Arc Suppression Device Research Articles

A Multi-Functional Reactive Power Compensation Device with the Capability of Grounding Fault Regulation and Its Parameter Design Method

Aiming at the problems of low equipment utilization and the high-capacity requirements of existing arc-suppression devices, a multi-functional reactive power compensation device with the capability of grounding fault regulation (MF-RPCD) is proposed. Firstly, the topology and operation mechanism of MF-RPCD are introduced in this paper. MF-RPCD works in a reactive power compensation mode when a power grid is under normal operation to ensure the unit power factor operation of the power-grid side. When a single line-to-ground fault occurs in the power grid, MF-RPCD works in a fault-regulation mode to effectively suppress the ground-fault current. Secondly, the parameters of the active and passive parts of MF-RPCD are optimally designed to ensure the stable operation of MF-RPCD. Finally, the correctness, feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed topology and functions are verified using simulations and experiments.

Research on arc evolution law of arc extin‐ction device under high‐speed large current

AbstractThe lifespan of the guide rail is a bottleneck restricting the operational life of electromagnetic railguns. A well‐designed arc extinguishing device can reduce the arcing erosion caused by residual currents within the guide rail. The CuW alloy is widely used in the high‐pressure arc extinction field due to its excellent electrical and thermal conductivity, high strength, and hardness. Based on the theory of equilibrium state arc plasma, a finite element model of the air arc‐CuW electrode coupling in the arc extinction device was established to study millisecond‐level arc initiation, evolution, extinguishing characteristics, and distribution patterns under extreme and harsh operational conditions with a current input of 110 kA. The highest temperature in the arc column region was found to exceed 50,000 K. The study elucidated the influence of arc extinction device parameters on arc evolution, breakdown time, and breakdown voltage. Consequently, it established that the R70 spherical electrode exhibits optimal arc extinguishing characteristics. The aim of this research is to provide theoretical support for optimizing the arc suppression device. Additionally, experiments on high‐speed and high‐current arc extinction device discharges were conducted to validate the finite element analysis results regarding arc diffusion patterns and electrode erosion.

Measurement of medium-voltage AC air arc temperature and particle number density based on dual-wavelength Moiré deflection technology

AC air arcs are generated in medium-voltage (MV) power systems under the effect of harsh weather conditions, equipment aging, and high penetration of distributed generation, threatening equipment and public safety. The arc current and temperature are low due to the wide application of arc suppression devices. In this scenario, the MV AC air arc does not satisfy the local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) condition. In addition, the repeated arcing and extinguishing processes further complicate the arc discharge mechanism, which bring challenges in the modeling and detection of MV AC air arcs. Experimental methods are a direct and efficient approach to determine the properties of arc plasmas. In this study, a dual-wavelength Moiré deflection diagnostic system was established to determine the time evolution of the particle density and radial distribution of the temperature in an MV AC air arc without relying on the LTE assumption. The electron number density and heavy particle number density change transiently during the arc discharge process and change gradient along the radial direction. The heavy particle temperature and electron temperature were then calculated based on the measured particle number density. During the arcing stage, the temperature of the electrons exceeded that of the heavy particles significantly, and the arc deviated from LTE. Finally, the limitations of the traditional single-wavelength Moiré deflection method are analyzed. The classic single-wavelength Moiré deflection method, while capable of estimating heavy particle temperature in plasma, exhibits a significant error in electron density estimation compared to the dual-wavelength Moiré deflection method.

A Fault Location Method for Medium Voltage Distribution Network Based on Ground Fault Transfer Device

The arc suppression device based on ground fault transfer (GFT) has been preliminarily applied in the medium voltage distribution network (MVDN). An accurate travelling wave (TW) fault location method is proposed to extend the use of the ground fault transfer device. D-PMU is used as a travelling wave detection tool to record the transient voltage travelling waves of fault grounding and bus active grounding during arc suppression. Then, the faulty section is identified through the time difference of travelling wave arrival at the upstream and downstream measurement points. On this basis, the fault location equations of the arrival time and distance of the upstream travelling wave are established, and an accurate fault location method based on the arrival time difference of the travelling wave is proposed. The simulation model is established by PSCAD/EMTDC, and the results show that the method has high location accuracy, and the absolute error is less than 30 m. It is not affected by the TW velocity, the fault conditions, or the distributed power sources.

