Mathematical Model of Arc Quenching in the Adjacent Chambers of an RMKE-10 Multichamber Lightning Arrester

Abstract

Multichamber arresters are widely used to protect overhead power lines from lightning surges. To work out recommendations on the multichamber arrester design taking into account the operating conditions, it is necessary to develop a mathematical model of the arc quenching processes in the multichamber arrester discharge chambers. In addition to the processes inside the discharge chambers, such a model should predict the range of multichamber arrester operating conditions in which overlapping of adjacent plasma jets outside the arrester shell does not occur. For this purpose, a mathematical model of the operation of an RMKE-10 multichamber arrester’s two adjacent discharge chambers was developed in the COMSOL Multiphysics software environment. In so doing, the time dependence of the current through the multichamber arrester was used, which was obtained during calculations on the developed model of the multichamber arrester test bench electrical circuit in the Matlab Simulink software environment. Calculations based on the model of two adjacent discharge chambers were carried out for two cases of the distance between the chambers. The conditions excluding the overlapping of the generated arc discharge jets are established. The theoretical and experimental data were compared, and the comparison results have confirmed the adequacy of the developed method for calculating the arc discharges sequentially produced in a multichamber arrester. The lines for further modernization of the multichamber arrester mathematical model have been determined.