The influence of unipolar axial magnetic field on the behavior of vacuum arcs

The behavior of vacuum arcs under the influence of unipolar axial magnetic field (AMF) has been investigated. In experimental investigations, the vacuum arc mode is studied at different arc currents by using high-speed charge-coupled device (CCD) video images. In spite of the AMF, first sign of arc constriction appears at relatively small currents of about 15 kA (RMS). Three different arc modes were found. Based on generalized Ohm's law, the current density distribution in the vacuum arc with unipolar axial magnetic field is computed using three-dimensional finite-element method (FEM) software. The calculated current distribution is confirmed by the vacuum arc appearance taken from CCD video film. The distribution of AMF can be optimized by such experiments and theoretical analysis.     

Influence of bias magnetic field on the vacuum arc in double‐break vacuum circuit breakers

When double‐break vacuum circuit breakers (VCBs) interrupt the fault current, the series arc will generate their individual magnetic fields in different breaks. The magnetic field in one break will influence the arc in another break if the magnetic field is strong enough or the two breaks are very close. In this case, an interactive magnetic field effect happens. This field is also called the bias magnetic field (BMF). BMF can cause anode erosion and affect the performance at current zero. The distribution of BMF and the optimal configuration of the double‐break VCBs were obtained by the electromagnetic field simulation using the Ansoft Maxwell software. Based on the simulated magnetic field data, in the experiments, the interaction between the series vacuum arcs in double‐break VCBs was equivalent to the interaction between a single vacuum arc and the magnetic field generated by a Helmholtz coil. A high‐speed CMOS camera was used to record the trajectory of the vacuum arc plasma under different BMFs with different types of contacts. The results show the BMF can increase the arc voltage, and the arc becomes unstable. When the BMF becomes stronger, the arc voltage increases, and the arc becomes more unstable. In addition, for different types of contacts, the development process of the arc and the influence level are different under the same BMF. For a Wan‐type transverse magnetic field (TMF) contact or strong BMF, metal sputtering is evident and anode erosion becomes serious. For a cup‐type axial magnetic field (AMF) contact, the influence of BMF on the series arc plasma in double‐break VCBs is less than that of the Wan‐type TMF contact. The results of this work may be helpful for the design of compact double‐break VCBs.     

The High Current Metal Vapor Arc Column between Separating Electrodes

We observed metal vapor arcs between separating electrodes in a demountable vacuum chamber using high speed photography. The peak values of the ac arc current half-wave ranged from 5 kA to 67 kA. Determination of the arc appearance as functions of arc current and electrode gap revealed that the arc can assume various types of columnar forms when the current at the instant of electrode separation exceeds 7 kA. The duration of the columnar arcing forms is influenced by axial magnetic fields differently for different field strengths. The graphical representation of the results allows prediction of the most probable arc appearance for a given set of operating parameters. A qualitative explanation of the various arc appearances on the basis of balances between magnetic and kinetic pressures is provided.     

Behavior of a High Current Vacuum Arc between Hollow Cylindrical Electrodes in a Radial Magnetic Field

Experimental observations were conducted on the behavior of a high current vacuum arc on cylindrical electrodes in a radial magnetic field. The arc was sustained between the ends of two cylindrical Cu electrodes, 54-mm diam and 1.5-mm wall thickness separated by 5 mm. Arc current pulses with peak values in the range 4-15 kA with a half amplitude full width (HAFW) duration of 8 ms were investigated with radial magnetic fields proportional to the instantaneous current with proportionality constants of 4.0 and 6.5 × 10-6 T/A. The arcs were photographed simultaneously with a streak camera and by a high speed framing camera and the arc voltage was recorded on a digitizing transient recorder. The results indicated that the arc in this geometry, both with and without an imposed radial magnetic field, can be characterized by three development stages: a) arc formation, b) diffuse arc along the electrode perimeter, and c) simultaneous existence of several concentrated arc columns. When a radial magnetic field was imposed two changes were noted: 1) the arc appeared somewhat more distributed in that a greater number of constricted columns were observed, and they were distributed more evenly; and 2) the constricted columns moved in the J? × B? direction with velocities in the range 5-35 m/s.     

