Contact parameter computation and analysis of air circuit breaker with permanent magnet actuator

An air circuit breaker (ACB) with novel double-breaker contact and permanent magnet actuator (PMA) is presented. Three-dimensional (3-D) finite element method (FEM) is employed to compute the electro-dynamic repulsion forces, including the Holm force and Lorentz force, which are acting on the static and movable contacts. The electro-dynamic repulsion forces of different contact pieces are computed, illustrating there is an optimal number of contact pieces for the ACB being studied. The electro-dynamic repulsion force of each contact, which varies from the outer position to the inner position, is also computed. Finally, the contacts of the double-breaker are manufactured according to the analyzed results to validate the simulations.