Fluid-chemical modeling of the near-cathode sheath formation process in a high current broken in DC air circuit breaker

When the contacts of a medium-voltage DC air circuit breaker(DCCB) are separated, the energy distribution of the arc is determined by the formation process of the near-electrode sheath. Therefore, the voltage drop through the near-electrode sheath is an important means to build up the arc voltage, which directly determines the current-limiting performance of the DCCB. A numerical model to describe the near-electrode sheath formation process can provide insight into the physical mechanism of the arc formation, and thus provide a method for arc energy regulation. In this work, we establish a two-dimensional axisymmetric time-varying model of a medium-voltage DCCB arc when interrupted by high current based on a fluid-chemical model involving 16 kinds of species and 46 collision reactions. The transient distributions of electron number density, positive and negative ion number density, net space charge density, axial electric field, axial potential between electrodes, and near-cathode sheath are obtained from the numerical model. The computational results show that the electron density in the arc column increases, then decreases, and then stabilizes during the near-cathode sheath formation process, and the arc column's diameter gradually becomes wider. The 11.14 V–12.33 V drops along the17 μm space charge layer away from the cathode(65.5 k V/m–72.5 k V/m) when the current varies from 20 k A–80 k A.The homogeneous external magnetic field has little effect on the distribution of particles in the near-cathode sheath core,but the electron number density at the near-cathode sheath periphery can increase as the magnetic field increases and the homogeneous external magnetic field will lead to arc diffusion. The validity of the numerical model can be proven by comparison with the experiment.

Magneto-hydrodynamic simulation study of direct current multi-contact circuit breaker for equalizing breaking arc

This work is based on a direct current(DC)natural current commutation topology,which uses load-carrying branch contacts carrying rated current and multiple sets of series arcing branch contacts in parallel to achieve circuit breaking.The proposed topology can meet the new requirements of higher voltage DC switches in aviation,aerospace,energy and other fields.First,a magneto-hydrodynamic arc model is built using COMSOL Multiphysics,and the different arc breaking characteristics of the arcing branch contacts in different gas environments are simulated.Then,a voltage uniformity coefficient is used to measure the voltage sharing effect in the process of dynamic interruption.In order to solve the dispersion of arcing contact action,a structural control method is adopted to improve the voltage uniformity coefficient.The uniform voltage distribution can improve the breaking capacity and electrical life of the series connection structure.

Influence of dc Component during Inadvertent Operation of the High Voltage Generator Circuit Breaker during Mis-Synchronization

This paper analyses the synchronization problem of a generator onto power system without satisfying synchronization condition. The main focus of the paper is on the impact of the dc component of the current in the high voltage circuit breaker during its close-open operating cycle. Using real time measurements of currents/voltages and angles during the close-opening cycle of high voltage generator circuit breaker and the impact of the dc component of current in context of interrupting large magnitude of current from the circuit breaker. In addition, the paper describes a study case model and the results of simulations performed using the software EMTP-ATP of an actual incident that occurred during the inadvertent synchronization of a large 339 MW, 24 kV generator to the grid.

Key stress extraction and equivalent test method for hybrid DC circuit breaker

Firstly, relevant stress properties of millisecond level breaking process and microsecond level commutation process of hybrid HVDC circuit breaker are studied in detail on the basis of the analysis for the application environment and topological structure and operating principles of hybrid circuit breakers, and key stress parameters in transient state process of two time dimensions are extracted. The established digital simulation circuit for PSCAD/EMTDC device-level operation of the circuit breaker has verified the stress properties of millisecond level breaking process and microsecond level commutation process. Then, equivalent test method, circuits and parameters based on LC power supply are proposed on the basis of stress extraction. Finally, the results of implemented breaking tests for complete 200 kV circuit breaker, 100 kV and 50 kV circuit breaker units, as well as single power electronic module have verified the accuracy of the simulation circuit and mathematical analysis. The result of this paper can be a guide to electrical structure and test system design of hybrid HVDC circuit breaker.

