Vacuum Arc Ion Flux From Vacuum Interrupter Contact Gap

Authors

  • M. Kurrat Technische Universitaet Braunschweig, Institute for High Voltage Technology and Electrical Power Systems Schleinitzstrasse 23, 38106 Braunschweig

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14311/ppt.2017.2.186

Keywords:

vacuum interrupter, vacuum arc, ion flux, metal vapour, layer deposition, particle tracing

Abstract

Dielectric properties of vacuum interrupters are influenced by metal vapour deposition on the inner ceramic surfaces. Therefore these surfaces are partly protected by shield electrodes. The metal vapour originates from the vacuum arc in the contact gap during switching off process. Metal layer thickness on ceramics after switching operations were measured by Gramberg and the negative effect on dielectric performance was demonstrated. In this paper we address the principle transport process of metal vapour in vacuum interrupters. Duning and Beilis performed ion flux measurements from vacuum arcs. We regard experiments with 5 kA effective arc current. There seems to be experimental evidence that the final particle transport onto the ceramic surface within a shield gap can be explained by particle tracing. The measured deposited layer thickness is taken as quantity to validate vapour densities and transport processes in vacuum interrupters.

References

I. Gramberg et al. Investigations of copper chrome coatings on vacuum circuit breaker ceramics. IEEE Trans. Plasma Science, 41(8):2074–2080, 2013. doi:10.1109/TPS.2013.2273260.

G. Düning and M. Lindmayer. Energy of ions in vacuum arcs. In Int. Symp. Discharges and El. Insul. in Vacuum, ISDEIV, Xi‘an, 2000.

I. Beilis et al. Measurement of ion flux as a function of background gas pressure. IEEE Trans. Plasma Science, 35(4):973–979, 2007. doi:10.1109/TPS.2007.896751.

C. Rusteberg. Plasma parameters in vacuum arcs. Phd Thesis (in German), TU Braunschweig, 1995.

M. Kurrat. Plasma diagnostics for vacuum arcs. In Symp. on Physics of Switching Arc (FSO), Nove Mesto, Tschechien, 2009.

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Published

2017-02-12

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