于均匀，从而为主电弧的阴极弧根在这个区域中分裂成多弧根或形成扩散型弧根模式提供了必要的温度条件；弧根处的阴极端面温度随旋转频率的增加而下降并趋于一个稳定的值。本文利用三维热传导方程对此进行了分析。     

Study on volt-ampere characteristics of solar array arcs in LEO spacecraft

The primary and secondary arcs volt-ampere characteristics of low earth orbit solar arrays are studied in this research. Using three gallium-arsenide solar cell samples, the gap lengths of the solar cell are set to 1, 2, and 3 mm. First, the primary arc voltage characteristics of a solar array are analyzed. It is found that two steps are involved in the primary arc voltages, which are 116 and 22 V according to our experiment and are independent of the electrostatic discharge current and the gap lengths. By comparing with the arc pattern, we determined that current chopping may be the reason for the stepped arc voltage. Then, the characteristics of the secondary arc of the solar array are demonstrated. The study shows that the secondary arc voltage values increase with the gap length. In the case of the same cell with a fixed gap length, the voltage of the secondary arc increases with the string current. Finally, the relationship between the secondary arc voltage and the gap length is obtained which helps the string voltage and the gap length selection for system design.     

Interruption Phenomenon in Intermediate-Frequency Vacuum Arc

In the condition of the 3 mm gap, experiments for 360 Hz intermediate-frequency vacuum arc are carried out in interrupters with the diameters being 41 mm and with the contact materials being CuCr50 and Cu-W-WC alloy respectively. The results indicate that the contacts material is closely related to the breaking capacity of the vacuum interrupters and characteristics of an intermediate-frequency vacuum arc. For contacts with the same diameter, the breaking capacity of CuCr50 is better than that of Cu-W-WC. When the current fails to be interrupted, the arcs overflow the gap and present irregular performances in the first half wave. Consequently a voltage spike appears. More macroscopic metal droplets can be seen in the arc column between CuCr50 contacts because of the lower melting point. It is observed that the droplet emission is much more severe during arc reignition than that in the first half wave. It is much more conspicuous that the high frequency arc voltage noises appear in Cu-W-WC contacts when the vacuum arcs reignite, for higher temperature and stronger electronic emission ability of Cu-W-WC contacts.     

Non-Intrusive Magneto-Optic Detecting System for Investigations of Air Switching Arcs

In current investigations of electric arc plasmas, experiments based on modern testing technology play an important role. To enrich the testing methods and contribute to the understanding and grasping of the inherent mechanism of air switching arcs, in this paper, a nonintrusive detecting system is described that combines the magneto-optic imaging（MOI） technique with the solution to inverse electromagnetic problems. The detecting system works in a sequence of main steps as follows： MOI of the variation of the arc flux density over a plane, magnetic field information extracted from the magneto-optic（MO） images, arc current density distribution and spatial pattern reconstruction by inverting the resulting field data. Correspondingly, in the system, an MOI set-up is designed based on the Faraday effect and the polarization properties of light, and an intelligent inversion algorithm is proposed that involves simulated annealing（SA）.Experiments were carried out for high current（2 kA RMS） discharge cases in a typical low-voltage switchgear. The results show that the MO detection system possesses the advantages of visualization, high resolution and response, and electrical insulation, which provides a novel diagnostics tool for further studies of the arc.     

Motion and Splitting of Vacuum Arc Column in Transverse Magnetic Field Contacts at Intermediate—Frequency

Arc motion and splitting of vacuum arc at intermediate frequency（400-800 Hz） were investigated under transverse magnetic field（TMF）.The experiment was performed on cup-type TMF contacts with contact diameter of 40 mm and a contact gap of 4 mm in a single-frequency circuit.With high-speed photography we characterized the arc appearance at different arc currents from 3.3 kA-rms to 10 kA-rms at intermediate frequencies.As arc current increases from3.3 kA-rms to 10 kA-rms the arc appearance changes obviously.When current value is 3.3 kArms（current frequency 400-800 Hz）,there is almost no splitting arc;when the current exceeds5 kA-rms（current frequency 400-800 Hz）,the arc rotates at a speed above 20 m/s,accompanied by an observable splitting arc.The splitting arc could be observed at different frequencies and the arc-voltage had no noises when splitting occurred.The motion direction and the velocity of arc column were studied.Finally,the formation of a split arc was discussed.     

