Electric Arc in Low-Voltage Circuit Breakers: Experiments and Simulation
Fecha
2017-01Autor
Iturregi Aio, Araitz
Barbu, Bogdan
Torres Iglesias, Esther
Berger, Frank
Zamora Belver, Inmaculada
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IEEE Transactions on Plasma Science 45(1) : 113-120 (2016)
Resumen
The aim of this paper is to present a further
approach for analyzing the air electric arc in low-voltage
circuit breakers (LVCBs). In order to achieve that, a new
simulation model and experimental tests have been carried out.
The simulation model has been designed using ANSYS CFX,
a finite-volume method commercial software. This model has
been defined as a 3-D geometry, with a high density structured
hexahedral mesh, P1 radiation model and hot air characteristics for thermal plasma properties and transport coefficients.
The model is applied to simulate the behavior of an LVCB
for 50, 100, and 200 A with different numbers of splitter
plates in the arc chamber and different locations for the arc
ignition. As result, arc elongation and arc voltage increase have
been observed when increasing the splitter plates number. Also
faster arcs for higher ignition zones and greater expansion
and diffusion for higher input currents have been obtained.
These simulation results have been verified and validated.
The verification process has been accomplished calculating the
numerical errors, by means of the grid convergence index and
Courant–Friedrichs–Lewis number. Thus, the most accurate
mesh densities, time steps, and radiation models have been
selected. Finally, the validation process has been achieved performing real experimental tests in the laboratory, proving that
the results of the simulation model are close to real scenarios