Investigation of arc roots of constricted high current vacuum arcs

The anodic and cathodic arc roots of constricted high current vacuum arcs were investigated with a fast framing charge-coupled device camera of 1 μs exposure time. The experiments were performed with cup-shaped contacts, with sinusoidal currents of amplitudes between 20 and 100 kA, and a sine halfwave duration of 10-12 ms. The arcs were drawn by contact separation and accelerated by the Lorentz force between the arc current and the transverse magnetic field generated by the contrate contact. The anode and cathode arc roots behave reproducibility and arc scaleable within the range of currents investigated. Both types of arc roots are elliptical, with a major to minor axis ratio of 1.4. The major axis points are in the direction of arc propagation. Anodic and cathodic arc root cross-sectional areas as a function of current can both be described by a potential law with a common exponent of 0.76. For currents of 20-100 kA, mean current densities of 81-121 and 41-60 kA/cm ² were found in anode and cathode arc roots, respectively. Estimations of their temperature and vapor densities were performed. For the investigated current range T_A≈3300-3600 K, n_A ≈1.6*10¹⁹-2.2*10¹⁹cm^-3 and T _C≈3200-3400 K, n_C≈0.8*10¹⁹-1.2*10 ¹⁹ cm^-3 were found for anode and cathode, respectively     

Study of a circuit-breaker arc with self-generated flow. I. Energytransfer in the high-current phase

This study deals with the first phase of operation, corresponding to the energy transfer between arc and gas and to the pressure rise. The experimental study is devoted to measurements of current, arc voltage, and pressure variations in N₂ and SF₆. For currents of the order of 10 kA the mean measured electric field was about 32 V/cm in SF₆ and 36 V/cm in N₂. Through a bibliographical study and a modeling approach of the interruption arc, an analysis of the role of the different mechanisms of energy transfer between the arc and SF₆ was conducted. With a 10 kA pulse, about 80% of the transfer is found to be due to convection and the rest to radiation from the arc. This transfer results in an overpressure of nearly 1 bar in SF₆ and 2 bar in N₂. It appears that the operation of this type of circuit breaker is limited to high currents: for currents below 7 kA the overpressure is lower than 0.5 bar, which does not provide efficient blowing at current zero     

大电流下多棒极型真空触发开关电弧特性

提出了一种多棒极型真空触发开关（TVS）,利用3对棒形电极的特殊结构来增大主触头间的燃弧面积,从而有效地提高TVS通流能力。结合真空电弧电压实验,阐述了多棒极型TVS在不同的大电流等级下的电弧发展变化过程。电弧电压的变化表现了多棒极型TVS中多通道并联燃弧及其在各通道之间的电弧转移过程,从而使得真空电弧维持在扩散态。由此开发的TVS样品实现了225 kA的峰值电流,单次转移电荷量45 C。     

Experimental investigations of the currents collected by metalshields in high-current vacuum arcs

This paper presents experimental results of currents collected on the three-element condensation shield connected to the cathode potential in high-current vacuum arcs. The arc current had 900 Hz, 150 Hz, or 50 Hz half-cycle sinusoidal shapes and was conducted between the CuCr40 contacts with a diameter of 50 mm (cathode) and 30 mm (anode) spaced 10 mm apart. Most of the measurements were made for the current of 900 Hz with peak values up to 9 kA. Arc voltage, floating shield potential, and distribution of shield currents were measured. It was found that the current collected by the shield and also the arc voltage and floating shield potential are greater for higher frequency currents, and that they are affected by the arc mode. Considerable shield current is observed during a high-amplitude (HA) oscillation sequence of arc voltage while its mean value is increased. For 900-Hz arcs at the 9-kA peak value (I_am), the ratio of shield current (i_s) to an instantaneous value of arc current (i_a) reaches even 40% near I_am value. In the initial half-cycle period (before the initiation of high-voltage oscillation), the ratio of i_s/i_a increases with i_a and current frequency. A close relationship was found between arc voltage and current distribution on a three-element shield     

The Investigation of Copper-Chromium Contacts in Vacuum Interrpters Subjected to an Axial Magnetic Field

The characteristics of a vacuum arc between CuCr contacts under an axial magnetic field have been investigated. Test samples were made of CuCr contacts, and the arcing voltage was measured. The arcing voltage of the CuCr contacts under an axial magnetic field is lower than that of pure copper contacts by 10-20 V. From the measurement of the post-arc current and interruption test results, it was found that the arc concentrates and a part of the electrode melts at a rather low current, but that the electrode melting does not affect the interrupting capability. Also, the insulation characteristics were measured. With respect to voltage conditioning, high-current conditioning improved the breakdown voltage by 50 percent for a 20-mm gap and by 100 percent for a 3-mm gap. These test results show that CuCr contacts, used with axial magnetic fields, are promising for use in high-voltage and high-power vacuum interrupters.     