MMC-HVDC双极故障条件下自适应限流控制策略

直流断路器(direct current circuit breaker,DCCB)广泛应用于柔直输电系统,其造价与开断电流密切相关。文中从减小断路器开断电流的角度出发,设计适用于半桥型模块化多电平换流器(modular multilevel converter,MMC)的自适应限流控制结构。在分析MMC直流侧短路电流特性的基础上,利用换流站输入阻抗幅值的变化反映其故障深度,定义换流站故障深度系数K f;将K f引入MMC控制结构,使其与桥臂电压参考值关联,提出针对MMC直流侧短路故障的自适应限流控制方法;在PSCAD/EMTDC平台搭建半桥型MMC柔直输电系统模型,模拟直流侧短路故障清除过程,验证限流控制的有效性。仿真结果表明:文中提出的限流控制方法可依据MMC不同故障深度,实现差异化限流控制,减小DCCB开断电流,提升故障清除速度。

A Fault Current Limiting Hybrid DC Circuit Breaker

Due to the low impedance characteristic of the high voltage direct current(HVDC)grid,the fault current rises extremely fast after a DC-side fault occurs,and this phenomenon seriously endangers the safety of the HVDC grid.In order to suppress the rising speed of the fault current and reduce the current interruption requirements of the main breaker(MB),a fault current limiting hybrid DC circuit breaker(FCL-HCB)has been proposed in this paper,and it has the capability of bidirectional fault current limiting and fault current interruption.After the occurrence of the overcurrent in the HVDC grid,the current limiting circuit(CLC)of FCL-HCB is put into operation immediately,and whether the protected line is cut off or resumed to normal operation is decided according to the fault detection result.Compared with the traditional hybrid DC circuit breaker(HCB),the required number of semiconductor switches and the peak value of fault current after fault occurs are greatly reduced by adopting the proposed device.Extensive simulations also verify the effectiveness of the proposed FCL-HCB.

Research on Parameter Collaborative Configuration of DC Circuit Breaker and DC Fault Current Limiter

Fault current suppression is the key technology to ensure the safe operation of the DC power distribution system. In order to realize the parameter collabora-tive configuration of the DC circuit breaker and the DC current limiter and improve the fault current suppression capability, the fault current suppression mechanism of the DC power distribution system is revealed based on the circuit model. Then, based on the mathematical model of the DC breaker, the characteristic parameters of DC breaking are extracted, and then the influence of different characteristic parameters on the breaking characteristics of fault current is studied. Finally, the mathematical model of the collaborative process between DC circuit breaker and DC current limiter is established. The charac-teristic parameters of fault current collaborative suppression are extracted. The coupling effects of different characteristic parameters on the fault current col-laborative suppression are studied. The principle of collaborative configuration of DC circuit breaker and DC current limiter is proposed, and the collaborative suppression ability of DC circuit breaker and DC current limiter to fault current is fully exploited to ensure the safe and reliable operation of the DC power distribution system.

Solid-state Circuit Breaker Based on Cascaded Normally-on SiC JFETs for Medium-voltage DC Distribution Networks

Solid-state circuit breakers(SSCBs)are critical components in the protection of medium-voltage DC distribution networks to facilitate arc-free,fast and reliable isolation of DC faults.However,limited by the capacity of a single semiconductor device,using semi-conductor-based SSCBs at high voltage is challenging.This study presents the details of a 1.5 kV,63 A medi-um-voltage SSCB,composed primarily of a solid-state switch based on three cascaded normally-on silicon car-bide(SiC)junction field-effect transistors(JFETs)and a low-cost programmable gate drive circuit.Dynamic and static voltage sharing among the cascaded SiC JFETs of the SSCB during fault isolation is realized using the pro-posed gate drive circuit.The selection conditions for the key parameters of the SSCB gate driver are also analyzed.Additionally,an improved pulse-width modulation cur-rent-limiting protection solution is proposed to identify the permanent overcurrent and transient inrush current associated with capacitive load startup in a DC distribu-tion network.Using the developed SSCB prototype and the fault test system,experimental results are obtained to validate the fault response performance of the SSCB.Index Terms—Solid-state circuit breaker,DC distribu-tion network,SiC JFET,voltage balancing,inrush current.

