Abstract
The plasma arc caused by lightning overvoltage can significantly degrade the power grid reliability. Thus, it is essential to design an efficient arc extinguishing system. The modeling and analysis of the plasma arc in an arc extinguishing system can provide an essential theoretical basis for improving and optimizing its structure. However, the precision of the governing equation and boundary value of the plasma arc model chosen in previous studies can be entirely different from the corresponding practical values. This study develops an arc extinguishing system named “convective shock wave complex system.” In order to further optimize its structure and achieve a better arc extinguishing effect, an appropriate model is established to analyze the plasma’s operation characteristics inside the arc extinguishing device while stroking by lightning. Based on the magnetohydrodynamics theory, the COMSOL software is utilized to analyze the temperature of the plasma arc, the flow rate of gas in the cavity, and the conductivity and current density of some monitoring points to comprehensively analyze the plasma’s physical characteristics in the system. Finally, a virtual lightning experiment is utilized to evaluate the simulation results.
Highlights
The plasma arc caused by lightning overvoltage in the overhead circuit is the main cause of circuit trip
After a lot of research and practice, we have found that if the angle between the two chambers is too large, the overcurrent avoids the arc extinguishing system and breaks down the insulator, making the arc extinguishing system invalid
A part of the electrical energy brought by the overvoltage is converted to the energy of ionized atoms, and its remaining is dissipated into the air in the Joule heat form
Summary
The plasma arc caused by lightning overvoltage in the overhead circuit is the main cause of circuit trip. Based on the plasma arc chain model, Iwata et al proposed an external energy arc extinguishing chamber to replace the metal electrode with a pipe. In their design, the inside of the chambers is equipped with organic polyamide resin, producing a high volume of gas under high temperatures when the arc is generated. The inside of the chambers is equipped with organic polyamide resin, producing a high volume of gas under high temperatures when the arc is generated This results in the longitudinal wind blowing and reduces the arc extinguishing time. The simulation results help fully understand the system’s arc extinguishing mechanism and provide a theoretical basis for optimizing the system structure
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