A novel hybrid arc suppression device for single line-to-ground faults

Traditional passive arc suppression devices (ASDs) do not provide complete compensation for single line-to-ground (SLG) fault currents. Meanwhile, active ASDs are expensive. This study proposes a novel hybrid ASD to balance compensation and cost. The hybrid ASD consists of a passive part and an active part. To reduce the fault voltage to near zero, the passive part uses a single-phase isolating transformer and two sets of phase-selection switches. The active part, which compensates for the residual voltage caused by the transformer's leakage impedance, is connected to the secondary side of the transformer and the ground using a small-capacity inverter. A model predictive control (MPC) method is employed as the controller. We conducted simulations and experiments for various SLG fault cases, which demonstrated the effectiveness and robustness of the hybrid ASD in arc suppression. The hybrid ASD that we propose is independent of the neutral point and has several advantages, including low cost, strong arc suppression capabilities, and high robustness.

A Non-neutral alternate arc suppression method for single phase grounding fault in active distribution network

To fully compensate reactive and active components of the single line-to-ground (SLG) fault current, additional DC power supply devices are usually used for arc suppression devices. Therefore, the alternate arc suppression method is proposed for the non-neutral multi-function arc suppression device (MF-ASD) in this paper, which can achieve energy self-balance in the MF-ASD during the SLG fault without additional DC power supply devices. Firstly, the DC-link charge–discharge characteristic of the MF-ASD is analyzed under different SLG fault conditions. Then, the alternate arc suppression principle and energy flow law between two non-faulty phases of the MF-ASD are described in detail. Further, the relationship between the alternate period, switching time, and the DC-link voltage are deduced as well. Then, the control parameters are reasonably designed for the DC-link voltage stability of two non-faulty phases of the MF-ASD. Finally, the correctness and feasibility of the proposed method are verified by simulation and experiment results.

Control of arc suppression devices for reducing powerline bushfires in resonant grounded power distribution networks using global terminal sliding mode controller

AbstractThis paper proposes a global terminal‐sliding mode controller (GT‐SMC) to compensate powerline bushfires due to electric faults in power distribution networks using arc suppression devices (ASDs). A GT‐sliding surface along with a new quick reaching law is used to design the controller. The major control objective is to compensate the fault current caused by single line‐to‐ground (SLG) faults to a value that cannot ignite fires in bushfire prone areas. A T‐type residual current compensator inverter within an ASD is controlled to achieve the goal. An integral‐sliding mode controller (I‐SMC) is also designed using a conventional reaching law for comparing the performance. Simulations studies and processor‐in‐loop implementations are carried out to investigate the ability of the GT‐SMC over an I‐SMC over a range of fault impedance scenarios. Dynamic properties of the voltage and current due to SLG faults along with the current injection by the ASD are analyzed against the standard criteria, to be followed to get rid of powerline bushfires. Results under different operating scenarios indicate that both controllers are capable to maintain standard criteria for preventing powerline bushfires though the GT‐SMC is proven to exhibit superior transient responses to that of the I‐SMC and integral backstepping controller.

A comprehensive review of control techniques for compensating the fault current in resonant grounded distribution networks: From the perspective of mitigating powerline bushfires

Powerline faults are responsible for major bushfires around the world where arcs provoked from ground faults are common causes for igniting such fires. The grounding techniques (mainly resonant grounding) used in distribution substations and arc suppression devices play a crucial role for compensating fault currents in order to extinguish arcs so that the likelihoods of powerline bushfires are significantly reduced. Though passive arc suppression devices (e.g. Petersen coils) are extensively used for compensating the reactive component of the fault current, the active component of this current is still large enough to ignite the fire in bushfire prone areas for which active arc suppression devices are recently used. These active arc suppression devices incorporate residual current compensation inverters and the full compensation of the fault current rely on the control scheme of these inverters. This paper comprehensively reviews different control schemes that are used for compensating the fault current in resonant grounded power distribution systems. The existing control schemes are discussed in terms of the model used during the controller design process, loop structures, control block diagrams, and performance analysis frameworks (i.e. the type of fault impedances). It is worth mentioning that faults on resonant grounded power distribution networks exhibit the characteristics of high impedance faults and it important to consider this aspect for performance analysis of the control scheme. This paper also covers a brief overview of different grounding techniques used for mitigating fault currents and finally, the challenges with the existing controllers are identified in terms of extinguishing powerline bushfires. The comprehensive review motivates and guides future research activities on developing more efficient fault compensation techniques.