Numerical Study on Arc Plasma Behavior During Arc Commutation Process in Direct Current Circuit Breaker

This paper focuses on the numerical investigation of arc plasma behavior during arc commutation process in a medium-voltage direct current circuit breaker （DCCB） contact system. A three-dimensional magneto-hydrodynamic （MHD） model of air arc plasma in the contact system of a DCCB is developed, based on commercial software FLUENT. Coupled electromagnetic and gas dynamic interactions are considered as usual, and a thin layer of nonlinear electrical resistance elements is used to represent the voltage drop of plasma sheath and the formation of new arc root. The distributions of pressure, temperature, gas flow and current density of arc plasma in arc region are calculated. The simulation results indicate that the pressure distribution related to the contact system has a strong effect on the arc commutation process, arising from the change of electrical conductivity in the arc root region. In DCCB contact system, the pressure of arc root region will be concentrated and higher if the space above the moving contact is enclosed, which is not good for arc root commutation. However, when the region is opened, the pressure distribution would be lower and more evenly, which is favorable for the arc root commutation.

基于电弧磁流体仿真的DC 1500V两极塑壳断路器气道优化设计

该文开发了用于DC 1500V光伏和储能系统的新一代两极直流塑壳断路器样机。通过DC 1500V/15 kA,时间常数10 ms的短路分断实验发现,电弧电压快速升至350 V是提升断路器限流和分断性能的关键。为了加快初始燃弧阶段电弧运动速度使弧压快速上升,建立了断路器触头区域的二维局部电弧磁流体仿真模型,通过分析灭弧室温度、压力分布和气流速度变化曲线,明确了初始样机中电弧运动停滞的机理,并以此为依据提出了参差栅片排布和添加导流锥的气道优化设计方案。使用优化后的样机进行分断实验,比较优化前后的电压变化曲线和电弧运动高速摄像,验证了优化方案的有效性,对于DC 1500V两极直流塑壳的设计开发具有很强的实践指导意义。

Vacuum Dielectric Recovery Characteristics of a Novel Current Limiting Circuit Breaker Base on Artificial Current Zero

为了保证新型强迫换流型真空直流限流断路器关断短路电流的可靠性，对该型断路器分断过程的真空介质恢复特性进行研究。设计了与断路器关断过程等效的介质恢复试验方案，通过等效试验结果和理论推演公式的拟合，得到了新型强迫换流型限流断路器真空灭弧室触头打开过程的动态介质强度恢复规律。研究结果表明：减小燃弧能量、提高触头运动速度可提高真空灭弧室介质的临界击穿电压；综合考虑燃弧时间与燃弧能量及触头开距的关系，随着燃弧时间的增加，真空灭弧室临界击穿电压先减小后增大。所得介质恢复规律可以作为新型断路器优化设计的参考依据。

Research on arc root stagnation when small current is interrupted in self-excited circuit breaker

The self-excited DC air circuit breaker(SE-DCCB)has been widely used in urban rail transit due to its excellent stability.It can realize forward and reverse interruption,but has difficulty interrupting small currents due to the phenomenon of arc root sticking at the entrance of the arc chamber in the splitting process,which is known as arc root stagnation.A coupling model of the self-excited magnetic field and magnetohydrodynamics is established for the SE-DCCB with the traditional structure.The magnetic field,temperature and airflow distribution in the arc chamber are investigated with an interrupting current of 150 A.The simulation results show that the direction and magnitude of the magnetic blowout force are the dominant factors in the arc root stagnation.The local high temperature of the arc chamber due to arc root stagnation increases the obstruction effect of the airflow vortex on the arc root movement,which significantly increases the arc duration time of small current interruption.Based on the research,the structure of the magnetic conductance plate of the actual product is improved,which can improve the direction and magnitude of the magnetic blowout force at the arc root so as to restrain the development of the airflow vortex effectively and solve the problem of arc root stagnation when the small current is interrupted.The simulation results show that the circuit breaker with improved structure has a better performance for a small current interruption range from 100 A to 350 A.

