Transverse Magnetic Field Contacts Research Articles

Modeling and numerical simulation of anode activity and arc motion in a transverse magnetic field

Vacuum interrupters based on transverse magnetic field contacts now are widely used in medium voltage circuit breakers. The arc motion under the transverse magnetic field (TMF) plays a decisive role in the interruption. In this paper, we focus on the movement of vacuum arc driven by TMF and anode thermal process during the arcing. Then, based on the principle of conservation, a transient two-dimensional anode activity model (subjected to TMF constricted arc) is established. The state change of material, evaporation from contacts and motion of molten pool are also considered in our model. By considering the arc motion in the anode activity model, the transient anode thermal process and the movement of constrict arc under TMF are studied, respectively. The simulation predicted that average speed of arc is not higher than 200m/s. In the simulation, the anode surface is completely melted near the current peak with 200 μm molten layer. In addition, the influence of movement of molten pool on the arc speed is analyzed, finding that the movement of the bath accelerates arc speed, but weakens the surface melting at the same time.

Finite element analysis of a 3D moving vacuum arc for transverse magnetic field contacts based on Gundlach’s formula

A systematic numerical method for analyzing a 3D moving vacuum arc was proposed and tested in this research by using a transverse magnetic field (TMF) contact. The analysis was carried out by employing the finite element method and the experimental energy equation defined by Gundlach’s formula. In the literature, the vacuum interrupter has been widely applied to medium-voltage switching circuits. TMF-type contacts use the Lorentz force density to move a high-temperature arc so as to prevent the contacts from being melted and damaged. The material erosion caused by the arc on the electrode’s surface is an important process that results in the interruptive capabilities of these vacuum interrupters. In a classical arc model, to move the vacuum arc, it is required that the magneto-hydrodynamics be analyzed in the arc region at each step. However, with this approach convergence is difficult, resulting in a very time-consuming. Therefore, we propose a new technique to predict the behaviors of vacuum arc between two electrodes. This new approach adopts the experimental arc voltage equation between two electrodes defined by Gundlach’s formula. We verify our proposed model by comparing its results with the arcing behaviors obtained from earlier experiments.

Post-arc current measurement based on current transfer characteristic

The paper proposes a novel post-arc current measuring equipment (PACME), which is composed of vacuum switch, transfer resistance, protective gap and high-precision current sensor. The principle of the measurement is based on current transfer characteristic between the vacuum switch and transfer resistance. The current-transfer model of the post-arc current measurement is established to gain the characteristic of vacuum arc conductance and the completion time of current transfer influenced by the transfer resistance, current of main circuit and the contacts opening time. The vacuum arc of PACME extinguished just before the main current approach zero while the main current is completely transferred to the transfer resistance. According to the simulation result, the PACME is designed, especially; the transfer resistance is non inductive and over current protection. The post-arc current of vacuum switch with axial magnetic field (AMF) and transverse magnetic field (TMF) contacts was measured in synthetic short-circuit test. The measuring result of post-arc current is accurate and small interference, which satisfied the post-arc current measurement of vacuum circuit breakers.

Properties of Vacuum Arc Influenced by Electrode Diameter and Material in TMF Contact Based on Forced Current Zero

With the increase in electrical equipment in More/All Electric Aircraft, 270 V dc power supply systems will be needed. One method for DC interruption is forced current zero (FCZ). Based on FCZ technology with transverse-magnetic-field (TMF) contact, the spiral-type contacts are designed. Experiments with different currents are carried out with contact diameters being 30 mm, 40 mm, and 50 mm, and arcing surface materials Cu-W80 alloy and Cu-Cr50 alloy respectively. It is indicated by the experimental results that breaking capacity of vacuum interrupter and vacuum arc appearance are closely related to the electrode diameter and material. For the same size of electrode diameter, the breaking capacity in Cu-Cr50 is better than that in Cu-W80. With increasing electrode diameter, arc column expansion velocity and diameter increase gradually. Breaking capacity is increasing with larger contact diameter.

Vacuum arcing behavior between transverse magnetic field contacts subjected to variable axial magnetic field

The objective of this work is to reveal the effects of an axial magnetic field (AMF) on the vacuum arc characteristics between transverse magnetic field (TMF) contacts. These vacuum arc characteristics include the vacuum arcing behavior and the arc voltage waveform. In the experiments, an external AMF was applied to a pair of TMF contacts. The external AMF flux density BAMF can be adjusted from 0 to 110 mT. The arc current in the tests varied over a range from 0 to 20 kA rms at 45 Hz. The contact material was CuCr25 (25% Cr). A high-speed charge-coupled device video camera was used to record the vacuum arc evolution. The experimental results show that the application of the AMF effectively reduces the TMF arc voltage noise component and reduces the formation of liquid metal drops between the contacts. The diffuse arc duration increases linearly with increasing AMF flux density, but it also decreases linearly with increasing arc current under application of the external AMF. The results also indicate that the diffuse arc duration before the current zero is usually more than 1 ms under the condition that the value of the AMF per kiloampere is more than 2.0 mT/kA. Finally, under application of the AMF, the arc column of the TMF contacts may constrict and remain in the center region without transverse rotation. Therefore, the combined TMF–AMF contacts should be designed such that they guarantee that the AMF is not so strong as to oppose transverse rotation of the arc column.

