Dynamic motion characteristics of a spherical copper particle in the break of SF₆ HVDCCB

The development of high-voltage direct current circuit breaker (HVDCCB) has progressed rapidly. One of the major reasons for the failure of a circuit breaker is the metallic particle contamination. An enhanced mathematical model is proposed to simulate the motion dynamics of a spherical copper particle in the break of sulphur hexafluoride (SF ₆ ) HVDCCB. By linking COMSOL and MATLAB, the interaction between particle motion and electric field distribution and plastic random movement in the collision process is considered. The effects of voltage magnitude and particle size on the particle motion are discussed. By means of statistical methods, the obtained findings show that, as voltage magnitude decreases or particle size increases, the particle–anode collision frequency decreases, and the particle–anode collision region increases in the x -direction but decreases in the y -direction. The accuracy of the proposed model is verified by experimental observations via high-speed video camera.