Black Box Arc Model Research Articles

Study on the Influencing Factors of Electrical Characteristics of Articulated Split-Zone Insulator Arc

The frequent occurrence of the pantograph–catenary (PC) arc seriously threatens the safe and stable operation of electric multiple units (EMUs). In order to investigate the primary factors affecting the electrical characteristics of the PC arc, this paper first reveals the mechanism of arc generation when EMUs leave the split-zone insulator according to the actual mechanical structure of the PC articulated split-zone insulator. Then, based on the Habedank black box arc model, considering the dynamic changes in arc length during the actual operation of EMUs, a numerical simulation model suitable for describing the PC articulated split-zone insulator arc is established. Furthermore, by comparing with existing research results, the effectiveness of the proposed model is verified. Next, a series of simulation experiments were conducted to analyze the influence of different operating parameters of the EMUs on the electrical characteristics of the PC arc. More importantly, the paper proposes using the entropy weight method to calculate the impact strength of different operating parameters of the EMUs on the arc duration time of the contact wire split-zone region. The research results of this paper can provide some technical references for reducing the erosion of the PC contact wire and slide caused by arcs when the EMUs pass through the split-zone insulator.

Plasma characteristics of medium voltage AC air arc discharge and its application on arc electrical parameters calculation

Medium voltage (MV) AC air arcs occur frequently in distribution networks. An electric arc can easily cause electrical fires, leading to serious accident consequences. Obtaining the electrical characteristics of arc faults through arc models is a crucial measure to detect and prevent arc faults. The arc electrical characteristics are affected by many factors such as the ambient air pressure, current magnitude, and arc length, and it is difficult to describe it in an analytical form. The widely used conventional black-box arc model reflects the influence of multiple factors on the electrical characteristics of arcs through fitting or empirical formulae. The model ignores the intrinsic physical and chemical processes, and the applicable range of the model is limited. Focusing on this problem, based on the physicochemical processes of the arc in the arcing and post-arcing stages, a relationship between the electrical and plasma characteristics of the MV AC air arc was established. Subsequently, the arc plasma characteristics were determined experimentally, and were applied to the calculation of the arc electric characteristics. Finally, the calculation results of the arc electrical characteristics were verified using the experimental results, providing a basis for related model improvements and applications.

Characterization of Ultrahigh Pressure Nitrogen Arc Using Black Box Arc Model

In this paper, the effect of filling pressure on the black box arc parameters of nitrogen arc is reported using Mayr arc model. The arc current is approximately 130 A at 190 Hz. The filling pressure is varied at absolute pressure of 1, 20, and 40 bar. A phase transition from gas to supercritical state occurs when the pressure of nitrogen exceeds 33.5 bar at room temperature. To determine the effect of forced cooling, first, the free-burning arc is studied at different filling pressures. Afterwards, a self-blast arrangement is used where gas is blown into the arc near current zero. It has been observed that, without forced gas flow, both the time constant and the cooling power of the arc increase with the filling pressure. The forced cooling, however, reduces the time constant and further enhances the cooling power, thus facilitating the current interruption.

Optimization of the Black-Box Arc Models for DC Current Limiting Circuit Breakers Using Levenberg-Marquardt Algorithm

Optimization of the Black-Box Arc Models for DC Current Limiting Circuit Breakers Using Levenberg-Marquardt Algorithm

Numerical Study on Multiple Arcs in a Pyro-Breaker Based on the Black-Box Arc Model

The arc behavior during commutation of a pyro-breaker is the main determinant of performance evaluation. The pyro-breaker discussed in this article is an explosive-driven, extremely fast and non-linear Direct Current circuit breaker. It has been developed for the Quench Protection System (QPS) of superconducting fusion facilities, such as the China Fusion Engineering Test Reactor (CFETR). The feasibility of the Schavemaker differential equation is verified in a simplified 40 kA commutation simulation. The Commutation Section of the pyro-breaker will form multiple gaps after the operation, which causes multiple arc ignitions during the explosion. The influence of the gap quantity on the commutation performance of the pyro-breaker has not previously been studied. A more accurate simulation, which takes the multiple-arc formation into consideration, is proposed and verified under the current of 60 kA. The simulation model, which takes the numerical analysis of the driving mechanism into consideration, will be the designing basis for the pyro-breaker in further development and implementation.