Experimental Investigation Into the Synergy of Vacuum Circuit Breaker With Double-Break

In order to find the synergy of double-break vacuum circuit breakers (VCBs), we conducted a synthetic test including different vacuum gaps, different type electrodes, and different grading capacitors. The double-break VCBs are composed of Axial Magnetic Field (AMF) and Transverse Magnetic Field (TMF) contact VCBs, which can constitute four combinations. The optimal combination of AMF and TMF type electrodes was obtained by comparing with the breaking capacity and voltage distribution of the four combinations. The breaking capacity of double-break VCB with AMF and TMF type electrodes in series while the AMF interrupter is on the lower side is largest because the voltage distribution is the most even which is caused by the different equivalent capacitances of different interrupters. The optimal matching vacuum gaps of the best combination were obtained by a synthetic test of different vacuum gaps, which may make the grading capacitors of double-break VCBs small, even obsolete. The combination of maximum breaking capacity was series AMF type interrupters with suitable grading capacitors of 500-2000 pF. The experimental results provide the best combination and matching control mode for VCBs with double-break.

Influence of axial self-magnetic field component on arcing behavior of spiral-shaped contacts

The transverse magnetic field (TMF) contact design is commonly used in vacuum interrupters. When arcing occurs between the TMF contacts, the contact structure can create a self-induced magnetic field that drives the arc to move and rotate on the contact, and thus local overheating and severe erosion can be avoided. However, TMF contacts could also create an axial self-magnetic component, and the influence of this component on the arc behavior has not been considered to date. In this paper, five different types of Cu-Cr spiral-shaped TMF contacts with three different structures are investigated in a demountable vacuum chamber that contains a high-speed charge-coupled device video camera. It was found that the contact structure greatly influenced the arc behavior, especially in terms of arc rotation and the effective contact area, while contacts with the same slot structure but different diameters showed similar arc behavior and arc motion. The magnetic field distribution and the Lorentz force of each of the three different contact structures are simulated, and the axial self-magnetic field was first taken into consideration for investigation of the TMF contact design. It was found that contact designs that have higher axial self-magnetic field components tend to have arc columns with larger diameters and show poorer arc motion and rotation performance in the experiments.

Experimental Investigation of Arc Ignition Modes of Vacuum Arc Under Transverse Magnetic Field

The drawn vacuum arc transitions from the rupture of the molten metal bridge. The initial arc has a significant influence on the temperature and heat distribution on the contact surface, and it greatly affects the whole arcing process. In this paper, arc ignition modes of vacuum arc under transverse magnetic field (TMF) were investigated in a demountable vacuum chamber with spiral-type and wan-type TMF contacts. By using a high-speed camera, multiple-point arc ignition (MPAI) mode was observed, which was different from the common single-point arc ignition (SPAI) mode. The MPAI mode observed can be subdivided into three categories: 1) stable mode; 2) mode with varying number of initial arc columns; and 3) mode with initial columns close to each other. The relationship between the number of initial arc columns and some parameters, such as initial arc voltage, initial arc current, was investigated. Simulation was carried out to compare the difference of magnetic force between MPAI mode and SPAI mode. It was shown that, unlike SPAI mode, arcing with MPAI mode has a stage in which the multiple arc columns gradually combine into one and keep motionless for a long time. Additionally, in most cases the total diameters of arc columns in MPAI mode are larger than that in SPAI mode. The occurrence of MPAI mode and the influence on the subsequent motion of arc was also discussed.

The Characteristics of Vacuum Arc in the Process of DC Interruption Using Butt Contacts and TMF Contacts

The application of vacuum interrupters in dc current interruption highlights the interdependence of the contact design and the arc behavior. In this investigation, the characteristics of drawn vacuum arc in the process of dc load current interruption using butt contacts and a commercial transverse magnetic field (TMF) contacts were recorded with a high-speed camera. In a drawn vacuum arc, the arc sequence began with one or two bridge arc columns formed after the rupture of the molten metal bridge. Parallel columns in the butt contact were observed for not more than half of the trials, whereas an intermediate stage of two parallel columns was always found in the TMF contact. The interruption tests indicated that the arc in two columns mode occupied more surface had higher interrupt capability. The role of the slots on TMF contact to the arc appearance was discussed. It can be concluded that, for dc load current interruptions below 5 kA, if a short break time (<;1 ms) is required, a TMF contact is preferred; if there is no special break time required then a butt contact is preferred.

