Title :
A PIC-MCC Simulation of the High-Voltage Interruption Ability of a Vacuum Interrupter
Author :
Takahashi, Shinji ; Arai, Kazuyoshi ; Morimiya, Osami ; Kaneko, Shuhei ; Okabe, Shigemitsu
Author_Institution :
Nippon Inst. of Technol., Saitama
Abstract :
In order to examine the ultimate high-voltage interruption ability of a vacuum interrupter, a particle in cell-Monte Carlo collision computer simulation was conducted under the following conditions. Residual charged and neutral particles at current zero were arranged between the electrodes. The particle conditions were obtained from an extrapolated value of experimental data. Secondary electron emission and self-sputtering effects due to ion bombardment were also considered for the simulation. The simulation voltage, which also represents the recovery voltage, was applied between the electrodes. From the results of a simulation on a 168-kV/25-kA 40-mm-diameter one-break interrupter, it was found that the breaking ability is most influenced by the initial neutral particle density. The charged particle density and the secondary electron emission coefficient were found to have a lesser effect on the breaking capability. Consequently, it is estimated that the self-sputtering coefficient from ion bombardment is one of the most important parameters for metal vapor supply after current zero.
Keywords :
Monte Carlo methods; electron emission; sputtering; vacuum interrupters; current 25 kA; electron emission coefficient; high-voltage interruption ability; ion bombardment; metal vapor supply; neutral particle density; particle in cell-Monte Carlo collision computer simulation; residual charged-neutral particles; self-sputtering effects; size 40 mm; vacuum interrupter; voltage 168 kV; voltage recovery; Circuit breakers; Computational modeling; Electrodes; Electron emission; Interrupters; Mathematical model; Plasma accelerators; Plasma sheaths; Plasma simulation; Voltage; High-voltage interruption ability; particle in cell–Monte Carlo collision (PIC-MCC); self-sputtering; vacuum interrupter;
Journal_Title :
Plasma Science, IEEE Transactions on
DOI :
10.1109/TPS.2007.901970