Experimental Study on the Behavior of Aluminum Fuse Element Inside 24 kV, 50 kA High-Voltage Fuses

Abstract

High-voltage fuses are found in most electrical installations, where they are used for overcurrent protection and are the pieces of equipment providing the highest degree of protection for the lowest initial cost. This article focuses on the behavior of high-voltage fuses containing a fuse element entirely made of aluminum. We made high-power linear electrical circuits for experiments on these fuses under the most severe operating conditions. The article presents the construction details of the fuse element and its features, as well as various arc extinguishing media. The heating behavior and time–current characteristics were studied in comparison with fuses made of copper. We obtained the maximum instantaneous value of the current reached during interruption for a 24 kV, 50 kA, 50 A fuse, as well as the value of the minimum breaking current.

Keywords

• high–voltage fuses
• aluminum
• high power
• maximum breaking current
• time–current
• heating