2009 Lecture Program of the Joint Electrical

Institutions Sydney Engineers Australia, IEEE, IET

Technology Past, Present & Future

for Medium Voltage Vacuum Switchgear

Kazuhiro Matsuo
 ●Contents
◆Application and Composition

◆Characteristics of Vacuum

◆Vacuum Interrupter( VI )
・VI Configuration
・Insulation in Vacuum
・Arc Control Technology
・Reliability and Quality Control

◆Vacuum Circuit Breaker (VCB)

・VCB Configuration
・Mechanical Characteristics
・Special Application

◆Solid Insulated Switchgear (SIS)

・Introduction of Insulation material

◆Toward The Future

The Joint Electrical Institutions Sydney 2 10th September, 2009
 Medium Voltage; up to 84kV Vacuum Switchgear Application

Power plant system Power distribution system

Transportation system General supply

Buildings system system

Factory system

The Joint Electrical Institutions Sydney 3 10th September, 2009

 Medium Voltage Vacuum Switchgear Composition

7.2kV 7.2kV
JIS standard power 36kV
Metal-Clad Switchgear
distribution switchgear Solid Insulated
switchgear
66/84kV Compact Cubicle
type Gas Insulated
Switchgear

Air insulated Gas, Solid insulated

24kV Spot network 22-77kVCubicle type Gas
system SWGR SWGR Insulated Switchgear

Vacuum Protection, Control,

SWGR component
Interrupters Monitoring system

Thermal
Multi-function relay
motor protection
Multi-function relay relay
Vacuum Circuit Breakers for switchgear

Sensor
technology

Digital
7.2kV-63kA Technology
Nuclear and 3.6-24kV 36kV 36kV Local
thermal power For electric Computer monitor
VCB VCB
station Technology
railway

The Joint Electrical Institutions Sydney 4 10th September, 2009

 To extinguish arc – to interrupt current

Ex. flame of a candle….to extinguish flame

・Blast・・

・Extend ・・
Candle

・Pour liquid (water..)・・

・Choke off ・・

The Joint Electrical Institutions Sydney 5 10th September, 2009

 To extinguish arc – to interrupt current

Current flow

Conductor Arc Conductor

Moving

Ambient liquid, gas,..

Oil Vacuum
Air SF6

OCB･･Oil Circuit Breaker

ACB･･Air Circuit Breaker
ABB･･Air Blast Circuit Breaker
GCB･･Gas Circuit Breaker (SF6)
VCB･･Vacuum Circuit Breaker

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 Characteristics in Vacuum

•Environmentally friendly
SF6 was placed on the list of greenhouse gases under the Kyoto
Protocol in 1997.

•Low flammability

・High insulation capability

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 Characteristics in Vacuum (Paschen’s Curve)

Pressure of
actual products
is 10-5Pa order.
Atmospheric Pressure

30
Breakdown Voltage (kV)
10

0.3

10-2 10-1 1 10 102 103 104 105

Pressure (Pa)
Breakdown Voltage vs. Pressure
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 Characteristics in Vacuum

30
Breakdown Voltage (kV)

10

1 Pressure Molecular Mean free path (N2)

0.3

103 Pa 3X1017/cm3 10-5 m

10-2 10-1 1 10 102 103 104 105

Pressure (Pa)
10-1 Pa 3X1013/cm3 10-1 m

10-5 Pa 3X109 /cm3 103 m

The Joint Electrical Institutions Sydney 9 10th September, 2009

 Vacuum Insulation Capability

Vacuum
Abs. 0.1MPa SF6
175
Impulse Withstand Voltage (kV)

150
Air
125

100 7

Insulation
75 3
1
50
Normal contact Air SF6 Vacuum
25 Stroke in vacuum

0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180

Distance (mm)

Withstand Voltage Characteristic by Insulation Media

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 Current Interruption in a Vacuum interrupter
(The Case of Axial Magnetic Field Electrodes)

Contact
Separation Voltage Wave

Zero
Current
Current Wave
→Time
Close Open

Arc behavior taken by high-speed camera

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 Current Interruption
Contact Voltage Wave
Separation

Zero 極間の過渡回復電圧
Current →Time

→Recovery voltage [kV]

Current Wave
Vacuum

Characteristic
→Voltage

of recovery voltage

Time after zero current [μs]

Characteristics of Recovery Voltage

Transient recovery voltage
between contacts by Insulation Media
→Time
Current Interruption
The Joint Electrical Institutions Sydney 12 10th September, 2009
 Transition of Circuit Breakers
AD

Diffusion Decline
OCB

Introduction
ABB

GCB

MBB

VCB
Transition of production
Reference: 遮断器＆断路器のメンテナンス入門 オーム社
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 History of Vacuum Circuit Breakers

1965 1966
Vacuum Switch Vacuum Circuit Breaker
(7.2kV 100A 50MVA) (7.2kV 600A 150MVA)

