Structural Optimization Design of Vacuum Interrupter Based on Transient Electric Field Distribution

As the core device of vacuum circuit breaker, the insulation performance of the interrupter is closely related to the internal structure. In this paper, the electric field distribution of arc interrupter under simulated lightning impulse overvoltage is studied. It is found that the instantaneous electric field intensity is at a high level and the electric field uniformity is poor under lightning impulse. In order to further improve the electric field distribution of the interrupter, this paper proposes a method based on the combination of neural network and particle swarm optimization (PSO) to optimize the important structural parameters of the interrupter. A neural network model was established with suspension shield length (L₁), suspension shield radius (R₁), end shield radius (R₂), contact plate thickness (H₁) and end shield length (H₂) as inputs, and the maximum electric field strength and the uniformity of electric field on both sides of the static and dynamic contacts as outputs, respectively. The structure of the vacuum interrupter was optimized by PSO algorithm. The optimization results show that: When the structural parameters of the vacuum interrupter H₁ are 4.6 mm, H₂ is 20 mm, R₁ is 3.6 mm, R₂ is 3.4 mm and L₁ is 110 mm, the electric field distribution of the interrupter is obviously improved, and the electric field distribution of the optimized structure can also be well improved under the power frequency operating voltage. Its electric field intensity between the electrode is significantly low. © 2024 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan and Wiley Periodicals LLC.