Effect of System Mass on The Design Performance of Double-Sided Thomson Coil Actuator

Double-Sided Thomson Coil Actuator (DS-TCA) is a proper candidate to meet the requirements of the DC modern grids Circuit Breakers (CBs). This is attributed to the topology advantages, which are simple structure, ultra-fast response of the moving component, and manageable losses compared to conventional solenoid-based actuators. Therefore, this paper presents the design of DS-TCA that is a part of a Medium Voltage (MV) hybrid CB. Furthermore, a DS-TCA has been analyzed with the consideration of the masses attached to the moving component which tends to slow down the response of the actuator. Nevertheless, the design is able to satisfy the application specifications. Moreover, mechanical analysis on the movable part has been performed to ensure safety operation for the considered design. In addition, thermal calculations have also been performed to ensure safe operation and to show the temperature rise as a function of mass.