Critical radius of axial magnetic-field contacts in vacuum interrupters

Vacuum circuit breakers (VCBs) are widely used to protect medium-voltage (MV) power distribution circuits. Since [SF.sub.6] gas is specified as a global warming gas, VCBs are stepping into a higher voltage sector to protect power transmission circuits. Axial magnetic field (AMF) contacts are widely used in vacuum interrupters. In this paper, we propose a concept of critical radius of AMF contacts. When coil width and coil height are fixed, the axial magnetic flux density increases first with increasing contact diameter. Then, it reaches a maximum value. Thereafter, the axial magnetic flux density decreases. The contact radius corresponding to the maximum axial magnetic flux density is critical radius. The concept of critical radius is validated by coil-type AMF contacts and slot-type AMF contacts in MV vacuum interrupters with finite-element analysis. Critical radius is only related to contact geometry parameters and the current has no influence on critical radius. Critical radius increases with increasing contact gap, coil width, coil height, and thickness of the contact plate. In high-voltage AMF vacuum interrupters, axial magnetic flux density per kiloampere increases with increasing contact diameter since the critical radius is typically high with a high contact gap and it is in the rising branch. In an MV AMF vacuum interrupter, interrupting capacity could increase with an increase of the contact diameter with a different rising rate before and after the critical radius. This is expected to be experimentally validated. Index Terms--Axial magnetic field (AMF), vacuum circuit breakers (VCBs), vacuum interrupters.