Arc Modeling in Industrial Applications

• DOI: 10.14311/ppt.2019.2.200
• Publication Date: 2019-09-25T15:18:27Z
• Authors: Ch. Ruempler; R. Chechare; A. Zacharias
• Keywords: 0103 physical sciences; 01 natural sciences; 7. Clean energy

Simulation methods are routinely applied in the design and development process of power distribution devices. Arcing phenomena that occur during switching operations or fault events are modeled to optimize device performance and gain deeper insights into the behavior that testing cannot easily provide. In this contribution, some applications are presented in detail. The first example describes the distribution of debris that is generated inside a molded case circuit breaker (MCCB) during short-circuit interruption. A model is used to analyze the debris transport and to derive a solution to address issues caused by the debris. Second application example is a cooling device for hot plasma gases vented by circuit breakers. A model driven design process helps to define the device dimensions to achieve a safe temperature level of the exhaust gases. The third example deals with short-circuit behavior of a hollow core high voltage surge arrester, comparing model and experimental results.