CFD Simulation of a High Voltage Circuit Breaker Coupled with a Mechanical Operating Mechanism

In high voltage circuit breakers, the arc extinction is achieved by the pressure generated from the arc. The generated pressure is such that it acts against the mechanical operating mechanism used for the contacts separation. This process leads to slower or even reverse movement of the contacts. In the present work, such a contact travel behavior is evaluated using a fully coupled simulation of the arc physics and of the mechanical drive. Furthermore, the design measure and possible optimization of the pressure and drive energy is presented to limit the reverse travel of the contacts.