Busbar arcs at large fusion magnets: Conductor to feeder tube arcing model experiments with the LONGARC device

Electric arcs moving along the power cables (the so-called busbars) of the toroidal field (TF) coils of ITER may reach and penetrate the cryostat wall. Model experiments with the new LONGARC device continue the VACARC (VACuum ARC) experiments that were initiated to investigate the propagation and destruction mechanisms of busbar arcs in small scale [1]. The experiments are intended to support the development and validation of a numerical model. LONGARC overcomes the space limitations inside VACARC and allows also for advanced 1:3 (vs. ITER full scale) model setups. The LONGARC device and first results are presented below.     

Characteristic analysis of CO2 switching arcs under a DC current

The current interruption capability of a gas,when used in high voltage gas-blast circuit breakers,depends not only on its material properties but also the flow field since turbulence plays a dominant role in arc cooling during the interruption process.Based on available experimental results,a study of CO2 switching arcs under a DC (direct current) current in the model circuit breaker has been conducted to calibrate CO2 arc model and to analyse its electric and thermal property.Through detailed analysis of the results mechanisms responsible for the temperature distribution are identified and the domain energy transportation process of different region discussed.The present work provides significant coefficients for CO2 switching arc simulation and gives a better understanding of CO2 arc burning mechanisms.     

Numerical simulation of constricted and diffusive arc–anode attachments in wall-stabilized transferred argon arcs

A numerical simulation is conducted to investigate arc–anode attachment behavior, especially the formation mechanism of the constricted arc attachment mode for the water-cooled anode of wall-stabilized transferred argon arcs. Argon molecular ions and the corresponding kinetic processes are included to the finite-rate chemistry model in order to capture the chemical nonequilibrium characteristics of the arc near the anode region. Modeling results show that constricted and diffusive arc–anode attachments can be self-consistently obtained at different arc currents while keeping other parameters unchanged. The dominant kinetic processes contributing to ionization and recombination in the arc center and fringes are presented. The results show that in arc fringes and the arc attachment region, molecular ion recombination plays an important role which leads to the rapid loss of electrons. The radial evolution of the production, loss and transport processes of electrons is further analyzed. It is found that for the constricted arc attachment mode, both the recombination and convection transport caused by the anode jet result in the loss of electrons at the arc fringes, which leads to the shrinkage of the arc column at the anode. The formation of the anode jet is due to the combined action of radial and axial Lorentz forces in the anode region.     

Simulation and Experimental Analysis of Arc Motion Characteristics in Air Circuit Breaker

In this paper, to simulate the arc motion in an air circuit breaker (ACB), a three-dimensional magneto-hydrodynamic (MHD) model is developed, considering the influence of thermal radiation, the change of physical parameters of arc plasma and the nonlinear characteristic of ferromagnetic material. The distributions of pressure, temperature, gas flow and current density of arc plasma in the arc region are calculated. The simulation results show some phenomena which discourage arc interruption, such as back commutation and arc burning at the back of the splitter plate. To verify the simulation model, the arc motion is studied experimentally. The influences of the material and position of the innermost barrier plate are analyzed mainly. It proved that the model developed in this paper can efficiently simulate the arc motion. The results indicate that the insulation barrier plate close to the top of the splitter plate is conducive to the arc splitting, which leads to the signi?cant increase of the arc voltage, so it is better for arc interruption. The research can provide methods and references to the optimization of ACB design.     

Two-dimensional self-consistent numerical simulation of the whole discharge region in an atmospheric argon arc

A 2D self-consistent numerical model of the whole argon-arc discharge region that includes electrodes is developed in this work to facilitate analysis of the physical processes occurring in atmospheric arc plasma. The 2D arc column model contains the ionization and thermal non-equilibrium, which is coupled with a 1D electrode sheath model. The influence of plasma-species diffusion near the electrode region is investigated based on Maxwell–Stefan equations and the generalized Ohm's law. The numerical results of argon free-burning arcs at atmospheric pressure are then investigated. The simulation shows that the plasma is obviously in the state of thermal and ionization equilibrium in the arc core region, while it deviates from thermal and ionization equilibrium in the arc fringe region. The actual electron density decreases rapidly in the near-anode and near-cathode regions due to non-equilibrium ionization, resulting in a large electron number gradient in these regions. The results indicate that electron diffusion has an important role in the near-cathode and near-anode regions. When the anode arc root gradually contracts, it is easy to obtain a positive voltage drop of the anode sheath (I = 50 A), while it remains difficult to acquire a positive anode sheath voltage drop (I = 150 A). The current–voltage characteristics predicted by our model are found to be identical to the experimental values.     

