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.     

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.     

Simulation of the Effect of a Metal Vapor Arc on Electrode Erosion in Liquid Metal Current Limiting Device

The effect of arc plasma on electrode erosion in a liquid metal current limiter(LMCL)is studied.Based on a simplified two-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic model,the elongated GaInSn metal vapor arc and its contraction process in a liquid metal current limiter are simulated.The distributions of temperature,pressure and velocity of the arc plasma are calculated.The simulation results indicate that the electrode erosion is mainly caused by two high temperature gas jet flows arising from the pressure gradient,which is a result of the non-uniform arc temperature distribution.The gas flows,which act as jets onto the electrode surface,lead to the evaporation of the electrode material form the surface.A redesign structure of the electrode is proposed and implemented according to the analysis,which greatly increased the service life of the electrode.     

Arc characteristics during the instability stage on transverse magnetic field contacts

The arcing process greatly affects the breaking ability after current zero. The instability stage is the transition stage from the ignition to the movement stage, which affects the arc movement characteristics. In this paper, the arc characteristics during the instability stage on spiral-type contacts were investigated using a high-speed video camera. A multi-column parallel instability mode and a single-column instability mode were found during the instability stage. The arc appearance and constriction degree changed rapidly. The arc voltage usually increased accompanied by fluctuations. In addition, it was found that the current significantly influenced the arc mode and duration in the instability stage. With increased peak current, the probability of a single-column instability mode increased, and the fluctuation range and average time decreased.     

Investigation of cathode spot characteristics in vacuum under transverse magnetic field (TMF) contacts

With the continuous improvement of current levels in power systems,the demands on the breaking capacity requirements of vacuum circuit breakers are getting higher and higher.The breaking capacity of vacuum breakers is determined by cathode spots,which provide electrons and metal vapor to maintain the arc.In this paper,experiments were carried out on two kinds of transverse magnetic field (TMF) contacts in a demountable vacuum chamber,the behavior of the cathode spots was recorded by a high-speed charge-coupled device (CCD) video camera,and the characteristics of the cathode spots were analyzed through the image processing method.The phenomenon of cathode spot groups and the star-shaped pattern of the spots were both discovered in the experiment.The experimental results show that with the condition of TMF contacts the initial expansion speed of cathode spots is influenced by some parameters,such as the tested current,contact gap,the structure of the contact,the contact diameter,the number of slots,etc.In addition,the influence of the magnetic field on the formation of the cathode spot groups,the distribution,and the dynamic characteristics of the cathode spots were analyzed.It is concluded that the characteristics of the cathode spots are due to the effect of the magnetic field on the near-cathode plasma.The study of the characteristics of cathode spots in this paper would be helpful in the exploration of the physical process of vacuum arcs,and would be of guiding significance in optimizing the design of vacuum circuit breakers.     

A novel fault current limiter topology design based on liquid metal current limiter

The liquid metal current limiter (LMCL) is regarded as a viable solution for reducing the fault current in a power grid. But demonstrating the liquid metal arc plasma self-pinching process of the resistive wall, and reducing the erosion of the LMCL are challenging, not only theoretically, but also practically. In this work, a novel LMCL is designed with a resistive wall that can be connected to the current-limiting circuit inside the cavity. Specifically, a novel fault current limiter (FCL) topology is put forward where the novel LMCL is combined with a fast switch and current-limiting reactor. Further, the liquid metal self-pinch effect is modeled mathematically in three dimensions, and the gas-liquid two-phase dynamic diagrams under different short-circuit currents are obtained by simulation. The simulation results indicate that with the increase of current, the time for the liquid metal-free surface to begin depressing is reduced, and the position of the depression also changes. Different kinds of bubbles formed by the depressions gradually extend, squeeze, and break. With the increase of current, the liquid metal takes less time to break, but breaks still occur at the edge of the channel, forming arc plasma. Finally, relevant experiments are conducted for the novel FCL topology. The arcing process and current transfer process are analyzed in particular. Comparisons of the peak arc voltage, arcing time, current limiting efficiency, and electrode erosion are presented. The results demonstrate that the arc voltage of the novel FCL topology is reduced by more than 4.5 times and the arcing time is reduced by more than 12%. The erosions of the liquid metal and electrodes are reduced. Moreover, the current limiting efficiency of the novel FCL topology is improved by 1%‒5%. This work lays a foundation for the topology and optimal design of the LMCL.     