Motion and Splitting of Vacuum Arc Column in Transverse Magnetic Field Contacts at Intermediate-Frequency

Arc motion and splitting of vacuum arc at intermediate frequency (400-800 Hz) were investigated under transverse magnetic field (TMF). The experiment was performed on cup-type TMF contacts with contact diameter of 40 mm and a contact gap of 4 mm in a single-frequency circuit. With high-speed photography we characterized the arc appearance at different arc currents from 3.3 kA-rms to 10 kA-rms at intermediate frequencies. As arc current increases from 3.3 kA-rms to 10 kA-rms the arc appearance changes obviously. When current value is 3.3 kA-rms (current frequency 400-800 Hz), there is almost no splitting arc; when the current exceeds 5 kA-rms (current frequency 400-800 Hz), the arc rotates at a speed above 20 m/s, accompanied by an observable splitting arc. The splitting arc could be observed at different frequencies and the arc-voltage had no noises when splitting occurred. The motion direction and the velocity of arc column were studied. Finally, the formation of a split arc was discussed.

Arc Movement of Intermediate-Frequency Vacuum Arc on TMF Contacts

This paper describes the arc behavior in the transverse-magnetic-field (TMF) contacts at intermediate frequency (400-800 Hz). With high-speed photography, three different arc modes were identified: expansion arc column, moving arc, and diffuse arc. In the expansion arc column mode, the arc column is immobile and the diameter of the arc column increases with the current. During this stage, the bright anode spots appear with high amplitude noise of arc voltage at high current. The expansion arc column mode plays an important role in the anode erosion. In the moving arc column mode, the average velocities were observed about 10-100 m/s, and the arc velocity increases with the increased frequency at the same current. The arc voltage expressed by arc current and frequency was obtained in this paper. The cross-section area of the arc column decreases with the increased frequency at the same current. The current density increases with the increased frequency at the certain current. Consequently, it is deduced that the arc velocity increases with the increased frequency at the same current. The mean power input concentrates in a smaller area at a higher frequency. It may be one of the reasons why the anode local melted.

Theoretical and Experimental Investigation of New Innovative TMF–AMF Contacts for High-Current Vacuum Arc Interruption

This paper consists of investigating the vacuum arc behavior during the high-current interruption process with a new innovative coaxial double-contact system. The structure of the so-called TMF-AMF double-contact offers the advanatage of low total resistance for nominal current conduction as in standard transverse magnetic field (TMF) contacts and similar vacuum arc control as in axial magnetic field (AMF) contacts. For an optimized contact's geometry, finite element method B-field simulations were performed to evaluate the effect of geometric parameters on the axial B-field strength and distribution and mechanical simulations to evaluate the closing forces distribution. The arc dynamics for two distinct cases, where the arc ignition takes place between the inner contacts, and between the outer contacts, are investigated experimentally. The arc appearance extracted from the high-speed movie is correlated with the arc voltage to explain the mechanisms of arc commutation to fully diffuse mode. It has been shown that the commutation to fully diffuse arc takes place in all cases but with a shorter commutation time with the second case. The benefit of using the present TMF–AMF contact system for high-current interruption while keeping the total nominal resistance as low as possible is demonstrated.

The Dynamic Volt-Ampere Characteristics of a Vacuum Arc at Intermediate-Frequency Under a Transverse Magnetic Field

In this study, the changes of a vacuum arc's appearance were observed and the volt-ampere characteristics of the vacuum arc at intermediate frequency were analyzed under a transverse magnetic field (TMF). The TMF and phase shift time were calculated by using the TMF contact model and the large phase shift of the magnetic field at a higher frequency was conductive to the dispersion process of residual plasma. The arc velocity was higher at 800 Hz than at 400 Hz. It can be inferred that TMF will encourage arc movement at 800 Hz. Moreover, the arc movement has an impact on the arc voltage. Because of the increasing length of the arc column with a high arc velocity, the elongated arc causes the arc voltage to increase. Specifically, the volt-ampere characteristics of the vacuum arc are divided into three stages in this paper. The higher the frequency, the greater the initial rate of rise in the arc voltage and the larger the area surrounded by arc volt-ampere characteristics. The correlations between the arc voltage and the amplitude and frequency of the current are also presented.