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.     

Investigation on the Arc Ignition Characteristics and Energy Absorption of Liquid Metal Current Limiter Based on Self-Pinch Effect

The GaInSn liquid metal current limiter based on the fluid pinch effect has broad application prospects due to its particular properties.However,the limited rated current and ability of power dissipation are the critical problems for its wide application.Firstly,the temperature distribution of the liquid metal current limiter (LMCL) was obtained by experiments with a rated current of 1 kA and the arc ignition phenomenon was observed with 1.5 kA,which indicates that the rated current is mainly limited by the arc rather than the high temperature compared to the traditional switchgears.Furthermore,an improved method is proposed by adding the paralleled pure resistance,impedance or another LMCL element to protect the setup from the fault energy concentration in the setup.The problem of a slower arc voltage increasing rate can be solved by adding a paralleled impedance with suitable parameters.Finally,the current limiting properties based on the improved method were investigated and the alternating oscillating current was found between two paralleled LMCL elements owing to their deviation of arc ignition in reality.     

Behavior of an indigenously fabricated transferred arc plasma furnace for smelting studies

The utilization of industrial solid waste for metal recovery requires high-temperature tools due to the presence of silica and alumina, which is reducible at high temperature. In a plasma arc furnace, transferred arc plasma furnace(TAP) can meet all requirements, but the disadvantage of this technology is the high cost. For performing experiments in the laboratory, the TAP was fabricated indigenously in a laboratory based on the different inputs provided in the literature for the furnace design and fabrication. The observed parameters such as arc length, energy consumption, graphite electrode consumption, noise level as well as lining erosion were characterized for this fabricated furnace. The nitrogen plasma increased by around 200 K(200 ℃) melt temperature and noise levels decreased by ~10 d B compared to a normal arc.Hydrogen plasma offered 100 K(100 ℃) higher melt temperature with ~5 d B higher sound level than nitrogen plasma. Nitrogen plasma arc melting showed lower electrode and energy consumption than normal arc melting, whereas hydrogen plasma showed lower energy consumption and higher electrode consumption in comparison to nitrogen plasma. The higher plasma arc temperature resulted in a shorter meltdown time than normal arc with smoother arcing. Hydrogen plasma permitted more heats, reduced meltdown time, and lower energy consumption, but with increased graphite consumption and crucible wear. The present study showed that the fabricated arc plasma is better than the normal arc furnace with respect to temperature generation, energy consumption, and environmental friendliness. Therefore, it could be used effectively for smelting-reduction studies.     

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.     

Experimental investigation of thermal transfer coefficient by a simplified energy balance of fault arc in a closed air vessel

The themial transfer coefficient that represents the portion of energy heating the surrounding gas of fault arc is a key parameter in evaluating the pressure effects due to fault arcing in a closed electrical installation.This paper presents experimental research on the thermal transfer coefficient in a closed air vessel for Cu,Fe and A1 electrode materials over a currcni range from 1-20 kA with an electrode gap from 10-50 mm and gas pressure from 0.05-0.4 MPa.With a simplified energy balance including Joule heating,arc radiation,ihc energies related to electrode melting,vaporization and oxidation constructed,and the influences of different factors on thermal transfer coefficient are studied and evaluated.This quantitative estimation of the energy components confirmed that the pressure rise is closely related to the change in heat transport process of fault arc.particularly in consideration of the evaluation of Joule healing and radiation.Factors such as the electrode material,arc current,filling pressure and gap length between electrodes have a considerable effect on the thermal transfer coefficient and thus,the pressure rise due to the differences in the energy balance of fault arc.     

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.     

Parametric Study on Arc Behavior of Magnetically Diffused Arc

A model coupling the plasma with a cathode body is applied in the simulation of the diffuse state of a magnetically rotating arc.Four parametric studies are performed:on the external axial magnetic field (AMF),on the cathode shape,on the total current and on the inlet gas velocity.The numerical results show that:the cathode attachment focuses in the center of the cathode tip with zero AMF and gradually shifts off the axis with the increase of AMF;a larger cathode conical angle corresponds to a cathode arc attachment farther away off axis;the maximum values of plasma temperature increase with the total current;the plasma column in front of the cathode tip expands more severely in the axial direction,with a higher inlet speed;the cathode arc attachment shrinks towards the tip as the inlet speed increases.The various results are supposed to be explained by the joint effect of coupled cathode surface heating and plasma rotating flow.     

Evidence of vapor shielding effect on heat flux loaded on flowing liquid lithium limiter in EAST

A lithium (Li) vapour layer was formed around a flowing liquid Li limiter to shield against the plasma incident power and reduce limiter heat flux in the EAST tokamak. The results revealed that after a plasma operation of a few seconds, the layer became clear, which indicated a strong Li emission with a decrease in the limiter surface temperature. This emission resulted in a dense vapour around the limiter, and Li ions moved along the magnetic field to form a green shielding layer on the limiter. The plasma heat flux loaded on the limiter, measured by the probe installed on the limiter, was approximately 52% lower than that detected by a fast-reciprocating probe at the same radial position without the limiter in EAST. Additionally, approximately 42% of the parallel heat flux was dissipated directly with the enhanced Li radiation in the discharge with the liquid metal infused trenches (LIMIT) limiter. This observation revealed that the Li vapour layer exhibited an excellent shielding effect to liquid Li on plasma heat flux, which is a possible benefit of liquid-plasma-facing components in future fusion devices.     