Research of Arc Chamber Optimization Techniques Based on Flow Field and Arc Joint Simulation

The preliminary design of an arc chamber in the 550 kV SF_6 circuit breaker was proposed in accordance with the technical requirements and design experience.The structural optimization was carried out according to the no-load flow field simulation results and verified by no-load pressure measurement.Based on load simulation results such as temperature field variation at the arc area and the tendency of post arc current under different recovery voltage,the second optimal design was completed and its correctness was certificated by a breaking test.Results demonstrate that the interrupting capacity of an arc chamber can be evaluated by the comparison of the gas medium recovery speed and post arc current growth rate.     

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.     

The Influence of Contact Space on Arc Commutation Process in Air Circuit Breaker

In this paper,a 3D magneto-hydrodynamic (MHD) arc simulation model is applied to analyze the arc motion during current interruption in a certain air circuit breaker (ACB).The distributions of pressure,temperature,gas flow and current density of the arc plasma in the arc region are calculated,and the factors influencing the commutation process are analyzed according to the calculated results.Based on the airflow in the arc chamber,the causes of arc commutation asynchrony and the back commutation are investigated.It indicates that a reasonable contact space design is crucial to a successful arc commutation process.To verify the simulation results,the influence of contact space on arc voltage and arc commutation is tested.This research can provide methods and references to the optimization of ACB design.     

Simulation of arcs for DC relay considering different impacts

Recently DC relay has been concerned as a key component in DC power distribution,management and control systems like aircraft,new energy vehicle,IT and communication industries.Ordinarily,magnetic force and contact moving speed have great influence on arc behaviours in the breaking process.This paper focuses on the numerical investigation of arc during the contact opening process in a real 400V/20 A DC relay product coupling with an inductive load circuit.A 3D air arc model based on the magneto-hydrodynamic theory was built and calculated.A method coupling different computational software was used to take the nonlinear permanent magnet and contact opening process into consideration simultaneously.Arc behaviours under different magnetic field and contact opening speed were presented and discussed carefully.It has been found that the increase of the magnetic field is beneficial to the quick build-up of arc length and voltage.Arc breaking duration becomes shorter with the increase in contact opening speed from 63.5 rad s^-1 to 94.5 rad s^-1,such reduction is less significant with an increase of opening speed from 94.5 rad s^-l to 118.5 rad s^-1.     

Modeling and Simulation of Deflected Anode Erosion in Vacuum Arcs

In vacuum switch devices, the connection bus bar out of the vacuum interrupter will generate a transverse magnetic field in the arc column region, and under the influence of this magnetic field, the whole arc column will deflect from the electrode center, thus leading to deflected anode erosion. In this paper, a two-dimensional deflected anode erosion model is established, anode erosions under different deflection distance are simulated and analyzed, and results of anode surface temperature, anode melting and surface evaporation flux are obtained. The simulation results show that the deflected heat flux density will lead to deflected distribution of anode temperature, saturated vapor pressure and vapor flux correspondingly, and the morphology of the anode melting pool has also the same deflection. Moreover, the anode center temperature and its gradient along the y direction decrease with the increase of deflection distance. On the contrary, the temperature of the anode side surface, toward which the heat flux density deflects, increases with increasing deflection distance. Related experiments also verify the correctness of the model and simulation results.     

Investigation on Plasma Jet Flow Phenomena During DC Air Arc Motion in Bridge-Type Contacts

Arc plasma jet flow in the air was investigated under a bridge-type contacts in a DC 270 V resistive circuit.We characterized the arc plasma jet flow appearance at different currents by using high-speed photography,and two polished contacts were used to search for the relationship between roughness and plasma jet flow.Then,to make the nature of arc plasma jet flow phenomena clear,a simplified model based on magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) theory was established and calculated.The simulated DC arc plasma was presented with the temperature distribution and the current density distribution.Furthermore,the calculated arc flow vclocity field showed that the circular vortex was an embodiment of the arc plasma jet flow progress.The combined action of volume force and contact surface was the main reason of the arc jet flow.     

Calculation of Nozzle Ablation During Arcing Period in an SF6 Auto-Expansion Circuit Breaker

The nozzle ablation process is described as two phases of heat and ablation in the interruption for an SF6 circuit breaker in this paper.Their mathematical models are established with the Fourier heat conduction differential equation respectively.The masses of nozzle ablation with different arc durations and arc currents are calculated through the model of the nozzle ablation combined with an MHD (magneto-hydrodynamic) arc model.The time of the temperature rise on the inner surface of the nozzle under a given energy flux and of reaching the pyrolysis temperature under different energy fluxes is respectively analyzed.The relations between the mass of nozzle ablation and breaking current and arc duration are obtained.The result shows that the absorbing energy process before the nozzle ablation can be neglected under the condition of the energy flux entering into nozzle q ＞ 109 W/m2.The ablation is the severest during the high-current phase and the ablation mass increases rapidly with the breaking current and with arc duration respectively.     

