Development of 7.2 kV-63 kA Advanced Puffer Gas Circuit Breaker

Design parameters of puffer type SF6 gas circuit breakers were discussed based on the thermo-gas dynamic simulation of arc quenching phenomenon including the pressure generation by the arc itself. The results of the simulation revealed that the puffer breaker with high interrupting capacity can be designed with much less cylinder volume and much less driving power compared with the breaker designed by the conventional way of increasing the mechanical power to obtain high interrupting capacity. A compact puffer breaker with the interrupting capacity of 63 kA at 7.2 kV was developed based on the simulation.