DocumentCode :
1509774
Title :
Some investigations on slow and fast arc voltage fluctuations for contact materials proceeding in various gases and direct current
Author :
Ben Jemaa, Nouredine ; Queffelec, Jean Louis ; Travers, Daniel
Author_Institution :
Dept. de Phys. Atomique et Moleculaire, Rennes I Univ., France
Volume :
14
Issue :
1
fYear :
1991
fDate :
3/1/1991 12:00:00 AM
Firstpage :
113
Lastpage :
117
Abstract :
Arc voltage fluctuations with control of the main experimental parameters are studied, taking into account the excitation and ionization potentials of both contact materials and gases. The actual parameters of the experiments are the contact material (Au, Ag, etc.), and the environmental (air, N2, He, Ar, etc.), electrical (50 V, 0.1-3 A DC), and mechanical (opening speed 1 to 50 cm/s) parameters. The accurate voltage values of the consecutive arc plateaus included in arc phases are determined by statistical measurements and voltage histogram drawings. Each of these voltage plateaus is attributed to a specific combination of contact metal ionization potential and excitation metastable levels of the surrounding gases. It has been found that each phase can enclose more than one plateau, such as in helium where the two last plateaus occur in gaseous phase, while in ambient the metallic phase is constituted by the two earlier plateaus. According to the plateau attribution, arc phase duration could be the sum of the corresponding plateau durations. Moreover, during each plateau, fast potential fluctuations occur. The fast Fourier transform (FFT) analysis of arc voltage samples shows that the maximum of the spectrum of these fluctuations corresponds to a frequency which is as high as 60 MHz in the metallic phase and only a few megahertz in the gaseous phase
Keywords :
circuit-breaking arcs; electrical contacts; fast Fourier transforms; 0.1 to 3 A; 50 V; Ag; Ar; Au; FFT; He; N2; arc phases; arc plateaus; arc voltage fluctuations; contact materials; electrical parameters; environmental parameters; excitation metastable levels; fast Fourier transform; ionization potentials; mechanical parameters; plateau attribution; statistical measurements; Argon; Contacts; Gases; Gold; Helium; Ionization; Phase measurement; Voltage control; Voltage fluctuations; Voltage measurement;
fLanguage :
English
Journal_Title :
Components, Hybrids, and Manufacturing Technology, IEEE Transactions on
Publisher :
ieee
ISSN :
0148-6411
Type :
jour
DOI :
10.1109/33.76519
Filename :
76519
Link To Document :
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