Research of simulation and experiment on arc characteristics of gas mechanical switch

Abstract

An arc is the high‐temperature discharge plasma produced in the opening process of mechanical switches, which directly affects the breaking capability of a hybrid DC circuit breaker. According to the physical mechanism of an electric arc, the construction of an arc model for simulation analysis is an important technical means in the electrical field. In this study, based on the theory of magneto hydrodynamics (MHD), a gas mechanical switch model of a natural commutation DC circuit breaker with a compound gap is established. The arc motion process under different conditions is simulated and calculated. The influence of different initial pressures, different opening speeds, and different striking currents on the arc voltage characteristics is analysed. The results show that the larger the gas pressure, the smaller the arc volume and the higher the arc voltage. The faster the opening speed, the longer the arc and the higher the arc voltage; with the increase of the current, the arc voltage increases rapidly at a low current, while the arc voltage increases slowly at a high current.