Characterization of series arcs in LVdc microgrids
This paper provides an empirical study on series arc behavior in low voltage dc microgrids. The response of an R-L-C dc microgrid abstraction towards series arcs is studied experimentally for varying grid inductance, dc voltages, load capacitances and load currents. In order to account for the stochastic nature of arcs, experiments are repeated multiple times under similar conditions to gain statistical significance. Thereby, insight on percentage occurrence and burn time of initiated series arcs is provided. Load side voltage response is studied to gain insight on the expected peak drop and fall time. This empirical evidence was judged to be a necessary requirement in developing a novel series arc extinguishing method from load side power electronic devices.
DC microgrid protection by selective detection of series arcing using load side power electronic devices
This paper proposes a method to mitigate the problems related to series arcing in low voltage dc (LVdc) micro-grids by performing voltage drop detection using the power electronic device at the load-side. Specifically, the selectivity of the designed series arc detection algorithm is shown for two constant power loads connected in parallel at the point of common coupling with a stable voltage dc micro-grid during accidental unplugging. The influence of the variations in the grid parameters on the load capacitor voltage characteristics and the response of the designed detection algorithm is discussed, thereby, offering insight into the maximum voltage drop and rise time with different circuit configurations due to series arc initiation.
Arc Fault Model of Conductance. Application to the UL1699 Tests Modeling
Differents types of arc faults can be responsible for the start of an electrical fire. Depending on the power system and the application (photovoltaic, vehicule, aircraft, residential wiring) the arc fault may involve contact or non-contact arcing with eventually semi-conductive materials in the vicinity. Other characteristics such as the gap distance or the electrode material and geometry may also strongly differ. An electrical model was developed to fit with the arc fault scenarios described in the standard for AFCI UL1699. The contact arcing copper-graphite electrodes produced by the arc generator and the non-contact arcing on carbonized track produced with the arc clearing time tester were observed and their electrical characteristics (restrike and burning voltage, time constant and stability) could be verified thanks to the electrical model with a very good agreement. A qualitative study showing the various parameters used for fitting shows that the model is applicable regardless of the arc ignition principle.