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

详细信息    查看全文

• 作者：Chang-Seob Kwak ; Hong-Kyu Kim ; Tae-Hoon Kim…
• 关键词：Vacuum arc ; Vacuum interrupter ; Transverse magnetic field ; Arc behavior ; Arc path Construction algorithm
• 刊名：Journal of the Korean Physical Society
• 出版年：2017
• 出版时间：January 2017
• 年：2017
• 卷：70
• 期：1
• 页码：22-27
• 全文大小：
• 刊物主题：Physics, general; Theoretical, Mathematical and Computational Physics; Particle and Nuclear Physics;
• 出版者：The Korean Physical Society
• ISSN：1976-8524
• 卷排序：70

文摘

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.