Break arcs in inductive circuits and the minimum arc current

Author

Suhara, Keiichi

Author_Institution

Tokyo Nat. Coll. of Technol., Hachioji, Japan

fYear

1990

fDate

20-24 Aug 1990

Firstpage

94

Lastpage

101

Abstract

A simulation method for voltage and current waveforms of break arcs in inductive circuits was developed. This method is based on Holm´s diagrammatical method. The minimum arc current (I_min) plays an important role, limiting the lowest value of the arc current. The calculation was carried out for a tungsten contact and compared with experimental results. The comparison has made it clear that the simulation method produces a fundamental error, so long as 1.0 A is used as the I_min of tungsten arc. Therefore, the break arc is examined for a current lower than 1.0 A. The use of a 0.4-A minimum arc current in this simulation method brought closer agreement with the experimental results, although 1.0 A is a characteristic current for steady and long duration break arc ignition

Keywords

circuit-breaking arcs; electrical contacts; tungsten; 0.4 to 1.0 A; Holm´s diagrammatical method; W; arc ignition; break arcs; current waveforms; inductive circuits; minimum arc current; simulation method; voltage waveforms; Circuit simulation; Contacts; Current measurement; Differential equations; Educational institutions; Electrodes; Ignition; Inductance; Tungsten; Voltage;

fLanguage

English

Publisher

ieee

Conference_Titel

Electrical Contacts, 1990. Proceedings of the Thirty-Sixth IEEE Holm Conference on ... and the Fifteenth International Conference on Electrical Contacts

Conference_Location

Montreal, Que.

Type

conf

DOI

10.1109/HOLM.1990.113002

Filename

113002