Arcing time in a superconducting current-limiting type DC circuit breaker

A DC circuit breaker (DCCB) is proposed to use superconducting technology to limit the fault current firstly and then to use self-excited oscillation method to break the limited current. The objective of this paper is to analyze the methods to reduce the arcing time of the superconducting current-limiting type DCCB. Experimental results show that superconductor limits the different fault current to a stable rising rates and a much lower amplitudes 3~12 ms later after short-circuit occurs. Simulation results show that arcing time decreases exponentially when commutation capacitance increases and it increases linearly when commutation inductance increases. Arcing time increases with arc power loss coefficient (N) in a negative exponential form and with arc time constant (0) in a power exponential form.