Arc and Fluid Dynamics Simulation for High-Voltage Circuit Breakers as a Design Tool

Abstract

A highly accurate analysis method for compressible fluid that considers arc behavior was developed to understand physical phenomena and evaluate the interruption performance in high-voltage gas circuit breakers. Compressible fluid equations are solved with the constrained of interpolation profile method. The applications of this analysis program as a design tool for gas circuit breakers are reviewed in this paper. The following characteristics are related to interruption specifications: (i) small current interruption, (ii) hot-gas exhaustion in high current interruption, (iii) pressure build-up considering nozzle ablation, and (iv) spatial distribution of breakdown voltage just after a clearing current.