EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF OPTIMAL POWER CONSUMPTION CONTROL DEVICE FOR THE ELECTROMAGNETIC DRIVE OF A CONTACTOR

One of the priority scientific and technological directions of development of the Russian Federation in the field of energy, is energy and resource saving. In this regard, to ensure the competitiveness of the electrical products market, the issue of research and development of low-voltage electromagnetic switching equipment with low values ​​of power consumption and weight and size indicators is relevant. The purpose of the study is to reduce the power consumption of the electromagnetic drive of the contactor in the holding mode and to increase the electrical wear resistance of the main contacts of the contactor. Materials and methods. The basis of the study was the analyzed existing solutions for the schemes and algorithms for controlling the electromagnetic drive in various sources of information. The electromagnetic drive of the vacuum contactor of the КВ1-160 series was adopted as the initial object of the study. Main parameters of the electromagnetic drive of the contactor КВ1-160: nominal control voltage of 220 V DC, winding resistance values ​​preliminarily measured by the universal voltmeter АВМ-4306 and the testing device РЕТОМ-21 are 62 Ohm, the power consumption of the contactor electromagnet with a standard unit in the holding mode is 15.2 W. The research used the methods of analysis and synthesis, measurement, planning and conducting an experiment. Research results. The paper presents the results of the development and study of a control device for electromagnetic drives, which ensures a decrease in the power consumption of the electromagnetic drive in the holding mode, as well as an increase in their electrical wear resistance. A control circuit for a single-winding electromagnetic drive is proposed. A brief description of the operation of the control device prototype based on a microcontroller is given. Experimental studies of the control device prototype are carried out using a three-stage electromagnetic drive control algorithm. Conclusions. The results of the experimental studies showed the operability of the prototype sample of the contactor electromagnetic drive control device according to the proposed circuit. A reduction in the power consumption of the EMF in the holding mode was achieved, which amounted to 25 W. A slight (approximately 10%) reduction in the vibration time of the main contacts was ensured, which will lead to an increase in their electrical wear resistance.