Grid Solutions Technical Note

a GE and Alstom joint venture

Controlled Switching using RPH3

TECHNICAL NOTE : THE PRE-ARCING PHENOMENON

RPH3 reference manual introduces the pre-arc as an unavoidable phenomenon occurring inside a breaker
interrupting chamber upon closing operation, allowing current to start flowing through the inter contacts gap (filled
with pressurized insulative gaz) slightly before the instant of actual touching instant of arcing contacts. This technical
note aims to explain this phenomenon in details.

Applying a changing voltage 𝑈𝐶𝐵 (𝑡) across contacts creates a changing electrical field 𝐸(𝑡) inside the inter-contacts
gap 𝑑 (distance between contacts).
𝑈𝐶𝐵 (𝑡)

gaz gaz gaz gaz gaz ga z az gaz gaz gaz gaz gaz
E g
gaz gaz gaz gaz gaEds>E
z gaz gaz gaz gaz gaz gaz
gaz gaz gaz gaz gaz gaz gaz gaz gaz gaz gaz gaz
gaz gaz gaz gaz gaz gaz gaz gaz gaz gaz gaz
d=d0
Figure 1: electric field E(t) across arcing contacts inside breaker interrupting chamber

While the interrupter is open, its gaz dielectric strength 𝐸𝑑𝑠 (in kV/mm) is defined as the ability of the inter-contacts
gap 𝑑 (in mm) to withstand this electric field without breaking its insulation barrier (no current can flow through the
gap). For given gaz conditions in the gap (mixture, density, purity) this insulation barrier is broken as soon as |𝐸(𝑡)| ≥
|𝐸𝑑𝑠 (𝑡)|.

During the closing movement, the gaz gap 𝑑(𝑡) is decreasing as a function of the closing speed 𝑣 (considered as
constant after a few ms):
𝑑(𝑡) = 𝑑0 − 𝑣𝑡

where 𝑑0 is the value of the gap when the breaker is 100% open
Consequences:
UCB (t) U (t)
1. the electric field 𝐸(𝑡) in the gap is also changing along time: E(t) = d(t) = dCB−vt [kV/mm]
0
𝑈𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑑 (𝑡)
2. the dielectric strength of the gap 𝐸𝑑𝑠 (𝑡) is decreasing along time: 𝐸𝑑𝑠 (𝑡) = 𝑑0 −𝑣𝑡
[kV/mm]

where 𝑈𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑑 (in kV) is the maximum value of |𝑈𝐶𝐵 | under which the insulation barrier is maintained.
𝑈𝐶𝐵 (𝑡)

gaz gaz gaz gaz gaz gaz gaz moving

gaz gaz gaz gaz gaz
E
gaz gaz gaz gaz gaz gaz gaz gaz gaz gaz gaz
gaz gaz gaz gaz gaz gaz gaz gaz gaz gaz gaz gaz
Eds≤ E
gaz gaz gaz gaz gaz gaz gaz gaz gaz gaz gaz
d#0
d0
Figure 2: pre-arcing phenomenon: current flows between contacts through the gaz up to mechanical touching instant
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 Grid Solutions Technical Note
a GE and Alstom joint venture
Controlled Switching using RPH3

Hence current starts flowing through the gap (pre-arc) as soon as |𝑈𝐶𝐵 (𝑡)| ≥ |𝑈𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑑 (𝑡)| (making instant), up to
the instant of contacts touching (|𝑈𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑑 (𝑡)| = 0) as shown below:

voltage
𝑼𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅 (𝒕) = −𝑹𝑫𝑫𝑺 × (𝒕 − 𝒕𝒎𝒆𝒄𝒉_𝒕𝒐𝒖𝒄𝒉 )

|UCB| = absolute
voltage across
interrupter

𝑡𝑚𝑎𝑘𝑒 : actual current

making instant

𝑡𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑐
𝑡𝑚𝑒𝑐 ℎ 𝑡𝑜𝑢𝑐 ℎ : contacts time
touching instant
Figure 3: pre-arc starts at making instant (|𝑼𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅 | = |𝑼𝑪𝑩 |) and ends up at mech. touching instant (|𝑼𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅 | = 𝟎)

Controlled closing basically consists in energizing the closing coil of a given breaker pole so that 𝑡𝑚𝑎𝑘𝑒 coincides with
𝑡𝑡𝑎𝑟𝑔𝑒𝑡 , ie. so that actual contacts touching occurs 𝑡𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑐 after the desired target point 𝑡𝑡𝑎𝑟𝑔𝑒𝑡 .
This requires the CSD to “know” the value of 𝑡𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑐 before operating (via either static configuration setting or dynamic
calculation).

The withstand voltage can be described by 𝑈𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑑 (𝑡) = 𝑅𝐷𝐷𝑆×(𝑡 − 𝑡𝑚𝑒𝑐ℎ_𝑡𝑜𝑢𝑐ℎ ), where RDDS (Rate of Decrease
of Dielectric Strength) is a statistical quantity characterizing the interrupting chamber. 𝑡𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑐 shall be calculated from
RDDS rated value, as given by the breaker manufacturer (or measured at site where possible). Typical values of RDDS
are in the range between 35 kV/ms and 100 kV/ms per interrupting chamber.

The mechanical closing time of real circuit breakers unavoidably varies upon closing operations.
A portion of this change is due to environmental conditions (ambient temperature, DC control voltage level…) and can
be compensated by the CSD when calculating the actual closing time upon a given operation (refer to RPH3 reference
manual for further details about compensations).

However the remaining portion of the change is not deterministic and thus cannot be compensated (one speaks about
“scattering”).

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 Grid Solutions Technical Note
a GE and Alstom joint venture
Controlled Switching using RPH3

Breaker mechanical scatter is defined as the standard deviation of its closing time statistical distribution along a
normal law centred on its rated value 𝑇𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑑 as shown below:

Figure 4: 95% of pole closing time values are in the range [𝑻𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅 − ∆𝑻; 𝑻𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅 + ∆𝑻]

Practically, ∆𝑇 = 2𝜎 shall be measured over several thousands of closing operations upon breaker type tests, all
environmental conditions being kept unchanged (temperature, control voltage, oil pressure in the drive…)

Due to this scattering phenomenon, the actual intersection of |𝑈𝐶𝐵 | and |𝑈𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑑 | might be located anywhere in a
making opportunity time window of width ∆𝑇.
Hence upon controlled closing, the value of 𝑡𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑐 in the CSD configuration shall be optimized so that this opportunity
window is centred on 𝑡𝑡𝑎𝑟𝑔𝑒𝑡 as shown below:
𝑼𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅(𝒕) = 𝑹𝑫𝑫𝑺 × (𝒕 − 𝒕𝒎𝒆𝒄𝒉_𝒕𝒐𝒖𝒄𝒉 ± ∆𝑻)
voltage

|UCB| = absolute
RDDS
[kV/m

voltage across
interrupter
s]

Mech. scatter
DT

|Uprestrike|
∆𝑇 ∆𝑇
𝑡𝑚𝑎𝑘𝑒 ∈ 𝑡𝑡𝑎𝑟𝑔𝑒𝑡 − .. 𝑡𝑡𝑎𝑟𝑔𝑒𝑡 +
2 2

time
ideal current 𝑡𝑚𝑒𝑐 ℎ 𝑡𝑜𝑢𝑐 ℎ : contacts
making instant: 𝑡𝑡𝑎𝑟𝑔𝑒𝑡 𝑡𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑐
mech. touch
Figure 5: actual making instants are equally distributed left and right of the electrical target point, with a scatter ΔT
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