The Arcing Time The Minimum Arcing Time

contact system
s stem
(schematic)
fixed moving
Action: contact separation at minimum arcing time
contact contact + safetyy margin
g ((>1ms))

u(t), i(t)
ggap
p recovery
y
TRV
u(t), i(t) gap recovery voltage across gap
i(t)

voltage across gap t0

i(t)
uG(t)
t [ms]
t0

uG(t) minimum arcing time = 6ms 12 ms

Aim: reduce arcing in the interrupter to a minimum
arcing time (Tarc) enhance maintenance intervals
Electric Electric
Power Systems Power Systems

What happens across the Contact Gap? Arcs in 50 Hz Alternating Current

u
i,u Time profile of the arc voltage:
Enlargement of CB contacts: dynamic characteristic
assumption: UG>>UL fixed movable
contact
t t contact
t t

TRV steady state arc

characteristic t
u(t) i(t)
u(t), i
i,u a) weak arc cooling
i Ignition peak
(Zndspitze)

i(t) Extinction peak

(Lschspitze)
t [ms]
uS(t) t0
uG(t)
t
t b) strong arc cooling

Electric Electric
Power Systems Power Systems
 Processes at Current Zero Crossing Thermal Re-Ignition (Thermisches Wiederznden)
di/dt is a significant parameter Enlargement of CB contacts :
plasma channel still has i(t)
i(t) Extinction peak residual conductivity fixed movable
contact contact
uS(t) ~100...1000 V
uS(t) ~100...1000 V
1 2 residual current ((~10A))
TRV -2 -1 1 2 t [s] TRV
-2 -1 t [s]
residual current
(several A) (Reststrom) Reduction of the
Transient recovery
Transient recovery thermal time
voltage (TRV)
g (TRV)
voltage ( ) constant byy cooling
g

Recovery voltage causes residual current heating Recovery voltage causes residual current
Thermal race cooling of the plasma must be stronger than heating by the Cooling of the plasma is weaker than heating by the residual current
residual current
Arc is not extinguished (plasma regains conductivity)
The plasma loses its conductivity and the arc extinguishes
Electric Electric
Power Systems Power Systems

Dielectric Re-Ignition Relevant Parameters of the Interruption Process

Enlargement of CB contacts: du/dt after current zero

Extinction peak amplitude of the TRV
(rate of rise of recovery voltage)
i(t) (several kV) (Lschspitze) fixed movable
RRRV
t
terminal
i l t
terminal
i l

100 200 t [s]

-200 -100 TRV
uS(t)

Transient recovery
di/dt before current zero
voltage (TRV)
Imax
Residual current has subsided, TRV rises
tL arcing
g time ((Lichtbogenzeit)
g )
Dielectric strength between the contacts is not sufficient
Reignition occurs a few 100 s after zero current at high values of the TRV
Wc = uL ( t ) i ( t ) dt
tL
Energy
gy transfer to the contact system:
y 0

Electric Electric
Power Systems Power Systems
 Example: Short Circuit Interruption (Kurzschlussunterbrechung) The Terminal Fault (Der Klemmenkurzschluss - KKS)
Enlargement of CB contacts : i
RL LL
iS(t)
fixed movable L,C,R: Leakage elements of the grid,
L short circuit at the breaker terminal. terminal
us contact contact C
uG(t)
CL
uA uB
uG ~ R
uS State of the system before arc extinction:
U G
uG ( t ) = U G sin (0t ) , i ( t ) = cos (0t )
US 0 L
Short Circuit! 0 : grid frequency
iS 10
The leakage elements C, R can be neglected for f=50/60 Hz
Rated Voltage Phase shift of the current is 90 induktive
5

uG Rated Current
uS State of the system during arc extinction (t (t=tt0):
0
U G !
i ( t0 ) = cos (0t0 ) = 0 0t0 = 90, uG (t0 ) = U G
Short -5 1 o L
Circuit!
fTRV
2 LLCL
TRV
-40 -30 -20 -10 0 10 20 30 t [ms]

Electric Electric
Power Systems Power Systems

The Terminal Fault The Terminal Fault

isc us,t(t) us,q(t)
()
Transient phenomenon:
L
C R, L and C form an oscillating circuit in series with
uG ~ R
uS th step
the t excitation
it ti (Sprunganregung)
( ) andd th
the
parameters
R 1 R2 1 G G
= , = 2
2L LC 4 L LC
The current of the oscillating circuit is (see also chapter Oscillating Circuits): us ,t ( t ) = U G (1 cos (t ) e t ) us ,q ( t ) = U G cos (0t )
U G L
isc ( t ) = sin (t ) e t Z0 = transient (oscillating
g circuit) quasi-steadyy state (grid
q g voltage)
g
Z0 C t t
The transient frequency typically lies in the region of several kHz, i.e. significantly above us(t)
the grid frequency 0. As calculated in the chapter Oscillating Circuits, the transient part of
Superposition
p p of the transient and the
th circuit
the i it breaker
b k voltage
lt us,t becomes
b :
quasi-steady state process results in the
G circuit breaker voltage:
us ,t ( t ) = U G 1 cos (t ) sin (t ) e t

and for the common case when << , it simplifies to us ( t ) = U G cos (0t ) cos (t ) e t
us ,t ( t ) = U G (1 cos (t ) e t
) t

