425 / 2017-04-27 16:17:34

Influence of Contact Plate Slots on Inrush Current Prestrike Arc Behaviors of Vacuum Interrupters

13421,13681,13520,13682,13422

During the making operations for the back-to-back capacitor banks switching, the inrush current arcs can locally melt the contact surfaces of vacuum interrupters (VIs) during prestrike processes. The condition of the contact surface can significantly influences the behaviors of the inrush current prestrike arcs. The objective of this paper is to determine the influence of contact plate slots on inrush current arc behaviors of vacuum interrupters during capacitive making processes. The inrush current arc behaviors were observed by a high-speed camera. Four VIs with cup type AMF contact structure were used in the experiment. Two of them were with slotted contact plates, while the other two had no slots on the contact plates. The contact diameter of the VIs was 48 mm and the insulating envelope was transparent. There was no metal shield inside the VIs for observation of prestrike arcs. The prestrike arc observations indicate the effects of contact plate slots on the inrush current prestriking arc behaviors and the contact erosion patterns.