On the Application of a Power Electronics-based Arc-Flash Suppressor

This paper presents an original investigation on the application of a thyristor-based bidirectional switch for arc-flash mitigation in industrial and commercial power systems. This study includes the modeling and digital simulation of the proposed solution under each one of the possible combinations of shunt arcing faults in these systems. The results are presented in order to allow an initial evaluation of the electrical stresses that the thyristors would be subjected to, as well as the effectiveness of the solution. The simulation of a real industrial, low-voltage (LV) motor control center (MCC) was performed in the ATP-EMTP™ software. The results show that besides the variability in the currents that each thyristor conducts depending on the specific fault condition, the value is clearly within the surge capability of commercially available devices. Moreover, it is shown that the proposed solution is effective in reducing the voltage across the arcing path, guaranteeing a safe environment for workers and preserving the MCC integrity.