Measurement of radial temperature distributions of the blown CO_2 arcs under different conditions

In this paper, the radial temperature distributions of the blown CO_2 arcs in a model gas circuit breaker were investigated by optical emission spectroscopy methods. The CO_2 flows with different flow rates(50, 100 and 150 1 min~(-1)) were created to axially blow the arcs burning in a polymethyl methacrylate(PMMA) nozzle. Discharges with different arc currents(200 and 400A) were conducted in the experiment. The absolute intensity method was applied for a carbon ionic line of 657.8 nm to obtain the radial temperature profiles of the arc columns at a cross-section 1 mm above the nozzle. The calibration for the intensity of the CⅡ 657.8 nm line was achieved by the Fowler–Milne method with the help of an oxygen atomic line of 777.2 nm.The highest temperature obtained in the arc center was up to 19 900 K when the arc current was 400 A and the CO_2 flow rate was 50 1 min~(-1), while the lowest temperature in the arc center was about 15 900 K when the arc current was 200 A and the CO_2 flow rate was 150 1min~(-1). The results indicate that as the arc current increases, the temperature in the arc center would also increase apparently, and a larger gas flow rate would lead to a lower central temperature in general. It can also be found that the influence of the CO_2 flow rate on the arc temperature was much less than that of the arc current under the present experimental conditions. In addition,higher temperature in the arc center would cause a sharper temperature decrease from the central region towards the edge.     

轴向磁场中电弧螺旋不稳定性的简化数值分析

在静电近似下，通过数量级的分析，简化了能量方程。用数值方法研究了外加轴向磁场，电流分布、弧电流等对电弧曙旋不稳定性的影响。数值结果表明，在具有外加磁场情况下，当弧柱内均匀电流分布时，正向磁场能够使短波长的扰动稳定，反向磁场能够使长波长的扰动稳定。当弧柱内电流为抛物线形分布时，外加正向磁场对于短波情况下的稳定性影响很小，但对于长波情况，稳定性增强，外加反向磁场，同样能稳定中等和长波情况下的电弧。     

Safety of fusion magnets: Model experiments to high current arcs at ITER busbars and feeder lines

Electric arcs moving along the power cables (the so-called busbars) of the toroidal field (TF) coils of ITER may reach and penetrate the cryostat wall. Model experiments with the VACARC (VACuum ARC) device were initiated to investigate the propagation and destruction mechanisms of busbar arcs in small scale. These experiments are intended to support the development and validation of a numerical model. The present setup simulates the fact that the busbar is contained by an inner and an outer feeder tube which absorb radiated energy and will be in contact with hot metal melt from the busbar. The tubes may also direct the hot plasma jet flow of the arc as long as they are intact. Experiments at scaled values for tube diameter, wall thickness and expected power density suggest serious damage to the inner feeder tube by the arc. This asks for further investigations that include the outer tube, too. The extent of damage to the tube samples depends on arc power, as expected. At high currents an additional luminous effect takes place, which is attributed to a reaction of oxygen and hydrogen probably set free from the dissociation of the insulation resin by the heat of the arc.     

Convection effect on an arc plasma evolution process in a two parallel contact system

A low voltage circuit breaker(LVCB) is an important piece of protection equipment which will switch off the fault current in a power system. The moving contact of a low voltage circuit breaker with a higher rated current consists of two parallel contacts. Therefore, the convection effect on the air arc evolution process in a two parallel contact system is analyzed. A threedimensional(3 D) magneto–hydro–dynamic(MHD) model of arc simulation is built. In this model, the anode consists of two parallel contacts and a bonding conductor. A nonlinear voltage–current density characteristic is employed to represent the near-anode and near-cathode voltage. The current density, arc voltage and currents through every contact are obtained. The influence of convection and conduction on the arc evolution process are quantitatively calculated. The displacements of the arc roots are obtained and the asymmetry of the arc root motion is analyzed. The arc evolution process of a two parallel contact system is preliminarily revealed.     

