Co-Simulation of Mechanical Driving System and Arcing for High Voltage Circuit Breaker Design

A dynamic model for the driving mechanism of high voltage circuit breakers is coupled to a two-dimensional(2D) axisymmetric arc model through a transmission system of three-dimensional freedom. Memory sharing based on Windows TCP protocol is used to link the solution processes. The operation of a model 550 kV circuit breaker is simulated. The predicted contact travel agrees reasonably well with the measurement. Results also indicate that the existing design can experience 4~6 mm fluctuation in the contact travel, leading to variation in arc voltage before current zero and electric field after current zero.