Study on the Modeling and Suppression of Arcing Generated by Articulated Split-Zone Insulator in Electrified Railways

In electrified railways, pantograph–catenary (PC) arc frequently occurs in the process of train passing through split-zone insulator, which threatens the current collection of PC and operation of electric multiple units (EMUs). So far, there have been a few studies on the analysis and modeling of the PC arc on split-zone insulator. It is noting that this research is different from that of split-phase region. This article first analyzes the dynamic variation process of PC distance as EMUs pass the insulator and deduces the formula, which can reflect the PC arc length variation according to the specific mechanical structure of insulator. Then, a black-box arc model of split-zone insulator is proposed. Next, a vehicle-to-grid model of the EMUs that contains the arc model of split-zone insulator is established to simulate and analyze the characteristics of the PC arc on split-zone insulator. Furthermore, the proposed arc model in this article is verified by comparing the simulated arc characteristic waveforms with the measured results. Finally, a sensitivity analysis of the arc model under different lifting angles of the contact wire is carried out in order to analyze the suppression of PC arc on split-zone insulator.

Application of an Improved Mayr-Type Arc Model in Pyro-Breakers Utilized in Superconducting Fusion Facilities

Pyro-breaker, a fast-responding, highly reliable and explosive-driven circuit breaker, is utilized in several Quench Protection Systems (QPS). The commutation process and its parameters are the main technical considerations in the process of designing a new pyro-breaker. The commutation parameters, such as the commutation time and the current change rate, are not only determined by the electrical parameters of the commutation circuit but also the arc behavior during the operation. The arc behavior is greatly affected by the structure and the driving mechanism of the Commutation Section (CS) in the pyro-breaker. The arc model was developed decades ago and the black-box arc model is considered a valid method to study arc behavior. In this paper, the Schavemaker black-box arc model, an improved Mayr-type arc model, is applied to study the commutation process of a newly designed pyro-breaker. Unlike normal circuit breakers, the arc discussed in this paper is discharged in deionized water. A parameter selection method is proposed. The practicability of the method is verified by numerical calculation in Power Systems Computer Aided Design (PSCAD) and experimentally.

Impact of Superconducting Current Limiter on the Gaseous HVDC Circuit Breakers Characteristics

This article combines a mechanical DCCB and commutation circuit charged by resistive superconducting element to study the HVDCGCB arc interruption process during fault occurring and to investigate the transient behavior of the HVDCGCB during switching phenomena using the tools of black box arc model and EMTP-ATP simulation software. at the instant of short-circuit fault occurring, the superconducting resistance becomes a great interrupting resistance to supply the commutation capacitance by the required voltage to drive discharge current through the fault current for obtaining artificial current zero instantly. Developed model has been used for investigating the impact of uncontrolled and controlled parameters such as the factor of power cooling, the arcing time constant and the capacitance and inductance of the commutation element values on the circuit breaker arcing time in the presence of resistive SFCL and in its absence, in order to verify the differences. Results proved that the HVDCGCB with resistive (SFCL) can interrupt the fault current successfully. Arcing time of the fault interruption is reduced to several milliseconds and the interruption capability is extremely improved through commutation capacitance charging voltage and it's discharging current. From the study carried out in the article it is found that the superconducting resistance provides high discharge current leading to improve in the CB interruption process and the rise rate of the re-striking voltage between the circuit breaker contacts decreases with the use of the resistive SFCL, which reduces the likelihood of insulation failure of the circuit breakers. Moreover the impact of resistive SFCL on the HVDCGCB current, re-striking voltage and currents of resonance and absorber elements are investigated. The impact of current limiting resistor on the capacitor's charging current and voltage, is also presented in the article.

