Dielectric property of vacuum circuit breaker with multiple breaks based on fiber-controlled vacuum interrupter modules

Interest in the application of vacuum circuit breaker (VCB) with multiple breaks arises from technical and economic considerations. Based on analysis on previous work, a VCB with triple breaks based on fiber-controlled vacuum interrupter modules (FCVIMs) is presented in this contribution. A FCVIM is composed of its own outer insulation, vacuum interrupter, permanent magnetic actuator with its controller and power supply. In order to make a VCB with multiple breaks that can be used for higher voltages, the fiber-controlled vacuum interrupter module can be placed in series just like the building blocks. The fiber-controlled technology is used to control the modules at the low voltage area while permanent magnetic actuator operates at the high voltage area. The VCBs with double or triple breaks based on FCVIMs in series were set up for research to obtain the dielectric property while the voltage distribution of the breaks was experimentally researched. Dielectric experiments were carried out on a single break FCVIM, the VCB with double breaks based on two FCVIMs in series and the VCB with triple breaks based on FCVIMs in series under lightning impulse voltage. It shows that the more numbers in series are, the higher the breakdown voltage improvement factor is. It can be demonstrated in a preliminary study that the experimental results confirm the previous theoretical studies.