Spectroscopic Approach to the Analysis of High Current Arcs in SF6

Spectroscopic observations were carried out on transient free-burning arcs drawn by separating copper/tungsten electrodes in SF6 gas. The peak value of the arc current was varied up to 60 kA. A new optical method was developed to measure temperature and pressure profiles of the arc taking the magnetic pinch force into account. The arc voltage calculated from the obtained temperature and pressure profiles agreed well with electrical measurements. The results made it clear that the composition of the arc changes significantly at the critical instantaneous current of 10 kA. Above 10 kA the arc is composed of the electrode vapor, while it contains SF6 gas below 10 kA.     

Arc voltage of a fast triggered vacuum gap

At high current, the performance of triggered vacuum gaps (TVGs) is limited by constriction of the vacuum arc. Several concentrated modes can be defined, i.e., foot point, anode spot, and intense arc mode. In all cases, small, luminous, high-temperature spots (from melting to boiling temperature) appear on the anode surface. In accordance with the anodic mode, the arc voltage has different characteristics (quiet and low or with high-frequency noise). The arc voltage is measured for different electrode configurations for a conduction time of 27 μs and for peak current up to 45 kA. For small gap distances (1-1.5 mm), the arc voltage is quiet and low (20 to 30 V) and almost independent of the peak current. For greater distances, the arc voltage increases with the distance and the peak current. If the peak current is higher than the threshold interruption current, the arc voltage is high and noisy. These overvoltages, with a frequency of about one megahertz, can reach more than 1000 V. These overvoltages disappear completely after about 15 μs, and the voltage decreases     

Separation of spiral contacts and the motion of vacuum arcs at highAC currents

A framing camera is used to photograph the vacuum arc between separating spiral-petal vacuum interrupter contacts. The rupture of the molten bridge between the contacts first leads to a high-pressure, transient arc column. This arc motion can become constricted for several milliseconds before it goes diffuse as the current decreases to zero. The current through the spiral contacts produces a magnetic field perpendicular to the arc column, which forces the arc to move outward and run along the periphery of the petals. Several vacuum arc modes occur during the half-cycle of high current arcing. Movies, gap-current curves, and arc voltage traces are used to study the development of the arc motion and how it is affected by the contact structure. This information is used to generate arc appearance diagrams in which the arc form and motion are correlated to instantaneous values of current and gap for a wide range of peak currents. Appearance diagrams are shown for two ranges of opening delay from current onset     

Upon the influence of the post-arc current on the low voltageswitching process in vacuum

The paper presents one stage of the scientific research, performed for the investigation of the post-arc (p.a.) current within low voltage switching process in vacuum, when interrupting short-circuit currents of high values. A large power equipment, supplied by the mains and providing an accurate reproduction of the processes, concerning the short circuit phenomenon (U=1.5 kV; I=100 kA) was used. An experimental model, which can reproduce the switching conditions of the power circuit-breaker in vacuum, was available as well. The influence of an axial magnetic field on the p.a. current and the switching process was also explored     

Experimental investigations into the arc properties of vacuuminterrupters with horseshoe electrode, four pole electrode, and theirapplications

By using ferromagnetic material around electrodes to generate strong nonuniform magnetic fields, vacuum arcs can be kept in well-defined diffuse mode or multiple arc mode. As a result, the arc voltage is low and stable, the current is confined in certain areas, and high interrupting ability and small size are achieved. The different arc modes for different electrodes, the arc voltage versus arc current for flat electrodes, horseshoe, and four-pole electrode, and the vacuum arc distribution are measured. The criteria of choice of electrode diameter and electrode distance are given     

The burning voltage of a high-current vacuum arc in a six-cap rodelectrode system

