Plasma Characteristics of Medium Voltage AC Air Arc Discharge and Its Application on Arc Electrical Parameters Calculation

Abstract Medium voltage (MV) AC air arcs occur frequently in distribution networks. An electric arc can easily cause electrical fires, leading to serious accident consequences. Obtaining the electrical characteristics of arc faults through arc models is a crucial measure to detect and prevent arc faults. The arc electrical characteristics are affected by many factors such as the ambient air pressure, current magnitude, and arc length, and it is difficult to describe it in an analytical form. The widely used conventional black-box arc model reflects the influence of multiple factors on the electrical characteristics of arcs through fitting or empirical formulae. The model ignores the intrinsic physical and chemical processes, and the applicable range of the model is limited. Focusing on this problem, based on the physicochemical processes of the arc in the arcing and post-arcing stages, a relationship between the electrical and plasma characteristics of the MV AC air arc was established. Subsequently, the arc plasma characteristics were determined experimentally, and were applied to the calculation of the arc electric characteristics. Finally, the calculation results of the arc electrical characteristics were verified using the experimental results, providing a basis for related model improvements and applications.