Formation Process of Intermittent Molten Bridge Between Au-Plated Contacts at Super Low Breaking Velocity

This paper presents the molten bridge behaviors of Au-plated material at super low breaking velocity conditions by introducing our new designed test rig.The typical waveforms of the contact voltage and contact force during breaking are investigated under the load of 5-25 V/0.2-1 A and velocity of 25-150 nm/s.It is shown that the intermittent molten bridge is formed from the competition of multitude contact a-spots for current distribution and the solidliquid mixing characteristics of a molten bridge.Also,it is proved that the bridge is not composed by the completed melted metal by using FEM thermal simulation and the voltage-temperature relation.The observed surface morphology reveals that the scattered and stacked melted regions are attributed to the intermittent bridge.Finally,the effects of breaking velocity and electrical load on bridge length and duration are also analyzed.     

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.     

Simulation of Low-Voltage Arc Plasma During Contact Opening Progress

This paper focuses on the simulation of the low-voltage arc with an opening contact. A controllable experiment setup with a rotating contact is designed to investigate the arc behaviour. Supported by the experiment, the phenomena of arc elongation and commutation in the case of rotating contact are simulated with the dynamic grid technique introduced. Under the given condition of the external magnetic field and the contact rotating velocity, the stagnation and rapid jump of two arc roots are observed by the calculated and experimental arc root displacement. The voltage of arc column can be divided into four phases and its sharp rising progress comes from the increase of the displacement difference between two arc roots in x direction.     

Numerical simulation of carbon arc discharge for graphene synthesis without catalyst

In this study, graphene sheets are prepared under a hydrogen atmosphere without a catalyst, and the growth mechanism of graphene by direct current arc discharge is investigated experimentally and numerically. The size and layer numbers of graphene sheets increase with the arc current.Distributions of temperature, velocity, and mass fraction of carbon are obtained through numerical simulations. A high current corresponds to a high saturation temperature, evaporation rate, and mass density of carbon clusters. When the carbon vapor is saturated, the saturation temperatures are 3274.9, 3313.9, and 3363.6 K, and the mass densities are 6.4×10~(22),8.42×10~(22), and 1.23×10~(23) m~(-3) under currents of 150, 200, and 250 A, respectively. A hydrogen-induced marginal growth model is used to explain the growth mechanism. Under a high current, the condensation coefficient and van der Waals force increase owing to the higher saturation temperature and mass density of carbon clusters, which is consistent with experimental results.     

Experimental study on the improvement of spray characteristics of aero-engines using gliding arc plasma

A gliding arc plasma fuel atomization actuator suitable for aeroengines was designed, and a gliding arc plasma fuel spray experimental platform was built to address the fuel atomization problem in aeroengine combustion chambers. The spray characteristics for different airflows,fuel flows, and discharge voltages were analyzed using laser particle size analysis. The research shows that the fuel atomization effect is improved from the increased airflow. The decreased fuel flow not only reduces the ...     

Study on the ignition process of a segmented plasma torch

Direct current plasma torches have been applied to generate unique sources of thermal energy in many industrial applications.Nevertheless,the successful ignition of a plasma torch is the key process to generate the unique source (plasma jet).However,there has been little study on the underlying mechanism of this key process.A thorough understanding of the ignition process of a plasma torch will be helpful for optimizing the design of the plasma torch structure and selection of the ignition parameters to prolong the service life of the ignition module.Thus,in this paper,the ignition process of a segmented plasma torch (SPT) is theoretically and experimentally modeled and analyzed.Corresponding electrical models of different stages of the ignition process are set up and used to derive the electrical parameters,e.g.the variations of the arc voltage and arc current between the cathode and anode.In addition,the experiments with different ignition parameters on a home-made SPT have been conducted.At the same time,the variations of the arc voltage and arc current have been measured,and used to verify the ones derived in theory and to determine the optimal ignition parameters for a particular SPT.     

Study of Distortion of a Vacuum Arc at a Long-Gap Distance

Experimental study of the long-gap distance vacuum arc distortion for three types of axial magnetic field (AMF) contacts, by using high-speed charge coupled device (CCD), is presented. The arc current was of a half-cycle sine wave with a frequency of 50Hz, produced by an L-C discharging circuit. The time of appearance and duration of vacuum arc distortion under three conditions were studied. It was found that the gap distance, current and diameter of the electrode affected the characteristics of vacuum distortion at a long-gap distance. Some characteristics of the vacuum arc at a long-gap distance was revealed and the experience and data for further investigation were provided.