Impact of radial external magnetic field on plasma deformation during contact opening in SF6 circuit breakers

Abstract

A three-dimensional (3D) transient model is developed to investigate plasma current deformation driven by internal and external magnetic fields and their influences on arc stability in a circuit breaker. The 3D distribution of electric current density is obtained by solving the current continuity equation along with the generalized Ohm's law in the presence of an external magnetic field, while the magnetic field induced by the current flowing through the arc column is calculated by the magnetic vector potential equation. The applied external field imposes a rotational electromagnetic force on the arc and influences the plasma current deformation, which is discussed in this paper. In SF6 circuit breakers when gas interacts with the arc column, the fundamental equations such as Ampere's law, Ohm's law, turbulence model, transport equations of mass, momentum, and energy of plasma flow have to be coupled for analysing the phenomenon. The coupled interactions between the arc and the plasma flow are described within the framework of magnetohydrodynamic equations in conjunction with a K–ε turbulence model. Simulations are focused on sausage and kink instabilities in the plasma (these phenomena are related to the electromagnetic field distribution and define the plasma deformations). The 3D simulation reveals the relation between plasma current deformation and instability phenomena, which affects the arc stability during the operation. Plasma current deformation is a consequence of coupling between electromagnetic forces (resulting from internal and radial external magnetic fields) and the plasma flow that are described in the simulations.