Hybrid Kinetic-MHD Simulations of Vacuum Arc Using Field-Circuit Coupling Method

Fully kinetic simulations of arc discharge in vacuum interrupters (VIs) often suffer from prohibitive computational costs. In this article, a hybrid kinetic-magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) transient simulation of vacuum arc using a field-circuit coupling method is proposed for a vacuum circuit breaker. Compared with the fully kinetic simulation method, the advance of the proposed method originates from the so-called hybrid modeling of ion kinetics and electron MHD, where ions and electrons in a VI are separately treated as macroparticles and massless fluids. The simulation results of the arc are consistent with the arc morphology in the discharge plasma experiment. Furthermore, the proposed field-circuit coupling transient model is used to study the number and the decay time of plasma between the electrodes during the interruption process. Finally, we discussed the dielectric-recovery characteristics and the breakdown probability under different voltage frequencies, voltage levels, and electrode gaps.