Cascaded HVDC gaseous circuit breaker performance using black box arc model

The development of renewable sources of electrical energy represents the main goal of the most countries. This energy has to be transmitted for a long distance for the utilization in populated areas. The need of high-voltage direct current circuit breakers represents the key of the development of high-voltage direct current transmission systems. High and extra high-voltage six sulfur hexafluoride circuit breakers need more than one interrupter to be stable during arc extinguishes, so it can be used in high-voltage systems as cascaded interrupters. In this article, the multi-break high-voltage direct current HVDC gaseous circuit breaker characteristic is investigated by employing Mayr and Cassie arc models. The influences of the models parameters on the arc interruption time are studied using MATLAB/Simulink program. It is concluded that the simulated results by employing black box arc models achieve a success in multi-break HVDC gaseous circuit breakers simulation. Employing BBAMs black box arc models has proved more flexibility to study the effect of different controlled and uncontrolled parameters on the multi-break high-voltage direct current gaseous circuit breaker HVDCGCB arcing time. That has proved more flexibility to study the effect of different controlled and uncontrolled parameters on the arcing time. The main contributions of this article in points can be summarized as employing black box arc models achieves a success in multi-break HVDC gaseous circuit breakers simulation, investigation of the influence of commutation parameters on the cascaded HVDC gaseous circuit breaker interrupter performance, the controlled and uncontrolled parameters affecting the arcing time of HVDCGCB has been studied, the impact of the fault resistance value on arcing time and the damping resistance influence on the transient recovery voltage are investigated, and additionally, the initial transient interruption and the Metal Oxide Varistor voltages are analyzed. From the investigated forty cases done to check the Mayr’s model validity in the HVDC CD simulation, it is found that the values of P and τ which give acceptable outputs are at τ = 10−6 s, and P in range of 107 W to 1011 W. The output of the case τ = 10−6 s, P = 1010 W, which is introduced in the paper has proved that when τ reached to 10−7 s the MOV current rises and drops and thereafter rises and gradually decreases. This may leads to CB failure Com parameters influence on the interrupter performance are investigated and proved good simulation of the gaseous circuit breaker interrupter.

직류 차단기에 대한 Black-box 아크 모델 적용성 평가 및 아크 특성 매개 변수 비교 분석

Analyzing the arc interruption phenomena of circuit breakers, physical arc model is generally used, but its analysis and applications is complex because it requires understanding a lot of physical parameters such as thermodynamics and mathematical equations which occur during arc interruption process. But the black box model which simulate the dynamic arc behaviour and its interaction with network could be conveniently used to extract essential parameters to determine the performance of the circuit breaker. Black box arc model could represent the non-linear characteristics of the arc using differential equations based on the conductivity of the arc. In order to develop reliable DC circuit breaker which don’t have a natural current zero point, a transient analysis of the non-linear arc characteristics occurring during interruption is needed. In previous studies, black box arc models have been used to analyze AC arc characteristics, and there are few study applying it to DC circuit breakers. This paper simulates the applicability evaluation for DC circuit breakers using KEMA and Habedank black box arc models based on the actual DC circuit breaker test data sheet. Parameters of the black box arc model were determined by performing Parameter Sweep for the main factors, such as interrupting time, arc voltage, and arc time constant. As a result, the applicability of the black box arc model to the DC circuit breaker was verified by predicting the DC arc behavior, and more suitable model for the DC circuit breaker was suggested by comparing the DC arc waveforms.

Black-box 아크 모델의 비선형 특성을 활용한 고체 절연물 내 보이드에 의한 부분방전 해석모델 개발

Black-box 아크 모델의 비선형 특성을 활용한 고체 절연물 내 보이드에 의한 부분방전 해석모델 개발

A study of multi-break HVDC gaseous circuit breaker performance by using black box arc model

The development of the renewable energy and the need of medium- and high-voltage direct current circuit breakers are the keys in the development of medium- and high-voltage transmission systems. It can be used in high-voltage systems as cascaded interrupters. In this paper, the cascaded interrupters of gaseous circuit breakers are simulated using black box arc models. The influences of the models parameters on the arc interruption time are studied. MATLAB/Simulink program is employed to carry out this study. It is concluded that the simulated results by employing black box arc models achieve a success in multi-break HVDC gaseous circuit breakers simulation. Employing BBAM models has proved more flexibility to study the effect of different controlled and uncontrolled parameters on the multi-break HVDCGCB arcing time. That has proved more flexibility to study the effect of different controlled and uncontrolled parameters on the arcing time. From the investigated forty cases done to check the Mayr’s model validity in the HVDC CD simulation, it is found that the values of P and $$ \tau $$ which give acceptable outputs are at $$ \tau = 10^{ - 6} \;{\text{s}} $$ , and P in range of 107–1011 W. The output of the case $$ \tau = 10^{ - 6} \;{\text{s}} $$ , P = 1010 W, which is introduced in the paper has proved that when $$ \tau $$ reached to 10−7 s, the MOV current rises and drops and thereafter rises and gradually decreases. This may lead to CB failure; Com parameters influences on the interrupter performance are investigated and proved good simulation of the gaseous circuit breaker interrupter. The commutation parameters affecting the interrupter performance are investigated. Investigation of the change in the fault arc resistance and the fault location on the DC line on the arcing time is presented. Finally the impact of the changing of fault resistance value on arcing time and the damping resistance influence on the transient recovery voltage is also investigated. Additionally, the initial transient interruption and the metal oxide varistor voltages are analyzed.