Electric Electric
Power Systems Power Systems
 Zero Point Interruption and Current Limiting Interruption
(Strombegrenzende Unterbrechung)
Three Phase Short Circuits (Dreiphasiger Kurzschluss)

gap 10-30 mm Three short circuit cases: u1 i1

[[mm]] 1 ms duration 50 ms
100-300 mm ~u i2 ua
fast switches modern high voltage
1. Short circuit without connection to ground with a solidly ~u 2

i3 ub
arcing 20 ms
circuit breakers
grounded neutral point (grid) ~ 3

uc
AND
2. Short circuit with connection to ground without grounded u1 i1
t [ms] neutral point: ~u i2 ua
No current fl0w to ground contact possible
Sum of all currents must be zero at neutral point
~u 2

i3 ub
Fast switches limit the current! Phases not independant! ~ 3

uc
u [kV]
i [[kA]]
uG(t) u1 i1
i(t) 3. Short circuit with connection to ground with a solidly ~u i2 ua
us((t))
grounded neutral point (grid): ~u 2

i3 ub
t [ms] Short circuit currents over ground connection
Three phases independant ~ 3

uc
Trigger
Phases can be treated as separate short circuits
short circuit inception contact separation current interruption

Electric Electric
Power Systems Power Systems

Case 1: Short Circuit Without Connection to Ground First pole to clear factor (1) (Phasenfaktor)
Three phase, solidly grounded grid:
us,1(t) No ground connection sum of
US
u1(t) i1(t) three p phase currents must be zero: i1(t)
~ ua(t) t i1(t)+i2(t)+i3(t) = 0; i2(t)
u2(t) i2(t)
~ ub((t))
i3(t)

u3(t) i3(t)
~ uc(t)
i1 i2 i3
ua ub uc

Open circuit breaker arcs burn

The first phase to extinguish is the most in three interrupting chambers
strongly
t l iinfluenced;
fl d it oscillates
ill t towards
t d
a higher voltage (dependent on the i1(t) = 0: arc of first phase
factor k). extinguishes i2(t) = -i3(t)
k is the so-called
so called first pole to clear factor
and is k=1.5 in this case.

Electric Electric
Power Systems Power Systems
 First pole to clear factor (2) Case 3: Short Circuit With Connection to Ground
us,1(t)
Kirchhoff: -u2(t)+i2(t)Z-i3(t)Z+u3(t) = 0 u1(t) i1(t)=0 Three
h phase,
h solidly
l dl groundedd d grid: d

Voltage across the breaker, uS,1(t):

~ ua(t) u1(t)
us,1(t)
u2(t) i2(t) i1(t)
uS,1(t) = u1(t)-u
(t) u2(t)+i2(t)Z ~ ub(t)
~ ua(t)
u3(t) i3(t) u2(t) i2(t)
uS,1
~ uc((t))
~ ub(t)
t
S (t) = u1(t)
(t)-1/2[u
1/2[u2(t)+u3(t)] u3(t) i3(t)
uS,1 = 1.51: high voltage stress
~ uc(t)

i1 i2 i3
ua ub uc

Phase voltages independent

Id l ((with
Ideal ith ground
d impedance=0),
i d 0)
k=1 t
in practice ground impedance cannot
be neglected k = 1 1.3
3
(according IEC)
Overvoltage factor: First Pole to Clear Factor k

Electric Electric
Power Systems Power Systems

The Short-line Fault (1) (Der Abstandskurzschluss - AKS) The Short-line Fault (2)
Before
f short
h circuit: Short
h circuit at a certain distance
d away from
f the
h bbreaker
k
US 0 U(x=a) = 0 (short circuit)
uL(t) uS(t)=0 uS(t)
uL((t))
line: L, C line: L, C
L a a
C L Short circuit
C
uG(t) ~ uA(t)
R
uB(t) Load
uG(t)
~ uA(t)
R
uB(t)

Voltage profile: Voltage profile:

u(x) u(x)

G G
voltage drop of grid inductance: voltage drop of grid inductance:
A = B = G-L=jLI voltage drop of line inductance: A = G-L=jLI
B j LLI
jL
A voltage drop over breaker:
B B = G-L-S j= A-S
x x
0 a 0 a

