Modeling and Analysis of Breaking Arc for AC Air Circuit Breakers in High-Altitude Environment

With the extensive promotion of new energy generation in high-altitude regions, the demand for air circuit breakers (ACBs) has correspondingly increased, as they serve as essential protective devices in energy storage systems. However, the climate conditions in high-altitude areas pose challenges to the interruption performance of ACBs. This study focuses on ACBs and, based on the theory of magnetohydrodynamics (MHD), utilizes the finite element software Ansys Fluent to establish a 2-D dynamic arc simulation model. Simulation analyses are conducted at altitudes of 2, 3, 4, and 5 km. The findings reveal that as altitude increases, the average arc voltage decreases while the arcing time prolongs. In addition, the arc demonstrates faster movement before entering the arc-extinguishing splitter plates and slower movement afterward. Furthermore, through climate chamber simulation experiments, the arc current and voltage of the breaker in high-altitude environment are measured, and the erosion conditions of the arc-extinguishing splitter plates in post-test prototypes are used to validate the accuracy of the simulation model. The findings indicate that the simulation results are in good agreement with the experimental results. The construction of this simulation model helps compensate for the limitations of unclear observation of arc motion trajectories in experiments, facilitating the analysis of arc motion patterns and the identification of factors affecting the interruption performance of circuit breakers in different altitude environments. Thereby, this study can provide a theoretical basis and reference for the design of ACBs in high-altitude environment.