The Joint Electrical Institutions Sydney 14 10th September, 2009

 Progress on Interrupting Capacity
(24kV-25kA Rating)

Glass Envelope
Spiral + CuTeSe
New Electrode
A/mm2 + CuCr25

20
(Area of electrode)
Capacity per unit

15 Improvement of
AMF AMF & Shield
Ceramic Envelope CuCr50
10 with pipe
AMF + CuTeSe

5
Year
0
1975 1980 1985 1990 2000

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 Technical Progress on Vacuum Interrupters

•High Voltage application

•High Current Interruption

•Compact Design at Same Rating

Insulation in Vacuum

Arc Control

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 Dielectric Breakdown Mechanism in Vacuum
Clump is a contamination of micro-particle on the
Hypotheses have been proposed; electrode surface.

The field emission is generated from the micro-

protrusion on the cathode surface
CATHODE CLUMP
ANODE

Clump is accelerated by
electrostatic power.

micro-
protrusion
CATHODE
ANODE

VAPORIZATION
Field Emission Hypothesis ↓
ＢＲＥＡＫＤＯＷＮ

Clump Hypothesis
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 Conditioning Effect – what is conditioning effect ?

Breakdown voltage [kV]

Electrochemical
buffing treatment

◇ Electrochemical buffing treatment

＋ Machining
Machining
Surface roughness

Number of voltage application

Comparison of conditioning effect between machining Melted layer

and electrochemical buffing electrodes
Base material
25μm

Cross-section after
conditioning

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 Cause of conditioning effect

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 Area Effect of Breakdown Field Strength in vacuum

Stainless steel:
Copper:
Breakdown field strength

Stainless steel
Copper
Stainless
Copper
Eb (kV/cm)

steel
Sphere-sphere
Ring-ring
Vacuum interrupter model
Rod(R5)-plane
R0d(R5)-plane
Cylinder-plane
Coaxial cylinder Effective area Seff =
more than 90% of maximum field strength

Effective area Seff (cm2)

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 Electrical Field Analysis of Vacuum interrupter

Electrical Electrical field

potential distribution distribution

Example of electrical field analysis of vacuum interrupter

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 Size Reduction of 72/84kV Vacuum Interrupter

Vacuum Circuit Breaker

The volume of C-GIS is for C-GIS
reduced to traditional half.

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 Arcing in Vacuum
Arcing plasma;
Anode Ion and electron

Cathode spot (μm in order)：

Supply plasma
by melting cathode electrode Arc Behavior

Cathode

Arcing Characteristic in Vacuum

Arc concentrate Metal vapor emitted

Heating rising
in cathode (anode) spot continuously

Re-ignition

Control arc not to be concentrated increases capability of interruption

The Joint Electrical Institutions Sydney 23 10th September, 2009
 Major Electrodes in the world

Coil Current
Magnetic Field

Contact

ARC

Arc Contact
Arc
Coil
Spiral Contrate

Magnetic Driven Method Axial Magnetic Field

Method

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 Magnetic Driven Method

Spiral

Force against Arc

Arc Typical
Configuration
Current Flow
in Coil

A A

A-A
Side section

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 Axial Magnetic Field Method

Magnetic Field Current

Current Flow
in Coil

Contact

Coil
Magnetic Field

Generate Axial Magnetic Field by current in coil

(Parallel flux to arc)

Typical
Configuration

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 Axial Magnetic Field Electrode

•Electrons and Ions

are trapped by Magnetic
magnetic line Field

•Arc is captured
within spaces
between contacts
Cathode
•Arc root
spread uniformly

Anode
Spread Uniformly Arc

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 Electrode Designing

Magnetic Field Analysis

(ELKTRA)
Eddy Current Consideration in 3D

Example of Analyzed Results

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 Large Current interruption

13.8kV-100kA Type VGB2 VCB

- Largest Vacuum Interrupting Capability in the World -

Vacuum Interrupters
VCB Front View
 Reliability of Vacuum Interrupters

•Quality Control on Vacuum leakage

•Measurements of Vacuum pressure

The Joint Electrical Institutions Sydney 30 10th September, 2009

 Quality Control for Vacuum Life

A: Pressure Change caused by Gas Evolution

B: Pressure Change caused by leakage

Tolerance
C=A+B
Critical Pressure
Internal Pressure

DEFECT

Measurement of
Internal Pressure
PASS A

Target life Expected

Shortage time Vacuum Life

Internal Pressure Change

The Joint Electrical Institutions Sydney 31 10th September, 2009

 Measurement of Vacuum

Electrode
Principle Movement
of Electron
Apply Magnetic Field Arc Shield
and Electrical Field Direction of
Electrical Field
Increase Path
Magnetic Field
of Electron from Outside

Dissociation by
Electron
in Collision
with Particle
High Voltage DC
Proportional
Current to
Particle Source for
(Vacuum pressure) Magnetic Field

Micrometer

The Joint Electrical Institutions Sydney 32 10th September, 2009