Investigation on the Vacuum Arc Commutating Characteristic With Application to Postarc Current Measure

This paper focuses on the vacuum arc commutating characteristic (VACC) between the parallel-connected vacuum arc and the shunt resistor, which is the base of the postarc current (PAC) measure. The test platform is established in the synthetic test circuit. The influence of the current magnitude, shunt resistor, arcing time and current frequency on time of the current commutation and the current in the moment of the completion transition is investigated. The mathematic description of the VACC is obtained, which is useful to parameter design of the PAC measure. The PAC of 10-kV vacuum circuit breakers is measured in synthetic test circuit. The photos of the vacuum arc and the waveform of the current commutation are gained to verify the success of the commutation. In conclusion, the VACC is gained and applied to measure the PAC.