Design and experimental verification of a fast active-exit controllable arrester for reliable overvoltage suppression

The Fast Active-Exit Controllable Arrester (FACA) is proposed as a novel surge protection device that combines ultra-fast response with active disengagement capability. Conventional controllable arresters suffer from limited flexibility, low operating speed, and insufficient reliability in suppressing transient overvoltages, particularly under lightning impulses. To address these challenges, the proposed FACA integrates a gap string for sub-microsecond triggering, a thyristor chain to mitigate arc maintenance and electrode erosion, and a series-connected IGBT chain to provide active exit functionality. This topology decouples the trade-off between clamping performance and energy absorption, enabling compact design while enhancing system reliability. A 2 kV experimental platform was developed to validate the proposed concept. Test results demonstrate that the FACA achieves deep suppression of lightning-induced overvoltages while maintaining reliable active disengagement. Compared with conventional designs, the proposed approach exhibits improved clamping capability, enhanced robustness, and higher operational flexibility, making it a promising solution for reliable overvoltage protection in high-voltage power electronic systems.