基于MMC与DCCB协调配合的直流电网快速重合闸策略

柔性直流电网是多类型可再生能源高效外送的重要途径,如何设计高效的重合闸策略使其具备故障后快速恢复能力,是提高整个交直流电网稳定性需要解决的关键性问题。根据直流断路器以及换流器的工作机理,提出一种断路器-换流器协调配合的重合闸控制策略及逻辑流程。为验证所提出的方法,在Matlab平台中搭建了3端500 kV柔性电网模型以及直流断路器模型进行仿真验证,此外还搭建了8开关组的断路器实验样机,与Matlab中的柔性直流电网进行数字物理混合实验验证,证明了所提出的重合闸策略的可行性以及工程适用性。

直流故障下MMC-HVDC的两段式限流保护策略

如何对直流故障电流进行有效抑制是实现柔性直流电网大规模发展的关键。为此,研究模块化多电平变换器(modular multilevel converter,MMC)的控制方法,提出一种针对半桥型MMC的两段式限流保护策略,通过减少子模块的投入数目来降低换流站直流出口电压,达到限制短路电流的目的。首先,介绍MMC的拓扑结构及基于MMC的高压直流输电(MMC based high voltage direct current,MMC-HVDC)系统控制策略;其次,分析两段式限流保护策略的原理与直流故障电流特性,介绍MMC-HVDC系统的直流故障保护策略;最后,通过双端MMC-HVDC系统仿真实验,对所提限流保护策略的有效性进行验证。仿真结果表明,两段式限流保护策略可以有效降低断路器开断电流和吸收能量,节约成本。

Study on TRV of circuit breaker in two substation operational ways and its countermeasure

To verify a vacuum breaker's feasibility,when a transformer substation chooses a vacuum circuit breaker,it takes two different actual operational ways to cut off a transformer.This paper,using the power system computer aided design/electro magnetic transient in DC system(PSCAD/EMTDC)software,simulates the substation system and studies transient recovery voltage(TRV)caused by the two different ways which can cut off a with load transformer or a no-load transformer.Simulation and calculation results show that TRV indexes of the first way are much higher than that of the second one,and their TRV indexes are both in a permissible range.The breaker is proved to be available.Besides,this paper proves that paralleling resistance has a good effect when the indexes exceed the standard.The resistance value depends on specific circumstances.

高海拔环境下大容量直流空气断路器灭弧性能研究

高原轨道交通和电工产业转型对起关键保护作用的大容量直流空气断路器(LC-DCCB)提出了更高要求,但现有产品在高海拔地区的开断仍存在一定问题。该文以轨道交通用LC-DCCB为研究对象,首先基于磁流体动力学(MHD)理论,考虑湍流效应的影响,对其在高海拔环境下开断18 kA短路电流进行仿真;然后对电弧形态及灭弧室内温度场、电磁场、气流场进行分析,得出高海拔地区空气电弧开断困难的主要原因;最后根据仿真与理论分析,考虑采用合理数量和布局的间插式U型栅片改善电弧开断特性。结果表明:随着海拔的升高,电弧前期运动速度加快,但断路器的灭弧性能降低;在高海拔环境下电弧存在严重的弧根粘滞和弧根拖尾现象,弧根拖尾畸变空间电场,不利于熄弧;同时,在不同海拔环境下,电弧会产生不同程度的反向运动现象,易导致弧后重燃。该研究深入揭示了高海拔环境下LC-DCCB电弧演变过程及复杂开断现象背后的物理本质,可为该类产品研发提供理论指导。

Adaptive Reclosing Scheme Based on Traveling Wave Injection For Multi-Terminal dc Grids

