Analysis of Circuits Supplying Thomson Coil Actuator Operating in Vacuum Contact Units of DC and AC Ultra-Fast Circuit Breakers

The use of vacuum-hybrid DC circuit breaking methods allows the short-circuit current to be switched off in a shorter time, resulting in a reduction in the arc burning time. This requires the use of a drive, such as the Thomson Coil Actuator TCA, capable of providing a short response time for opening the vacuum interrupter VI, regardless of its rated current. The IDD is powered by a pre-charged capacitor, which, together with the drive coil, forms an LC oscillating circuit that, when switched on by a thyristor, generates a current pulse of several kA with a frequency above 1 kHz. The paper investigates the effect of modifying the basic IDD power supply circuit by adding semiconductor diodes to shape the current pulse and improve its performance. The authors also focused on exploring the impact of the connection quality and their length and the associated loss in drive force while proving that a circuit with a reverse diode on the IDD coil is most beneficial and that the effect of the circuit on the front of the current pulse can significantly slow down the drive.