Investigation of Relation Between Arc Energy and Commutation Capability of Explosive DC Circuit Breaker

After a description of the design features and existing application areas of the explosively activated DC circuit breaker developed in the JSC "NIIEFA", the paper will be focused on the results of experimental investigation of its current commutation capability in relation with the energy of an electric arc. The obtained experimental results reveal the direct correlation between the energy of electric arc, which is dissipated during the extinguishing process, and ultimate current breaking capacity of the switch. These data are essential for the further development and expansion of the application area of the switches of such a design, since this relation could be used for the estimation of their workability in the different conditions and could be used for optimization of the switch to any specific application.