This paper studies the voltage-current characteristics of the six-gap rod electrode system and their dependence on the shape and material of the electrodes and interelectrode gap value. The investigations were carried out for currents up to 200 kA with the rate of its rise up to ~5·10⁹ A/s. A number of features were observed concerning arc-burning voltage dynamics depending on the value and rate of rise of the arc current, namely, a step-like voltage change at an initial discharge burning stage, and excitation of HF voltage oscillations for the discharge current wavefront. The duration and intensity of the unstable discharge burning phase accompanied by HF voltage oscillations depend strongly on the electrode system parameters. Power dissipated in the vacuum gaps and full dissipated energy were calculated as a function of the switching current peak. Results of the investigations give the possibility of designing a sealed-off triggered vacuum switch with minimum power losses and long service life evaluated by a transferred charge value >10⁶ C     

Time Dependence of Anode Spot Formation Threshold Current in Vacuum Arcs

The variation of threshold current for the transition between the low current quiescent vacuum arc mode, and the high voltage noisy mode associated with anode spot formation, was measured as a function of peak current, current waveform frequency, and electrode separation on fixed diameter (25 mm) Cu and Ni electrodes. At current waveform frequencies of about 60 Hz on Cu electrodes, the threshold current depends mainly on electrode spacing, as has been observed by other investigators. However, at higher waveform frequencies, the threshold current becomes a strong function of peak current as well. At 347 Hz on 25 mm. diam. Cu electrodes separated by 10 mm, the threshold current rose from approximately 2 kA to 5.5 kA, as the peak current rose from 2 kA to 6 kA. At 543 Hz on 25 mm diam Ni electrodes separated by 9 mm, a saturation in threshold current at about 7.5 kA was observed for peak currents greater than 9 kA. Simultaneous anode temperature measurements indicated that the Ni anode surface temperature immediately prior to transition rose from about 1550° K to 2250° K with variations of peak current from 5 kA to 13 kA. Predictions of the variation of threshold current based on random transitions, and on cathode spot migration over the edge of the cathode, are compared with the experimental data.     

Vacuum Arc Behavior in a Transverse Magnetic Field

Experimental measurements in a vacuum interrupter have shown that the application of a transverse magnetic field results in substantial increases in arc voltage. Photographic studies of the arc column indicate that strong magnetic fields reduce the effective anode area and may lead to severe arc constriction.     

Voltage/current characteristics of high-current vacuum arc at a small gap length

Measurements of arc voltage for semiwave currents of the amplitude up to 13 kA and frequencies 0.9 kHz and 6.0 kHz were done for CuCr electrodes whose separtion was 2 mm. The obtained data were used to determine voltage/current and voltage-time characteristics of high-current vacuum arc. They enabled to state as:

1. The shape and values of arc voltage during a sinusoidal current semiwave flow depend on the current amplitude and frequency. As the current amplitude increases the arc voltage rises, and its shape changes from relatively low and quiet to high with considerable fluctuations of high frequency and amplitude (HAF).
2. Arc voltage at a given current instantaneous valuei _a1 depends on the current waveform before reachingi _a1 . The arc voltage beyond the range of HAF occurrence, at the same instantaneous value of the sinusoidal current, is higher during the current increase than during its decrease and higher for higher current frequency.
3. Mean arc voltage and current value at the moment of HAF onset, rise with the increase of current peak and frequency.

This article presents qualitative correlations between the measured arc voltage and an expected discharge mode in the intercontact gap.     

Experimental observations of steady anodic vacuum arcs withthermionic cathodes

Stationary plasma discharges have been investigated in a high vacuum ambient (background gas pressure <10^-2 Pa), with an externally heated cathode and a consumable hot evaporating anode. With various anode materials like chromium or copper, and electrode separations between 0.5 and 3 mm, the nonself-sustained discharge operates with DC arc currents in the range of 220 A. The waveform of the arc voltage is strongly influenced by the magnetic field of the cathode heating current, and arc voltages between a minimum of 3 V and a maximum exceeding 100 V have been observed. The voltage-current characteristics (V_CC) and the influence of the electrode separation have been measured separately for the minimum and the maximum of the arc voltages and show a different behavior. The metal plasma expands into the ambient vacuum toward the walls of the vacuum vessel and offers a macroparticle free deposition source of thin films. The arc voltage can be varied by external manipulations of the arc discharge, and the mean ion energy of the expanding metal plasma shows a linear dependence of the mean arc voltage