DYNAMIC MODELING OF TWO MAGNETICALLY CONTROLLED VACUUM ARC SWITCHES

The dynamic modeling of two different vacuum arc switches is described. These switches can produce high arc voltages as a result of applied magnetic fields. One of these devices consists of a rod cathode and a hollow anode with the magnetic field applied axially. The other device consists of butt electrodes with transverse magnetic field. These devices are expected to be used in fault current limiting schemes in electrical power systems or in DC switching schemes. The modeling techniques presented can aid in the designing, testing and evaluation of new prototypes as well as predicting device operation of future applications.; For the first time, current-voltage characteristic curves of two devices are derived from available experimental data. The existence of these curves shows the control ability of these devices by applied magnetic fields. Hence, these devices are called Magnetically Controlled Vacuum Arc Switches (MCVAS's). Techniques for calculating the response of non-linear, transient, time-varying circuits are used in the modeling. These techniques and the characteristics curves are applicable to a wide variety of circuits. In order to demonstrate the modeling process, the responses of each device in a different circuit are calculated and then compared to data obtained under different conditions than those used to obtain the characteristic curves.