Arc fault generation and detection in DC systems

Arc fault are a common fault in electrical systems and can go undetected by traditional protection schemes and cause significant damage. To investigate the characteristics of arc faults in DC systems and their detection methods, an arc generation unit is described and arc characterization during initiation is investigated in this paper. Different conditions of arc current, air gap length and load inductance are considered to examine the effect on arc initiation. Arc fault detection algorithms based on spectrum analysis, Wavelet packet decomposition and current variation are then presented and discussed. Experimental results demonstrate that the presented methods can recognize the initiation of an arc.