Impact Assessment of Inverter-Based Resource Integration on Circuit Breaker Arc Extinction

The power grid is experiencing significant transformations due to the widespread adoption of inverter-based resources (IBRs). These changes are reshaping grid operational regimes and altering the dynamics of fault transients. This paper provides an in-depth analysis of the impact of renewable energy generation technologies on the are quenching processes in circuit breakers (CBs), a critical aspect in the development of novel SF6-free CBs. We investigate three types of generation technologies: traditional synchronous machines (SMs), Type-3 wind turbine generators (WTGs), and inverter-based photovoltaic (PV) plants. Electromagnetic transient (EMT) simulations are conducted in PSCAD to compare the fault current and the transient recovery voltage (TRV) across various scenarios. Simulation results indicate that the integration of IBRs does not intensify the requirements for arc extinction in most scenarios. However, a zero-missing phenomenon is observed in the Type-3 WTG scenario, presenting challenges to high-speed CBs.