Parameters affecting the arcing time of HVDC circuit breakers using black box arc model

Arc interruption of high voltage direct current (HVDC) circuit breakers (CBs) is one of the main challenging factors for using HVDC grids. To evaluate the arc interrupting capability in HVDC CBs, black box arc models are used to represent the nonlinear arc conductance depending on Cassie and Mayr dynamic arc equations. Extensive simulation studies are carried out to investigate the effect of controlled and uncontrolled parameters on the CB arcing time. A real line represents a part of 500 kV electrical connection systems between Egypt and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is simulated to be a faulty load. It is found that the arcing time of the HVDC CB can be reduced by increasing the value of cooling power coefficient ( p ) and decreasing the value of arc time constant ( τ ). It is also deduced that the arcing time is reduced by the increase of the commutation capacitance value ( C ) and decreasing the commutation inductance ( L ) value and vice versa. Moreover, it is concluded that the arcing time is greatly affected by the fault location and the fault arc resistance (R f ) according to fault conditions.

Parameter identification of dc black‐box arc model using non‐linear least squares

The black-box arc model is known to be a useful technique to simulate dynamic arc-circuit interaction by reflecting arc characteristics. Existing researches have shown that the black-box model has been widely used to analyse the ac arc characteristics of SF6 and air circuit breakers. Due to the enormous energy and steep rise rate (di/dt) during dc fault, it is important to consider dc arc characteristics. However, there are no examples of black-box models for dc circuit breakers utilised in railway systems and dc microgrid. In this study, the applicability of the black-box model, which was applied to the existing ac arc analysis, was verified for the dc arc analysis. Black-box modelling is applied to datasheet of industrial low-voltage circuit breakers and parametric sweep method was used to select Schwarz model parameters considering the tendency of dc arc current waveform for the dc pole-to-pole fault. The authors also applied the Levenberg–Marquardt algorithm, which is the most extensively used for the optimisation of functional parameters, to the Schwarz model for accurate and reliable arc modelling. As a result, the dc arc feasibility of the black-box model was analysed through simulation results, and a model optimisation technique was proposed.

Novel Black-Box Arc Model Validated by High-Voltage Circuit Breaker Testing

In this paper, we present a new black-box arc model that was validated using tests with short-line fault interruption of high-voltage circuit breakers. This new arc model shows superior performance compared with four types of existing black-box arc models. Black-box arc models are widely used to simulate current and voltage waveforms during the interruption process. Applied together with arc parameters, they determine arc conductance and interruption behavior. In this study, the arc parameters of each arc model are derived from an optimization approach in a defined time interval to minimize the difference between the measured and simulated arc voltages. The black-box arc models with optimized arc parameters are applied to a simplified circuit for short-line fault simulation, and the model accuracy of the interruption prediction and waveform fitting is quantitatively scored.

Impact of SFCL on the Four Types of HVDC Circuit Breakers by Simulation

Recently, studies on HVDC circuit breaker (CB) prototypes have shown successful test results. Nevertheless, effective and reliable solutions regarding massive fault energy during dc fault interruption have not yet been commercialized, and dc current breaking topologies on methods of achieving artificial zero should be somewhat modified. As an alternative, one feasible solution is to combine fault current limiting technologies with dc breaking topologies. In this paper, we studied the application of resistive superconducting fault current limiters (SFCLs) on various types of HVDC CB in order to estimate the effects of combining fault current limiters and conventional dc breakers. For the simulation works, four types of dc breaker topologies were modeled, including a mechanical CB using black-box arc model, a passive resonance CB (PRCB), an inverse current injection CB, and a hybrid HVDC CB. In addition, a resistive SFCL was simulated and added to the dc breakers to verify its interruption characteristic and distributed energy across HVDC CB. From the simulation results, we found that the maximum fault current, interruption time, and dissipated energy stress on the HVDC CB could be decreased by applying SFCL. In addition, it was observed that, among four types of HVDC CB, PRCB with SFCL exhibited the best observable enhancement.