Characteristic Analysis of AC Plasma Arc in Water

An experimental system of AC arc discharge in water was designed with pole-pole electrodes and a peak voltage of 1500 V and a test circuit was set up using virtual instrument technology. The mechanism of an AC plasma arc generated in water was analyzed. The voltage- current characteristic of the AC plasma arc was obtained from the waveform. The temperature characteristic was tested with a spectrum diagnosis system, and the effect of different electrode materials on the striking voltage and peak current was analyzed. The results show that when a power supply of 6 KW is applied on electrodes with a gap of 2 mm in water, the striking voltage is from 900 to 1300 V, the arc voltage is from 40 to 100 V, the arc current is from 2 to 7 A, and the zero rest period is from 1 to 2 ms. In addition, the arc voltage and current are different for electrodes in aluminum, copper and stainless steel. The arc voltage is lower and the current is higher for an aluminum electrode than those for copper and stainless steel ones. The highest temperature of the arc is 7643 K.     

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.     

Comparative Observation of Ar, Ar-H2 and Ar-N2 DC Arc Plasma Jets and Their Arc Root Behaviour at Reduced Pressure

Results observed experimentally are presented, about the DC arc plasma jets and their arc-root behaviour generated at reduced gas pressure without or with an applied magnetic field. Pure argon, argon-hydrogen or argon-nitrogen mixture was used as the plasma-forming gas. A specially designed copper mirror was used for a better observation of the arc-root behaviour on the anode surface of the DC non-transferred arc plasma torch. It was found that in the cases without an applied magnetic field, the laminar plasma jets were stable and approximately axisymmetrical. The arc-root attachment on the anode surface was completely diffusive when argon was used as the plasma-forming gas, while the arc-root attachment often became constrictive when hydrogen or nitrogen was added into the argon. As an external magnetic field was applied, the arc root tended to rotate along the anode surface of the non-transferred arc plasma torch.     

Study of double-chamber air arc plasma torch and the application in solid-waste disposal

Arc plasma can be applied in hazardous solid waste disposal for higher temperature than common heating methods, but some practical issues exist in practical engineering application. In this study, an air arc plasma torch with double chambers and magnetic controlling is designed to realize wide variable power and long electrode life. The detailed characteristics and laws of the air arc are studied. The condition parameters of arc current(I), air flow rate(G) and the structure parameters of inlet area ratios and electrode diameters influence both the arc voltage and arc root positions. The arc rotating driven by magnetic field effectively lengthens the electrode life. The gasification process and product of organic wastes by air plasma are influenced largely by the waste compositions and the air flow rate. A furnace structure with more even atmosphere and longer residence time should be considered for better gasification. Oxygen-deficient environment is important to suppress NOxformation during the application of air plasma. Inorganic solid wastes can be melt by the air plasma and cooled down to form compact vitreous structures in which heavy metals can be locked and the leaching rates significantly decrease down.     

Dynamic characteristics of multi-arc thermal plasma in four types of electrode configurations

The enhanced volume of thermal plasma is produced by a multi-arc thermal plasma generator with three pairs of discharge electrodes driven by three directed current power suppliers. Combined with a high-speed camera and an oscilloscope, which acquire optical and electric signals synchronously, the dynamic behavior of different kinds of multi-arc discharge adjusted by the electrode arrangement is investigated. Also, the spatial distributions and instability of the arc discharge are analyzed in four electrode configurations using the gray value statistical method. It is found that the cathodic arcs mainly show a contracting state, while the anodic arcs have a trend of transition from shrinkage to a diffusion-like state with the increase of the discharge current. As a result of the adjustment of the electrode configuration, a high temperature region formed in the center of the discharge region in configurations of adjacent electrodes with opposite flow distribution and opposite electrodes with swirl flow distribution due to severe fluctuation of arcs. The discharge voltage rises with increased discharge current in this novel multi-arc plasma generator. It is also found that anode ablation mainly occurs on the conical surface at the copper electrode tip, while cathode erosion mainly occurs on the surface of the inserted tungsten and the nearby copper.     

