674 / 2022-03-31 13:49:35

Improved series arc fault simulation under power electronic loads

series arc,arc model,power electronic device (PED)

Purpose/Aim

Since the current of series arc faults in a circuit is limited by the loads, it is difficult to be protected by the conventional protection device, which is prone to cause serious electrical fires. Especially, the nonlinear power electronic loads can produce a number of harmonics themselves, and it is more challenging to distinguish the feature of series arc in such occasions. An improved series arc model is proposed in this paper to evaluate the characteristics of the series arc in a typical power electronics scenario.

Experimental/Modeling methods

Power electronic loads are significantly nonlinear, thus it is difficult to describe their external properties with mathematical method. According to the characteristics of the waveform, representative loads such as fluorescent lamps, halogen lamps and switching power supplies are selected to build a circuit model separately. Black box models such as Cassie and Mayr arc model were used to simulate arcs. Considering the differences in the assumptions of the models above, it is necessary to test the effectiveness of the models under different load conditions.

Results/discussion

The improved Mayr model is capable of simulating most series arc fault circuits with power electronic loads.

The power electronic load model consisting the rectification circuit, chopper circuit and so on, can simulate the current waveform of the actual loads before and after the occurrence of an arc fault.

Conclusions

Power electronic load circuit models built with power electronic components are effective in simulating arc faults.