Green design of circuit breaker electrical life to improve resource utilization

A qualified circuit breaker possesses an inherent electrical life upon leaving the factory. During its operational lifespan, this electrical life gradually diminishes due to various factors, including electrical and mechanical wear. The electrical life of a circuit breaker is designed based on service conditions, with resource reserves optimized at the end-of-life stage to achieve efficient and environmentally friendly design principles. The mechanism of arc erosion on contacts has been analyzed, and the wear loss caused by arc erosion has been calculated. A portion of the heat generated during arc combustion contributes to contact wear, leading to the establishment of an electrical life prediction model for circuit breakers based on heat utilization efficiency. This model is tested and validated using the Monte Carlo method, confirming its accuracy. Based on this prediction model, a green design framework for optimizing electrical life distribution has been proposed. This approach minimizes unnecessary resource reserves while enhancing resource utilization efficiency.