基于粒子模拟-蒙特卡洛模型的真空铜铬触头弧后电流仿真研究

doi:10.19595/j.cnki.1000-6753.tces.250723

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摘要深入研究电流过零后触头间隙内的剩余等离子体动态演变过程对于提升真空开关的开断性能至关重要。以往基于粒子模拟-蒙特卡洛（PIC-MCC）方法的弧后仿真多采用铜触头数据,而对实用的铜铬材料的弧后介质恢复研究较少,且缺少实验验证。该文基于文献中的弧后电流实验数据,对铜铬触头材料的真空开关弧后电流进行仿真研究。首先,建立简化的二维PIC-MCC模型,设置初始条件进行粒子模拟,将PIC-MCC仿真结果代入连续过渡模型电流方程,得到弧后电流仿真曲线;其次,分析了设置的经验原子密度引起的击穿过程,并给出改进初始原子密度的方法;然后,研究了过零时刻等离子体漂移速度对弧后电流的影响,发现弧后电流峰值随初始漂移速度的增加而增大,当初始漂移速度为4 000 m/s 时,仿真结果与实验数据吻合良好,验证了仿真模型和参数设置的合理性;最后,对比分析了纯铜及不同铬含量的铜铬材料对弧后电流的影响规律,为后续真空开关弧后介质恢复特性的研究提供理论参考。

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关键词 ：真空开关, 弧后电流, 触头材料, 铜铬, 粒子模拟-蒙特卡洛（PIC-MCC）方法

Abstract：Understanding the post-arc dielectric recovery process in the contact gap after the current zero is essential for improving the interruption capability of vacuum circuit breakers (VCBs). While previous studies have extensively employed the particle-in-cell Monte Carlo collision (PIC-MCC) method to simulate post-arc behavior in copper contacts, few have addressed the widely used CuCr contact materials, and experimental validation remains limited. This study aims to simulate the post-arc current (PAC) in VCBs with CuCr contacts using a simplified two-dimensional PIC-MCC model, validated against experimental data. The research focuses on improving the accuracy of initial parameter settings and analyzing key factors affecting PAC, such as initial atom density and plasma drift velocity.
A simplified 2D PIC-MCC model was developed to simulate the dynamic behavior of residual plasma in the contact gap after current zero. The model incorporates electrons, monovalent Cu⁺and Cr⁺ions, and Cu/Cr atoms uniformly distributed in the gap, with quasi-neutrality assumed initially. The composition of Cu and Cr ions/atoms was set according to the mass ratio of the contact material. Key collision processes, including ionization, excitation, elastic and charge exchange, were considered using cross-section data from established databases. The PAC was computed by integrating PIC-MCC simulation results into the continuous transition model (CTM) current equation, which accounts for both conduction and displacement currents contributed by Cu and Cr ions. Initial parameters, including plasma density, were derived from experimental conditions and post-arc charge measurements, while atom density was estimated using an analytical model based on erosion rate and thermal velocity. Other initial settings, including the recovery voltage and gap length, are the same as the experimental conditions. Simulation results revealed that empirically set high atom densities (e.g., 1×10²¹m^-3) led to transient breakdown due to enhanced ionization collisions, inconsistent with experimental observations. By recalibrating the initial atom density to 3×10¹⁸m^-3 using an analytical model, the simulation accurately reproduced the experimental trend of successful interruption without breakdown. Furthermore, incorporating an initial plasma drift velocity significantly improved PAC waveform accuracy. The peak value of the PAC increased and its duration shortened with higher drift velocities, and a value of 4 000 m/s yielded the best agreement with measured data. Additional simulations comparing pure Cu, CuCr25, and CuCr50 contacts showed minimal influence of Cr content on PAC characteristics under identical conditions, suggesting that material composition has a limited impact on axial plasma dynamics during the post-arc phase and simplified assumptions using pure copper can be adequate when the detailed alloy composition is unavailable.
The study demonstrates that the combination of PIC-MCC simulation with CTM-based current calculation offers an effective method for PAC prediction in VCBs with CuCr contacts. Accurate estimation of initial atom density and inclusion of plasma drift velocity are critical for replicating experimental behavior. The findings provide practical insights for optimizing post-arc recovery performance and support the use of simplified copper-based models when material-specific data are unavailable. Future work should address limitations such as radial diffusion effects, multivalent ions, and surface interactions to further enhance model fidelity.

Key words： Vacuum circuit breaker (VCB) post-arc current (PAC) contact material CuCr particle-in-cell Monte Carlo collision (PIC-MCC) method

收稿日期: 2025-04-30

PACS:

TM561

基金资助:国家自然科学基金资助项目（52577147, 52177127, 52077025）

通讯作者: 蒋原男,1985年生,副教授,硕士生导师,研究方向为真空电器电弧理论及应用等。E-mail：jiangyuan@ustb.edu.cn

作者简介: 李旭彬男,1993年生,博士,助理教授,研究方向为真空开关弧后介质恢复仿真。E-mail：xbli@dlut.edu.cn

引用本文:

李旭彬, 蒋原, 王雯, 刘晓明, 邹积岩. 基于粒子模拟-蒙特卡洛模型的真空铜铬触头弧后电流仿真研究[J]. 电工技术学报, 2026, 41(7): 2446-2456. Li Xubin, Jiang Yuan, Wang Wen, Liu Xiaoming, Zou Jiyan. Post-Arc Current Simulation in Vacuum Circuit Breakers with CuCr Contacts Based on the Particle-in-Cell Monte Carlo Collision Method. Transactions of China Electrotechnical Society, 2026, 41(7): 2446-2456.

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