High-current interruption in vacuum circuit breakers

• Published in: IEEE transactions on dielectrics and electrical insulation Vol. 4; no. 6; pp. 836 - 840
• Main Authors: Binnendijk, M., Merck, W.F.H., Smeets, R.P.P., Watanabe, K., Kaneko, E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY IEEE 01.12.1997; Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
• Subjects: Anodes; Applied sciences; Circuit breakers; Circuit testing; Coils; Connection and protection apparatus; Dielectric materials; Electrical engineering. Electrical power engineering; Exact sciences and technology; Magnetic materials; Switched capacitor circuits; Switches; Switching circuits; Voltage; Circuit breaker; Electrodes; Restriking; Vacuum equipment; Interruption; Electric field; Switchgear; Arc control device; Size effect; Electrode material; Interval
• ISSN: 1070-9878; 1558-4135
• DOI: 10.1109/94.654723

The aim of this project was to find a correlation between contact gap length and switching behavior of a vacuum circuit breaker. A large number of interruption experiments were executed in a vacuum chamber with butt type contacts made of Cu, CuCr 50/50 and AgWC. The currents to be interrupted varied from 2.5 to 32 kA. The rate of change of current and recovery voltage were kept at a fixed value at current zero. Many re-ignitions of the dielectric type, scattered over a wide range of re-ignition voltages, were observed and only a few of the thermal type. The total amount of energy dissipated in the vacuum chamber appears to be determinative for the type of re-ignition. On Cu severe anode spot melting was found, whereas CuCr and AgWC suffered little anode melting. The wide range of re-ignition voltage values found shows that a straight correlation with the contact gap length can not be defined. At 5 to 10 /spl mu/s after current zero a 'second' post arc current did appear.