Technologies for the Utility Industry

SF6 generator circuitbreaker system for

short-circuit currents
up to 200 kA
Lukas Zehnder, Jochen Kiefer, Dieter Braun, Thomas Schoenemann

Generator circuit-breakers are

the big boys of the breaker
world; they have to be.
A fault of up to 200 kA
somewhere in the field is bad
enough, but close to a
generator it can lead to an
event of literally seismic
proportions the fault current
can be of such a magnitude
that the induced magnetic
forces cause solid steel shafts
to bend and crash.
ABB HEC 7/8 SF6
breakers are designed for this
demanding task. They can
handle anything even the worlds biggest power stations can throw at them.
But just how do you break such a huge current so close to the generator? And how can
the breaker effectively deal with the arc that is produced?

he past twenty years have seen

rapid change in the generator
circuit-breaker field, from the first
breaker to use SF6 gas as an arc-extin-

34

guishing medium in the 1980s to the

newest breakers, described in this
article, rated at 24,000 A (naturally
cooled) and 38,000 A (with forced air

cooling) and able to handle short-circuit

breaking currents of up to 200 kA.
Thanks to these developments,
modern special-purpose generator
ABB Review 3/2002

circuit-breakers using SF6 gas as arcextinguishing medium are now available

for generating units with ratings up to
1500 MW.

switches (for gas turbine and hydropower plants) and braking switches
(for hydropower plants) can also be
integrated 1 .

Master of all trades

High availability and low cost

A modern breaker has to perform many

tasks:
n Synchronize the generator with the
main system
n Separate the generator from the main
system
n Interrupt load currents (up to the full
load current of the generator)
n Interrupt system-fed and generatorfed short-circuit currents
n Interrupt currents under out-of-phase
conditions (up to 180)

Not surprisingly, all power plant

operators give a top priority to having
the highest possible plant availability at
the lowest possible cost. Modern SF6
generator circuit-breaker systems help
achieve this:
n The differential protection zones of
the generator, the main transformer and
the unit transformer can be arranged to
achieve maximum selectivity.
n Generator-fed short-circuit currents
are interrupted within a maximum of
four cycles, as opposed to several
seconds using rapid de-excitation
equipment.

A generator circuit-breakers performance must be far better than that of an

MV breaker; the positioning of the
generator circuit-breaker system
between the generator and the main
transformer, where its performance
directly influences the plant output,
places very high demands on its
reliability.
Also, modern generator switchgear
consists of much more than just an
interrupter unit: All the associated
equipment can nowadays be integrated
in the generator circuit-breaker enclosure, for example a series disconnector,
grounding switches, a short-circuiting
switch, current transformers, single-poleinsulated voltage transformers, protective capacitors and surge arresters.
Depending on the type of power plant,
additional items such as starting
ABB Review 3/2002

The overall availability of the power

plant auxiliary equipment is increased.
n Synchronizing at the generator
voltage level with the help of a
generator circuit-breaker is considerably
more reliable than synchronizing with a
high-voltage circuit-breaker [1].
n Rapid changeover to the auxiliary
supplies during unit start-up and shutdown, with the associated high inrush
currents and resulting stresses, is eliminated, thus avoiding possible damage
to the drive motors of pumps, fans,
etc.
n Use of generator circuit-breakers
allows plant auxiliary supplies to be
drawn directly from the HV transmission
system at all times, ie also during the
critical start-up and shut-down phases.
This is considerably more reliable than
other sources.
n

General layout of ABB's generator switchgear

Circuit-breaker

Starting switch (back-to-back)

Disconnector

912

Voltage transformers

3, 4

Earthing switches

13, 14

Current transformers

5/6

Starting switch

15

Surge arrester

(SFC or back-to-back)

16, 17

Surge capacitors

Short-circuiting switch/braking

18

Terminals

switch

19

Enclosure

7
9

10

11

12

19

18

18

13

16 3

1
5/6

17 15

14

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Technologies for the Utility Industry

5
2

chamber, with the contact closed

10
9

12

13

11

Rapid interruption of generator-fed

short-circuit currents reduces consequential fault damage and shortens
repair times.
n

The higher plant availability and

increased profit for the operator make a
modern generator circuit-breaker an
excellent investment, with a generally
very short payback time.

