Analysis of the Electric Arc in Low Voltage Circuit Breakers
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24084/repqj09.325Abstract
Low Voltage Circuit Breakers (LVCBs) play an important role in electric power systems as they are responsible for switching on and off electric currents, as well as for safety of equipment and human beings. Their working base is the electric arc that appears between their contacts when establishing or interrupting the electric current in the circuit. This electric arc is a complex phenomenon where lots of physic interactions take place in a very short time. Therefore, the optimization of the operation of LVCBs makes necessary a deep understanding of the phenomena involved in the appearance of the electric arc. This knowledge can be achieved by means of modelization and simulation tools. This option allows us to obtain the evolution of physical magnitudes which would be difficult to measure in laboratory tests. The aim of this paper is to describe the phenomena of the electric arc in LVCBs, as well as the specification of the mathematical, physical and software needs for its modelization and simulation.