Influce of Initial Opening Speed on Characteristics of a Drawn Vacuum Arc

Influence of the initial opening speed on the characteristics of drawn vacuum arcs for axial magnetic field(MF) vacuum interrupters (VIs) is studied using a high-speed charge- coupled device (CCD) camera. Two values of initial opening speed, 0.5 m/s and 1.5 m/s, were set to make a comparative study. The cup-type electrode was made of Cu-Cr (50%-50% in weight) with a diameter of 30 mm and a gap distance between electrodes of 10 mm. The results show that the transition time decreases by 0.5 ms when the initial opening speed increases from 0.5 m/s to 1.5 m/s at a peak current of 2.5 kA, while the transition time decreases by 1.0 ms when the initial opening speed increases from 0.5 m/s to 1.5 m/s at a peak current of 5.0 kA. The reason why the duration of the transition arc mode decreases is that the e®ect of electromagnetic force and Coulomb force among arcs is increased when the initial opening speed increases.     

Simulation of Fault Arc Based on Different Radiation Models in a Closed Tank

This paper focuses on the simulation of a fault arc in a closed tank based on the magneto-hydrodynamic(MHD) method,in which a comparative study of three radiation models,including net emission coefficients(NEC),semi-empirical model based on NEC as well as the P1 model,is developed.The pressure rise calculated by the three radiation models are compared to the measured results.Particularly when the semi-empirical model is used,the effect of different boundary temperatures of the re-absorption layer in the semi-empirical model on pressure rise is concentrated on.The results show that the re-absorption effect in the low-temperature region affects radiation transfer of fault arcs evidently,and thus the internal pressure rise.Compared with the NEC model,P1 and the semi-empirical model with 0.7 α 0.83 are more suitable to calculate the pressure rise of the fault arc,where is an adjusted parameter involving the boundary temperature of the re-absorption region in the semi-empirical model.     

Research on arc root stagnation when small current is interrupted in self-excited circuit breaker

The self-excited DC air circuit breaker (SE-DCCB) has been widely used in urban rail transit due to its excellent stability. It can realize forward and reverse interruption, but has difficulty interrupting small currents due to the phenomenon of arc root sticking at the entrance of the arc chamber in the splitting process, which is known as arc root stagnation. A coupling model of the self-excited magnetic field and magnetohydrodynamics is established for the SE-DCCB with the traditional structure. The magnetic field, temperature and airflow distribution in the arc chamber are investigated with an interrupting current of 150 A. The simulation results show that the direction and magnitude of the magnetic blowout force are the dominant factors in the arc root stagnation. The local high temperature of the arc chamber due to arc root stagnation increases the obstruction effect of the airflow vortex on the arc root movement, which significantly increases the arc duration time of small current interruption. Based on the research, the structure of the magnetic conductance plate of the actual product is improved, which can improve the direction and magnitude of the magnetic blowout force at the arc root so as to restrain the development of the airflow vortex effectively and solve the problem of arc root stagnation when the small current is interrupted. The simulation results show that the circuit breaker with improved structure has a better performance for a small current interruption range from 100 A to 350 A.     

Optical signature of RF arcs in the ICRH frequency range

RF arc detection is a key operational and safety issue for ICRF systems. Dedicated measurements on a RF test-stand were made in order to characterize the optical signature of RF arcs (time and spectrum) to assess the potential of optical arc detection on ICRF systems. Time-resolved intensity measurements were carried out using high-speed Si photodetectors with different bandpass filters. The rise time of the arc emission, the light intensity and the time evolution of the arc under different pressure conditions are discussed. Spectral signature of the arcs was obtained using spectrometers in the visible and UV range. It is shown that the arc emission spectrum is independent of the gas pressure and that it is mainly dominated by the stainless steel components of the test bench. The results of the RF arc optical characterization is discussed with a view on the implementation of an optical arc detection system for an ICRF antenna on a fusion machine, both for sections viewing the plasma light as for private vacuum sections.