Electric Electric
Power Systems Power Systems
 The Short-line Fault (3) Processes in the line The Short-line Fault (4) Processes in the line
tt=0
0 (switching time instant): u(x
u(x=0)
0) = B; u(x
u(x=a)
a) = 0
Oszillating property of the line formation of two travelling waves Resulting voltage at line side of the breaker, uB(t)
Positive reflection at open end (breaker) uB(t)
Negative reflection at closed end (short circuit)
u(x) B
B 2 6
t/
x t=0 4
a
x t= Due to line resistances, the oszillating voltage uB(t) decreases over time: B0
a

x t=2 Travel time of the wave over the line with length a:
a a
-
B = = a L'C '
vp

x t=3
a Travelling
g waves move at close to the speedp g veryy high
of light g frequency
q y process
p
The short-line fault is the most critical thermal switching case for the breaker!
B
x t=4
4
a
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Power Systems Power Systems

The Short-line Fault (5) Processes in the grid The Short-line Fault (6) Processes over the breaker
t=0 (switching time instant): uA(t=0) = A(t=0) Voltage over the breaker, uS(t): superposition of line and grid voltages
A forced to grid voltage G uS(t) = uA(t) uB(t)

uS

A
Veryy small time scale ((TRV = uS((t)):
))
G

t
A(t=0)
uS
t

t t

Electric Electric
Power Systems Power Systems
 Switching of Inductive Currents De-energisation of Inductive Load
i(t) uS(t) i(t) uS(t)
L >> LG
LG uA((t)) LG uA((t))
uA ( t ) U G sin
i ( 0 t )
uG(t) ~ CG L C
uG(t) ~ CG L C
U G
uB(t) i (t ) cos (0t ) uB(t)
0 L uS ( t ) = uG ( t ) uL ( t )

inductive switching case: I=0 bei 0t = 90 Modeling with undamped oscillating

C circuit (worst case) uS ( t ) = U G sin (0t + 90 ) cos (t )

U G sL s
UL L t=t0 U B ( s ) = = U G i(t),u(t)
s sL + 1 s +
2 1
uS ( t ) = uA ( t ) uB ( t ) = G sC LC uS(t)
uAuG
1
uS ( t ) = U G sin (0t + 90 ) cos (t )
Tabelle
uB ( t ) = U G cos (t ) , = >> 0
LC t

i(t)
uB((t))

Electric Electric
Power Systems Power Systems

Interruption of Small Inductive Currents The Current Chopping Phenomenon (Abreissstrom)

(several 10 to several 100 Ampere)
i(t) uS
i(t) Occurrence:
Examples: LG t=0 mainly during interruption of small inductive
LG uA(t)
- electric motors in no-load operation uG M uG(t) ~ CG L C
currents.

uB(t) A circuit breaker which is designed to interrupt

short
h circuit
i i currents will ill chop
h small ll inductive
i d i
currents, i.e. the current is interrupted before
i(t) the natural zero crossing.
LG u(t) i(t)
u(t),i(t)
- transformers in no-load operation uG

uB uG t
i(t)
LG i(t) chopping current
-shunt reactors Ich (several A)
(Kompensationsdrosseln) uG t

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Power Systems Power Systems
 The Cause of Chopping CS
i(t)
LG uS(t)
CS
Ls The Chop-Overvoltage Um
I C .C uG(t) ~ CG
uA(t)
CS' = CS + R G uB(t)
LR CR
LG US LR CR CR + CG
UA UB
CG
uB=uG Um
Uch
UNmax

Ich uL
Arc instability:
The arc oscillates with the leakage
parameters Ls und Cs such that the Ich
current can become zero before
natural zero crossing - Secondary In many cases Uch can be
Parallel Oscillation approximated with UNmax
((several 100 kHz))

Electric Electric
Power Systems Power Systems

Current Chopping: Overvoltages (berspannungen) The Magnitude of the Chopping Current rises with Cs
CS

i(t) CS: leakage

g capacitance
p
LG of the breaker
uS(t)
uG(t) ~ CG
uA(t)
uB(t)
LR CR
At the extinguishing time t0 of the arc:
I L = I ch , U CR = U B = u A ( t0 ) = U ch
I chh = n CS'
Energ balance:
Energy balance the energy
energ E stored in the system
s stem at time t0:
C 'R L C' CS CG
CR = equivalent
n..number of interrupters of the circuit breaker
E= U ch + I ch = R U m C 'R = CR + capacitance as
2 2 2

2 2 2 CS + CG
seen from the
inductance
in series

Maximum value Um of the voltage at the inductance L: .chopping number of the circuit breaker (empirical)
L
U m = U ch +
2
I ch
2
(815)104 for SF6; (20100)104 for pressurized air
C 'R

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