Contact movements and current versus time curve

Movement of arcing contact

t1

Drive tripped

Movement of main contact

t2

Main contact system separates

Current curve

t3

Arcing contact system separates

t4

Arc extinguished at zero current

Voltage across breaker

Pressure build-up phase

Arc extinguished at zero current

3
4

1
2

t1
36

t2

t3

Cross-section through the arcing

Housing

Main contact system

Arcing contact system

Arcing contact system (pin)

Insulator

Piston(s)

Gearing

Drive

Heating gap

10

Heating volume

(segmented part)

11

Gas-return channels

12

Overpressure valve

13

Non-return valves

The circuit-breaker

Besides conducting and interrupting

operating currents, the circuit-breaker
a chamber filled with SF6 gas under
pressure has the job of interrupting AC
fault currents, eg short-circuit currents
five or ten times the value of the rated
current, within about 50 milliseconds.
The pressure chamber in which the
current interruption takes place consists
basically of two metal housings, which
also act as electrical conductors, and the
insulator.
Both contact systems the main
contact system and the arcing contact
system as well as the associated
concentrically mounted blast pistons
are coupled to internal gearing which is
connected to a high-speed drive situated
outside this chamber.
The gearing is designed such that,
during breaking, the main contact
system parts a few milliseconds before
ABB Review 3/2002

Cross-section through the arcing chamber showing the hot gas flow paths

(arrows) during the pressure build-up phase (left) and the currents passage through
zero (right)

the arcing contact system, ensuring that

the full current is broken by the latter.
The arc created when the arcing contact
system separates is extinguished the
instant the alternating current next
passes through zero 3 .
During making, the procedure is
reversed; the rising voltage leads to an
arc in the closing arcing contact system
just before contact is made; the main
contact system then closes to carry the
full current.
Arc extinction principle

Like its smaller brothers (see Table on

page 38) the HEC 7/8 utilizes the selfblast principle to extinguish the arc, ie
the energy required by the gas stream
for arc extinction is derived from the
arc itself.
The energy released by the arcs
creation leads to a very rapid and large
local pressure and temperature rise. The
convective and radiative heat from the
arc causes a sudden rise in pressure in
the heating volume between the arcing
contact system and the piston 4 . It is
from here that hot gas is blasted to
extinguish the arc the next time the
alternating current passes through zero.
A further contribution to the pressure
rise is provided by the magnetic field
pinch effect in the arcs interior, being
manifested as a force acting in the
direction of the center of the arc path.
This current-generated magnetic force,
in turn, causes a strong axial flow out of
the arc, basically a plasmajet which
shoots outwards and is partly diverted
into the heating volume 5 .
ABB Review 3/2002

When very high currents are flowing

during breaking, the pressure rise can
be quite dramatic. Mechanical damage is
avoided by relieving the pressure via a
special overpressure valve. This valve
was designed in conjunction with ABB
Corporate Research as part of an
experimental program to measure the

pressure rise in the heating volume, in

the flowback passages and in the
plasmajet itself.
The relatively low arc energy at low
currents is unable to create enough
pressure for a significant self-blast
effect. This is where the concentrically
mounted blast pistons come in; by

Geometry

(top), photo
(center) and flow
simulation
(bottom) of a
plasma jet with
shock zones.
The plasma jet
originates in the
arcing zone (lefthand edge) and
strikes the
overpressure
valve (right-hand
edge).

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Technologies for the Utility Industry

supporting the pressure build-up in the

heating volume it helps to ensure
successful blasting, and extinction, of
the arc.

Passage through zero

Shortly before the alternating current

passes through zero, the arc crosssection, the pressure in the arc zone and
local heating effects all significantly
decrease.
If the contact separates just before
the current passes through zero then the
pressure build-up in the heating volume
may be too weak to extinguish the arc.
In this case, the breaker waits a half
cycle until the next passage through
zero, by which time sufficient pressure
has built up.
Touch and go

The arcing contact system is, quite

literally, where the action is. With peak
currents of up to 600 kA to handle, the

A finger of the segmented arcing

contact system
1

Flange

Contact finger

Connecting part

Arc-resistant tip

design of this system has to fulfill a

quite extraordinary set of criteria:
n A reserve of material sufficient to
allow for ablation over the lifetime of

the apparatus, bearing in mind the

extreme plasma conditions that have to
be endured.
n Lowest possible metal ablation rate
to minimize contamination and
consequent degradation of the
insulating gas.
n Mechanical stability in the face of
powerful switching and electrodynamic
forces.
n Optimal contact force over the entire
current range by careful balancing of
antiparallel (repulsive) and parallel
(attractive) current paths.
n Guarantee of low electrical resistance
and high thermal conductivity.
The contact itself consists of a central
rod grasped by segmented fingers. 6
shows the construction of an individual
finger. The material used for the base (1,
2) is a springy copper alloy (CuCrZr),
while for the arc-resistant tip (4) a
wolfram-copper composite (5) is used.