Comparative analysis of the arc characteristics inside the converging-diverging and cylindrical plasma torches

A two-temperature thermal non-equilibrium model is used to simulate and compare the arc characteristics within the converging-diverging and traditional cylindrical plasma torches.The modeling results show that the presence of the constrictor within the converging-diverging torch makes the evolution characteristics of the arc significantly different from that of cylindrical torch.Compared with a cylindrical geometrical torch,a much higher plasma flow velocity and relatively longer high temperature region can be generated and maintained inside the converging-diverging torch.In the constrictor of converging-diverging torch,the normalized radius of arc column increases and the degree of thermodynamic equilibrium of the plasma is significantly improved with the increase of axial distance.The radial momentum balance analysis shows that for the cylindrical torch,the pressure gradient that drives the arc expansion and the Lorentz force that drives the arc contraction dominate the radial evolution of the arc.While at the converging and constrictor region of a converging-diverging plasma torch,the radial gas dynamic forces in arc fringes pointing toward the arc center enhance the mixing of the cold gas of boundary layer with the high temperature gas of the arc center,increasing the average gas temperature and decreasing the thickness of cold boundary layer,thereby facilitating the formation of diffusion type arc anode attachment at the diverging section of torch.     

Main Directions and Recent Test Modeling Results of Lithium Capillary-Pore Systems as Plasma Facing Components

At present the most promising principal solution of the divertor problem appears to be the use of liquid metals and primarily of lithium Capillary-Pore Systems (CPS) as of plasma facing materials. A solid CPS filled with liquid lithium will have a high resistance to surface and volume damage because of neutron radiation effects, melting, splashing and thermal stressinduced cracking in steady state and during plasma transitions to provide the normal operation of divertor target plates and first-wall protecting elements. These materials will not be the sources of impurities inducing an increase of Zeef and they will not be collected as dust in the divertor area and in ducts. Experiments with lithium CPS under simulating conditions of plasma disruption on a hydrogen plasma accelerator MK-200 [-(10 - 15) MJ/m^2, - 50 μs] have been performed. The formation of a shielding layer of lithium plasma and the high stability of these systems have been shown. The new lithium limiter tests on an up-graded T-11M tokamak (plasma current up to 100 kA, pulse length -0.3 s) have been performed. Sorption and desorption of plasma-forming gas, lithium emission into discharge, lithium erosion, deposited power of the limiter are investigated in these experiments. The first results of experiments are presented.     

Improvement on Diamond Nucleation Treated by Pulsed Arc Discharge Plasma

A technique of improvement on diamond nucleation based on pulsed arc discharge plasma at atmospheric pressure was developed. The pulsed arc discharge was induced respectively by nitrogen, argon and methanol gas. After the arc plasma pretreatment, a nucleation density higher than 10^10 cm^-2 may be obtained subsequently in chemical vapor deposition (CVD) on a mirror-polished silicon substrate without any other mechanical treatment. The effects of the arc discharge plasma on the diamond nucleation were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), infrared spectroscopy (IR) and Raman spectroscopy. The enhancement of nucleation is postulated to be a result of the formation of carbonlike phase materials or nitrogenation on the substrate surface without surface defect produced by arc discharge.     

Temperature dependence of pattern transitions on water surface in contact with DC microplasmas

The DC-driven atmospheric-pressure microplasma is generated in a helium gas flowing through the metal tube cathode and is brought into contact with the surface of the water with the immersed Pt anode. By adjusting the gas flow, discharge current and gap distance, self-organized patterns are observed and varied sequentially from the homogeneous spot to the ring-like shape,distinct spot shape and the gearwheel shape on the water surface. The electrode temperature is measured and the gas temperature of the plasma discharge is calculated through the numericalfitting of the second positive system of the spectrum of N2 molecules. It is shown that the pattern transition is related to the electrode and gas temperatures of the plasma. Moreover, specific discretization features of the patterns are shown to appear at certain gas temperatures.     

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.     

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.     

Heat loads on FTU liquid lithium limiter

The choice of the best material exposed to the plasma in a future reactor is still an open question. One of main requirements to be satisfied is the capability to withstand high heat loads, in the range 10–20 MW/m², during normal operations in a future reactor, as well as the peak power released by ELMs in H-mode operation. On FTU, since the end of 2005, we have started an innovative program having as main goal the possibility to expose a liquid surface to the plasma. The small wetted area, of the FTU three liquid lithium limiter units, does not allow to use it as main limiter for all the duration of the discharge so that it is always set in the shadow of the main toroidal limiter. In this condition, heat loads up to 2 MW/m² are normally withstood by the liquid lithium limiter without any surface damage and problems to the FTU operations. In order to increase the heat load on the liquid lithium limiter for a controlled limited period, the plasma column is shifted towards the liquid lithium limiter during the discharge. The surface temperature remains constant although the plasma column is pushed on the liquid lithium limiter. This saturation of the surface temperature can be understood considering the dependence of the evaporation rate versus the surface temperature between 250 °C and 550 °C that increases by five orders of magnitude. The evaporated lithium forms a strongly radiative cloud all around the three units limiting the power load on the surface. We do not observe any accumulation of lithium into the discharge as it can be also inferred from the time evolution of the Li III line growing up until the temperature is reaching the maximum value and then remaining almost constant.