Study of the influences of different factors on the charged particles absorbed by the post-arc anode during the post-arc sheath expansion process in vacuum circuit breakers

Abstract

The dielectric recovery process has decisive effects on the current interruption process in vacuum circuit breakers, which has attracted the special attention of researchers. In commercial vacuum interrupters, ions and electrons of the residual plasma between the contact gap are separated and then fly to the electrodes under the effect of the transient recovery voltage after current zero. During this period, the post-arc current forms. During the formation of the post-arc current, ions also enter the post-arc anode due to their thermal motion. Therefore, the number of net electrons, which form the post-arc current, is only part of the total electrons between the contact gap at current zero. During the post-arc sheath expansion process, almost all electrons in the contact gap will enter the post-arc anode under the effects of the transient recovery voltage. If the proportion of ions and electrons, which enter the post-arc anode, can be obtained, the total number of electrons and consequently the residual plasma density between the contact gap could be estimated from the integration of the post-arc current. In this paper, the influences on the absorption of charged particles by the post-arc anode of some factors, e.g., rising rate of transient recovery voltage and metal vapor, have been simulated and discussed with a one-dimensional particle in cell-Monte Carlo collision model.