Abstract
Vacuum arc commutation is an important process in natural-commutate hybrid direct current (DC) circuit breaker (NHCB) interruption, as the duration of vacuum arc commutation will directly affect the arcing time and interrupting time of NHCB. In this paper, the vacuum arc commutation model of NHCB was established by simplifying solid-state switch (SS) and vacuum arc voltage. Through theoretical analysis and experiments, the vacuum arc commutation characteristics of NHCB were studied. The mathematical formula of the effect of main parameters on the duration of vacuum arc commutation is obtained, and the changing law of the influence of the main parameters on the duration of the vacuum arc commutation is explored. The concept of vacuum arc commutation coefficient is proposed, and it is a key parameter that influences the vacuum arc commutation characteristics. The research on the characteristics of vacuum arc commutation can provide theoretical foundation for the structure and parameter optimization of NHCB and other equipment that uses vacuum arc commutation.
Highlights
With the development of fully controlled power electronic devices (FPEDs), such as the gate turn-off thyristor (GTO), insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT), integrated gate commutated thyristor (IGCT), and injection-enhanced gate transistor (IEGT), the hybrid direct current (DC) circuit breaker based on power electronic technology has become an important technical solution and research hotspot for DC breaking [1,2,3,4]
According to Formulas (11) and (12) and Figures 6, 8, 13c and 15c, the ratio k of Uarc-avg -Usi to Rs Ice is a key parameter that affects Tc ; and according to Formula (10), it is necessary to ensure that k > 1 so that the current can be commutated to the state switch (SS) branch
This paper focuses on natural-commutate hybrid DC circuit breakers (NHCBs), it is applicable to other devices that use vacuum arc commutation, such as fault current limiters [29,30]
Summary
With the development of fully controlled power electronic devices (FPEDs), such as the gate turn-off thyristor (GTO), insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT), integrated gate commutated thyristor (IGCT), and injection-enhanced gate transistor (IEGT), the hybrid direct current (DC) circuit breaker based on power electronic technology has become an important technical solution and research hotspot for DC breaking [1,2,3,4]. This type of DC circuit breaker combines the advantages of solid-state switches (SSs) and mechanical switches (MSs), and shows the characteristics of a strong current carrying capacity, low on-state loss, fast breaking speed, and no need for cooling devices [5,6]. NHCB is mostly used in the voltage field of 10kv and below, and there has been a lot of research on the NHCB [12].
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