A comparative investigation of flexible arc suppression devices in distribution network

A comparative investigation of flexible arc suppression devices in distribution network

A Hybrid Flexible Neutral Grounding Mode for Large Generators

Single-phase ground faults frequently occur at the generator stator windings. To realize reliable arc suppression, a dual-frequency active arc-suppression strategy has been widely considered. However, the existing method needs an inverter with large capacity, which is large in volume and high in cost, causing limited engineering application prospects. To reduce the capacity, a novel hybrid flexible neutral grounding method for large generators is proposed in this paper. It combines the dual-frequency active arc-suppression strategy with the arc-suppression coil-grounding mode. Thus, most of the fundamental components in the fault current are compensated by the arc-suppression coil, and the rest are compensated by the active arc-suppression device. The capacity of the inverter can be greatly reduced under the premise of reliably realizing arc suppression. To identify transient and permanent ground faults after arc suppression, the phase-angle relation between the third-harmonic voltage and current variation at the generator neutral point is used to form the fault-type identification criterion. The third-harmonic quantities can avoid the blind area at the neutral point caused by fundamental quantities. Simulation and experimental test results verify the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Analysis and design of flexible arc suppression device based on proportional series lagging control

Flexible arc suppression technology can control zero-sequence voltage flexibly and realize arc suppression completely by injecting current to the neutral point of distribution network. However, in the existing control method, PI control cannot achieve zero steady-state error, and injecting current control needs to accurately measure the phase-to-ground parameters, so it is difficult to apply it in practice. For improvement, a new control method of the flexible arc suppression device is developed by using proportional controller and lagging network controller in this paper. The double closed-loop control method and the parameters of the controller are designed to improve the injecting current control performance. The zero-sequence voltage is set as the control target of the control system to realize arc suppression completely without measuring the phase-to-ground parameters. The effectiveness of the proposed control technology is verified by PSIM simulation and practical experiments. The simulation and experimental results show that the proportional series lagging control has better response speed and stability than the existing control method.

A discrete sliding mode control scheme for arc suppression devices in resonant grounded power distribution systems to mitigate powerline bushfires

In this paper, a discrete sliding mode control scheme is developed for the residual current compensator (RCC) inverter in a arc suppression coil (ASC) which is used for eliminating the fault current in resonant grounded power distribution networks to eliminate the impacts of powerline bushfires. The proposed discrete sliding mode controller (D-SMC) is designed based on the dynamical model of the ASC where the model is first represented in the dq-frame and then discretized. The D-SMC ensures the injection of the desired current through the RCC inverter so that the current flowing through the neutral reduces to zero which in turn reduces the phase-to-ground voltage of the faulty phase and hence, mitigates the adverse effects of powerline bushfires. A discrete sliding surface is selected to determine the switching control inputs for the RCC inverter and the stability of the proposed D-SMC is also analyzed to ensure the injection of the desired current to the neutral point under any operating conditions while satisfying operational standards. The effectiveness of the proposed D-SMC is evaluated through simulation results in terms of minimizing the fault current through the injection of the current to the neutral point and comparisons are made with existing proportional integral (PI) controller through simulations as well as other control strategies.

Active Arc-Suppression Principle Based on Two-Phase T-Type CHB Topology Without DC Power Supply in Distribution Networks

Traditional active arc-suppression devices (AASDs) are capable of single-phase-to-ground (SPG) fault suppression in distribution networks, but their practical engineering application value is limited due to difficulties in the DC power supply (DCPS) and harsh installation conditions. This brief proposes a novel two-phase T-type cascaded H-bridge topology AASD (T-AASD) without a DCPS and their cooperation control principle. The proposed method maintains the stability of the DC voltage and suppresses the base component and high-frequency harmonics component in the fault current during arc-suppression. Compared with other AASDs, the proposed T-AASD has the advantages of a low voltage requirement and fewer components. The effectiveness of the proposed method is validated via simulations.

Analysis and Research on Muzzle Arc Suppression Device of Arc Striking Railgun

Aiming at the problem of muzzle arc in the process of electromagnetic railgun launching, a muzzle arc suppression device based on gap arc discharge is designed. The working process and principle of arc suppression device for gap arc striking discharge are analyzed. The key of the design is to ensure that the discharge gap of the arc suppression device can conduct the arc quickly and reliably after the armature is out of the bore. The arc suppression circuit based on the principle of discharge and energy consumption can effectively absorb the residual energy of the muzzle and reduce the arc erosion between the muzzle rail end face and the armature tail. Using Simulink software the simulation model of electromagnetic rail launch system with arc suppression device is built, and the arc suppression current of the arc-starting circuit after the armature exits the muzzle was simulated. Through the simulation calculation of several groups of <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$R_{s}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> and <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$L_{s}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> parameters, The influence of the impedance of arc suppression device on the starting time of arc striking, the rising time of arc suppression current, the peak value of arc suppression circuit current, and the current of armature branch is analyzed. The correctness of the simulation model and theoretical analysis calculation is verified by experiments. The waveform analysis of test data shows that the arc striking principle arc suppression device has no effect on the launching performance of the armature when it runs in the bore, and almost all the current flows through the arc suppression circuit after the armature goes out of the muzzle, which can effectively suppress the muzzle arc and improve the launching performance of the rail gun.