Bifurcation theory of ac electric arcing

The performance of alternating current (ac) electric arcing devices is related to arc extinction or its re-ignition at zero crossings of the current (so-called ‘current zero’, CZ). Theoretical investigations thus usually focus on the transient behaviour of arcs near CZ, e.g. by solving the modelling differential equations in the vicinity of CZ. This paper proposes as an alternative approach to investigate global mathematical properties of the underlying periodically driven dynamic system describing the electric circuit containing the arcing device. For instance, the uniqueness of the trivial solution associated with the insulating state indicates the extinction of any arc. The existence of non-trivial attractors (typically a time-periodic state) points to a re-ignition of certain arcs. The performance regions of arcing devices, such as circuit breakers and arc torches, can thus be identified with the regions of absence and existence, respectively, of non-trivial attractors. Most important for applications, the boundary of a performance region in the model parameter space is then associated with the bifurcation of the non-trivial attractors. The concept is illustrated for simple black-box arc models, such as the Mayr and the Cassie model, by calculating for various cases the performance boundaries associated with the bifurcation of ac arcs.

Linking a physical arc model with a black box arc model and verification

The arc behavior in the current zero region is critical in the case of very steep rising TRV, such as after clearing a short-line fault. Therefore, intensive and abundant short-line fault tests (L90) of a 245 kV SF6 circuit breaker were performed at the KEMA High Power Laboratory. For the purpose of a comparative analysis three different sets of data were obtained during the tests: 1) High-resolution measurements of near current-zero arc current and voltage were carried out. The current zero measurement system (CZM) works as a standalone system in addition to the standard laboratory data acquisition system. The arc conductance shortly before current zero and the arc voltage extinction peak give a clear indication of the interrupting capability of the breaker under test. 2) From the measured traces of every individual test, arc parameters (3 time constants and 3 cooling-power constants) were extracted for the composite black box arc model, which has been developed by KEMA High Power Laboratory and is based on more than 1000 high-resolution measurements during tests of commercial high-voltage circuit breakers. Its aim is to simulate interruption phenomenon in SF6 gas, evaluate performance of HV SF6 circuit breakers in testing and enable the prediction of the performance under conditions other than those tested. 3) After each test, using specially developed computer software, based on a simplified physical enthalpy flow arc model, the values of the arcing contact distance, gas mass flow through the nozzle throat and pressure inside the compression cylinder were calculated. The values of these characteristic quantities at the current zero are relevant indicators for successful interruption. In the comparative analysis, mathematical relations and statistical correlations between the evaluated parameters of the composite black box arc model and the characteristic output quantities are established and discussed. The link has been verified by MatLAB simulation of every individual test. This approach enables acceptable prediction of interruption success in a similar circuit and with a similar interrupter without SLF tests and CZM.

Modeling ${\rm SF}_{6}$ Circuit Breaker for Characterizing Shunt Reactor Switching Transients

The black-box arc models are commonly used for describing the interaction between a switching arc and the surrounding circuit during a circuit breaker interruption process. This paper proposes an extended Mayr's equation based arc model for the SF6 circuit breaker to characterize the transients associated with switching off a shunt reactor. The proposed model includes Mayr's arc model with estimated parameters input, a time-controlled switch, and a dielectric recovery voltage control unit. From the transient simulation aspects, the paper not only provides the guidelines for estimating parameters required for Mayr's equation to simulate the arc dynamics, but also describes a method for modeling post-arc behavior that cannot be simulated by conventional black-box models. Several study cases are performed to show the usefulness of the proposed model. Results obtained are compared with the measured and calculated data. It shows that the proposed SF6 circuit breaker arc model is relatively accurate for characterizing the shunt reactor switching transients.

Investigation of the Arc Extinction Characteristics of Air Load Break Switches by Numerical Analysis

This paper presents the investigation of the arc extinction capability of air load break switches (AS) used in overhead power distribution systems. The interrupting capability of the load break switches (LBS) is generally determined by mutual effects between the arc behaviors of LBS and the corresponding circuit conditions. In this paper, the interaction between the arc and the corresponding circuit was described by a black box arc model based on modified Mayr arc equation. The limit values of the arc time constant, which represents the lowest limits of the arc extinction capability was obtained by repetition calculation to the measured results. The results not only showed the limit values of the arc time constant which needed for AS to interrupt the load currents, but also confirmed that AS possesses sufficient arc extinction capability to interrupt the load currents.