Novel electric arc current emulation system for low-voltage grids

Abstract

An electric arc is a common distribution grid error, even more so with the use of electric vehicles and renewable energy sources that increase the likelihood of grid errors. Several control systems and strategies are under development to minimize electric-arc faults and to guarantee reliable grid performance. All the control strategies must be validated through emulations of the different fault modes at laboratory scale where there is no risk to either the researchers or the facilities. In this study, a novel system is proposed for the emulation of electric arc current waveforms, based on both real measurements and equation-based modeling. The proposed modular system provides the capability to emulate different levels of arcing currents. Validation of the system was demonstrated, in view of the design, the underlying theoretical analysis, and a set of control system simulations and experiments.