Research on the Operation Specification of Arc Suppression and Resonance Elimination Device in Water Supply Distribution System

Arc suppression and resonance elimination device was used more and more widely in distribution power systems. The performance for limiting overvoltage and eliminating arc are better than arc suppression coil. But when the device not work properly,it would cause more great risk on the safe of the distribution network. It was analysed that an event of power failure of pair circuits distribution network installed with arc suppression and resonance elimination device. As an example, the simulation model was established with PSCAD software, and the working mechanism of the device was discussed. The overvoltage risk of the distribution system for water supply pump station was analysed. According to the analysing results, it is proposed that routine maintenance method and typical configuration of the device.

Active arc suppression device based on voltage‐source convertor with consideration of line impedance in distribution networks

In the non-effectively grounding distribution system, residual current under single-line-to-ground (SLG) fault threatens the safety of human being and power supply equipment. Active arc suppression device has been proved to be effective for SLG fault arc suppression when the line impedance is ignored. However, in practice, line impedance varies with the fault location and the load current flowing through the impedance brings about additional voltage drop, which increases the fault current and is not dealt with by the conventional methods. To achieve accurate SLG fault arc suppression with the existence of line impedance, the neutral-to-ground voltage reference for full ground-fault current compensation is firstly derived and a detection method is then proposed. The pre-fault and post-fault line currents are used to eliminate the influence of load current on the line impedance voltage drop. A dual-loop voltage and current controller is then designed. The prototype of active arc suppression device was developed. The results of simulation and prototype experiment validate the effectiveness of the proposed method.

An accurate fault location method for distribution network based on active transfer arc-suppression device

Active transfer arc-suppression device is a kind of arc suppression device which has been widely used in the distribution network. When a single-phase grounding fault occurs, the bus of faulty phase is actively grounded metallicity in the substation to limit the voltage of faulty phase, so as to realize arc extinction. In this paper, an accurate fault location method is proposed for the distribution network equipped with active transfer arc-suppression device. According to the variation characteristics of the fault traveling wave signals before and after arc-suppression device operation, the fault location formula based on the traveling wave velocity difference of different modes and the fault location formula based on the mutation of aerial-mode traveling wave are combined to obtain the final fault location method that is not affected by ground-mode wave velocity. The proposed method expands the function of active transfer arc-suppression device, makes it have additional fault location ability, and greatly improves the economy of the device. Simulation verifies that the proposed method is not affected by fault conditions, soil resistivity and extreme fault. The absolute error is within 50 m in all cases, which has high reliability.

Application of 66kV Active Intervention Grounding Arc Suppression Device

The energy supply is mainly based on electric energy at present, and power supply reliability is an important indicator for evaluating power supply services. In view of the 66kV transmission voltage level unique to Northeast my country, the neutral point of the transmission system directly affects the stable operation of the power system. First, the composition of the substation in the system and the working principle of the arc suppression device are analyzed. Secondly, when a single-phase grounding fault occurs in a 66kV neutral point ungrounded system, an active intervention grounding arc suppression device is designed. Finally, the operating characteristics of the designed grounding arc suppression device are demonstrated based on the simulation results.

Control of arc suppression devices in compensated power distribution systems using an integral sliding mode controller for mitigating powerline bushfires

An integral sliding model controller (I-SMC) is proposed in the work for arc suppression devices (ASDs) in resonant grounded power distribution systems which generally experience single line-to-ground faults and arcs from such faults are responsible for power line bushfires in remote areas.The proposed I-SMC is designed for the residual current compensation (RCC) inverter that is used with ADSs and the current is injected in a way that the risk of powerline bushfires are completely eliminated by reducing the fault current. In this work, a T-type inverter is employed and the control law is derived by considering the model uncertainties while the reference value of the current injected by the RCC inverter is calculated based on the fundamental analysis of ASDs. The sliding surface for the switching control input is derived in such a way that the system becomes stable. Finally, simulation studies are carried out to demonstrate the performance of the proposed scheme in terms of the desired tracking of the fault current and phase to neutral voltage with different fault impedances. Furthermore, the performance is compared with traditional proportional-integral (PI) controller in the time-domain to demonstrate its high performance and robustness.

Hybrid flexible arc suppression device based on soft grid connection strategy for MV distribution systems

Hybrid flexible arc suppression device based on soft grid connection strategy for MV distribution systems