Technical data of ABBs SF6 generator circuit-breakers

Type

HGC 3

HEC 3/4

HEC 5/6

HEC 7/8

Rated maximum

21 kV

25 kV

25 kV

30/25 kV

50/60 Hz

50/60 Hz

50/60 Hz

50/60 Hz

Up to 7700 A

Up to 13,000 A

Up to 13,000 A

Up to 24,000 A

Not applicable

Up to 24,000 A

Up to 24,000 A

Up to 38,000 A

63 kA

100 kA

120 kA

160/200 kA

IEEE C37.013

IEEE C37.013

IEEE C37.013

IEEE C37.013

voltage
Rated frequency
Rated continuous current:
n with natural

cooling
n with forced-air

cooling
Rated short-circuit
breaking current
Standard

38

ABB Review 3/2002

The bond between the base and the tip

is also made of copper (3).
Thermal considerations

The thermal design of the breaker

system is based on the assumption that
a constant current flows at the rated
values in a 40C environment. The
maximum temperature allowed of any
hot spots on the silver-plated contacts is
105C. Outer parts that can be touched
may not exceed 70C (in some cases
80C).
The encapsulated design has the
advantage that it includes both the inner
conductor current and the outer return
current flow path. As these are 180 out
of phase, the external field strength, and
thus external heat generation, is
considerably reduced.
Two-dimensional finite element
analysis of current distribution in certain
components was used to reveal areas
of high current and high loss as well as
the degree to which the skin effect
impedes current flow at different
frequencies.
Physical verification was used in an
iterative process to improve model accuracy, and led to an optimal conductor
cross-section and an ideal thermal
layout of the system.
Specially designed fins around the
housing of the interrupter 7 increase
its surface area to maximize heat dissipation. Forced-air cooling, by improving
the convective heat transfer, allows the
24-kA nominal current with natural
cooling to be raised to 38 kA.

ABB Review 3/2002

Interrupter housing

Insulation material

A cooperative venture between ABB

Corporate Research and a Swiss company, Vantico, succeeded in developing
an epoxy resin capable of withstanding
105 C for 30 years [2]. With a diameter
of 1 meter, the physical dimensions of
this insulator are noteworthy 7 .
Testing

Producing a breaker to handle hundreds

of kiloamperes is one thing, but how
do you test it? Fortunately, ABB has its
own laboratories in Switzerland where
short-circuit test currents of up to 450
kA can be generated. As the HEC 7/8 is
specified up to a peak value of 600 kA,
further tests were carried out in the
KEMA high-power test laboratory 8 in

Arnhem, The Netherlands. The facilities

here offer the highest test powers
anywhere in the world.
The scale of the tests at KEMA can
be appreciated by the fact that they
involved an eight-strong ABB team
going to Arnhem for over three months,
taking with them no less than five lorry
loads of equipment.
These tests were for 160 kA and
30 kV and were completed in May 2000.
Interest in higher current ratings led to
an intensive analysis and simulation,
culminating in autumn 2001 with a
further test series at KEMA, this time at
190 kA for 27.5 kV and 200 kA for
25 kV. These ratings just about match
those of the DR air-pressure generator
breaker that has until now dominated
39

Technologies for the Utility Industry

standards possible. ABB subsequently

implemented these measures in its
breaker production facilities.
Worlds finest

The design of breakers for the worlds

biggest generators needs to be worldclass. Successful cooperation between
many different research and development units, including external partners,
fostered the key breakthoughs and
innovative climate essential to ensure
this.
The HEC 7/8 meets, and exceeds, the
performance expected by this high-end
market, and in so doing has proved
itself to be not just the worlds biggest
SF6 breaker and the most rigorously
tested, but also the best. At the same
time, it sets new economic standards
standards that will guarantee its
competitiveness in the marketplace.

8 Type testing in the KEMA high-power test lab

this application area, and which is no

longer produced.
Based on these tests, the HEC can
quite justifiably claim to be not only the
worlds largest SF6 breaker, but also the
best and most thoroughly tested.

Reliability

Reliability obviously rates a top priority

at the high end of the generator market.
To take account of this, a failure
analysis methodology refined in the
1960s for aerospace projects was
employed to define measures that
would ensure the highest reliability

Authors
Dr. Lukas Zehnder
Dr. Jochen Kiefer
Dieter Braun
Dr. Thomas Schoenemann
ABB Switzerland Ltd.
High Current Systems PTHG
CH-8050 Zurich
Switzerland
[email protected]

References
[1] I. M. Canay, D. Braun. G. S. Kppl: Delayed current zeros due to out-of-phase synchronizing. IEEE Transactions on Energy Conversion, 13 (1998)
2, 124132.
[2] K. Guzek, M. Claessens, S. Frster: Starker Schalter. akzent, ABB Switzerland journal, December 2000.

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ABB Review 3/2002