The hybrid dc circuit breaker(HCB)has the advantages of fast action speed and low operating loss,which is an idealmethod for fault isolation ofmulti-terminal dc grids.Formulti-terminal dc grids that transmit power through overhead lines,HCBs are required to have reclosing capability due to the high fault probability and the fact that most of the faults are temporary faults.To avoid the secondary fault strike and equipment damage that may be caused by the reclosing of the HCB when the permanent fault occurs,an adaptive reclosing scheme based on traveling wave injection is proposed in this paper.The scheme injects traveling wave signal into the fault dc line through the additionally configured auxiliary discharge branch in the HCB,and then uses the reflection characteristic of the traveling wave signal on the dc line to identify temporary and permanent faults,to be able to realize fast reclosing when the temporary fault occurs and reliably avoid reclosing after the permanent fault occurs.The test results in the simulation model of the four-terminal dc grid show that the proposed adaptive reclosing scheme can quickly and reliably identify temporary and permanent faults,greatly shorten the power outage time of temporary faults.In addition,it has the advantages of easiness to implement,high reliability,robustness to high-resistance fault and no dead zone,etc.

中高压直流断路器的研究与应用

多端直流系统及直流电网是未来柔性直流输配电系统的发展方向,其安全可靠稳定运行需要有直流断路器作为保障。虽然国内外研究人员提出了各种直流断路器技术方案,但目前市场上能够满足实际工程应用的直流断路器产品仍十分缺乏。该文对直流断路器的研究工作进行了梳理。首先,分析了不同技术方案采取的换流方式及性能,并介绍了直流断路器中的核心组件及其驱动保护。其次,对各类型的直流断路器拓扑结构进行了总结,并归纳出改进优化的方向。最后,对直流断路器研制的关键技术与未来的发展趋势进行了讨论和总结,为中高压直流断路器研制与应用提供参考。

基于改进结构的自激式直流空气断路器小电流开断能力提升方法

大容量自激式直流空气断路器(SE-DCCB)广泛应用于轨道交通电力系统中,其可以快速切断大等级短路电流。但是SE-DCCB分断几百安小电流时自激磁场较小,导致电弧燃弧时间较长甚至开断失败。该文通过耦合自激线圈磁场的改进磁流体动力学(MHD)模型,仿真得出双气流涡旋和弧根黏滞是SE-DCCB开断小电流失败的主要原因。为了提高SE-DCCB开断小电流的能力,对其结构进行改进,改进结构SE-DCCB采用安装导磁条的导磁板,并减小跑弧道转弯角半径,可以加快弧根运动速度、削弱小电流开断时的双气流涡旋和弧根黏滞现象,从而缩短燃弧时间。同时,改进结构SE-DCCB降低了电弧熄灭时刻灭弧室入口处的温度,能够减小电弧熄灭后重燃的概率,提升其开断小电流的性能。该研究揭示了SE-DCCB小电流难以开断的物理本质,可为轨道交通用空气断路器提供研发指导。

具备自适应重合闸能力的多端口混合式直流断路器

为解决柔性直流电网中混合式直流断路器成本高以及盲目重合闸的问题,提出了一种具备自适应重合闸能力的多端口混合式直流断路器。所提断路器能够在能量耗散期间旁路故障线路中的限流电抗器,配合电容充电回路的导通,将本应经避雷器耗散的限流电抗器能量转移到电容中,从而有效减少了故障隔离时间与避雷器能量耗散压力,并为故障性质的判别提供了能量支持。同时,该断路器通过共享主断路器的方式实现故障隔离,结合避雷器泄能需求的下降,大大降低了断路器的制造成本,在经济性方面优势明显。此外,该断路器利用故障识别电流与电容电压在永久性故障与瞬时性故障下的幅值差异来识别故障性质,实现了自适应重合闸,操作简单且易于控制。最后,利用PSCAD/EMTDC在三端MMC柔性直流系统环境下对所提方案的有效性进行了仿真验证,并通过与其他方案的对比分析,证明了所提方案的优越性。