Simulation Study of the Influence of Wall Ablation on Arc Behavior in a Low-Voltage Circuit Breaker

• Published in: IEEE transactions on plasma science Vol. 37; no. 1; pp. 261 - 269
• Main Authors: Qiang Ma, Mingzhe Rong, Murphy, A.B., Yi Wu, Tiejun Xu
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY IEEE 01.01.2009; Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers; The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
• Subjects: Ablation; Arc behavior; Arc chambers; arc simulation; Arcs, sparks, lightning; Circuit breakers; Circuit simulation; Computer simulation; Electric discharges; Electric potential; Equations; Exact sciences and technology; Fluid mechanics; Hydrodynamics; low-voltage breaker; Mathematical analysis; Mathematical model; Mathematical models; Physics; Physics of gases, plasmas and electric discharges; Physics of plasmas and electric discharges; Plasma properties; Plasma simulation; Plasma transport processes; Polymers; Simulation; Thermodynamics; Transport properties; wall ablation; Walls; low-voltage breaker; Plasma arc; Electrical conductivity; Transport properties; Digital simulation; Theoretical study; Hydrodynamics; wall ablation; Air; Energy balance; Thermodynamics; Circuit breakers; Arc behavior; Vortices; Plasma transport processes; arc simulation; Mathematical models; Polymers
• ISSN: 0093-3813; 1939-9375
• DOI: 10.1109/TPS.2008.2007733

This paper focuses on the numerical research of the influence of polymer (polyoxymethylene) on the arc behavior during arc-motion process. The mathematical model of 3-D air-arc plasma considering the ablation of sidewalls is built based on magnetic hydrodynamics. The mass-fraction equation is introduced to the model on the basis of traditional mass, momentum, and energy-balance equations. The influence of wall ablation on the thermodynamic and transport properties of air-polymer mixtures is considered in this paper. The distributions of temperature field, pressure field, and mass fraction in the arc chamber are calculated. The simulation results indicate that the vapor concentration behind the arc column is higher than that in front of the arc column because of the existence of ldquovortexrdquo in the arc chamber. The use of polymers could accelerate arc movement and reduce the probability of occurrence of back-striking. Using polymers can also increase arc voltage, which can be explained by the change of electrical conductivity for air-polymer vapor mixtures.