A FAST-OPENING 320 KA BREAKING SWITCH FOR APPLICATION TO 38-44 KV PLASMA CONFINEMENT POWER CONDITIONING

PHASE I ENTAILS THE DESIGN AND CRITICAL HARDWARE DEVELOPMENTOF A FAST- OPENING 320 KA RMS BREAKER FOR APPLICATION IN THERANGE OF 38 TO 44 KV AS A MAIN AC GENERATOR AND TRANSFORMER-RECTIFIER INTERRUPTING APPARATUS. THIS TECHNOLOGY IS CAPABLE OF INTERRUPTING AN AVERAGE POWER OF 24,000 MVA THREE- PHASE, 60 HZ IN TWO CYCLES (33.2 MS). THEBASIC MECHANISM OF THE 320 KA BREAKER IS AN AIRBLAST INTERRUPTION CHAMBER (AIC-M) WITH 6 T MAGNETIC AUGMENTATION FOR BLOW-OUT AND 2.2 KV/USEC TRANSIENT RECOVERY VOLTAGE CAPABILITY. THE NOVEL ASPECT OF THE AIC-M IS THE USE OF A COAXIAL-INDUCTIVE ELECTROMAGNETIC ARMATURE DRIVE FOR THE OPENING MECHANISM OPERATING AT A 557 M/SEC TRAVEL SPEED AND DELIVERING 139 KJ TRIP ENERGY TO THE BREAKER. THE TWO-CYCLE AIC-M BREAKER WITH INDUCTIVE ARMATURE DRIVE REPRESENTS AN ADVANCE OVER STATE-OF-THE-ART AIRBLAST-MAGNETIC BREAKERS; THE LATTER REQUIRE SIX CYCLES FOR TOTAL TRIP AND ARC CLEARING TIME.