Components of

Electrical Systems
Electrical Switches:
Introductory Remarks and Basics

Dr. Peter Zeller

Scope
Classification
Basic purpose of a switch
Switching sates and transitions
> Open
> Close
Basic electrical switch circuit
Stress under special load situations
> AC
Short circuit at high grid impedance
Inductive switching
Capacitive switching
Resistive switching
> DC
Inductive switching
Capacitive switching
Resistive switching

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Electrical Switches:
Classification (1/3)
Voltage level
High voltage: over 35 kV
Medium voltage: 1000 V to 35 kV
Low voltage: less than 1000 V
Switching capacity
Switchgear: nominal current, overload current, short circuit current
> Leistungsschalter
Switch-disconnectors: 1.5 times of the nominal current
> Lasttrennschalter
Disconnectors: only weak capacitive current
> Trennschalter
Control gear with auxiliary switches: auxiliary switches for control purpose
> Hilfsschalter

Electrical Switches:
Classification (2/3)
Working principle
Electro mechanic switch: mechanic operation
Semiconductor switch: semi conductor
Hybrid switch: composition of electro mechanic switches and semi conductors
Operation type
Manually
Remote controlled
Triggered
> Under voltage release
> Overload
> Short circuit

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Electrical Switches:
Classification (3/3)
Drive type
Manual
Magnetic
Electric (e.g. piezo)
Bimetal (thermally triggered)
Explosives
Special switches
Connector switches (switching capacity of a plug)
Fuse cut out

Basic purpose of a switch (1/2)

A switch has to electrically connect or insulate components or parts of an
electric system

> Sustain reliable insulation

>
> In case of a too high (over)voltage an insulation break down should not
happen over the open contact, it should be initiated between the effected
terminal and ground (disconnector condition)

> Conduct the electrical current with low losses

> In case of an over or short circuit current it should not open without any
opening operation

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Basic purpose of a switch (2/2)

Equivalent circuit: Equivalent circuit:

Transition of a switch
No transition in nature will happen discontinuous

ON Off

Equivalent component

8
Transition of a switch: voltage,
current, and power versus time
Note: this transition principle is valid for all types of switches!

OFF ON OFF
Power
Current Voltage

Fast versus slow transition?

Fast transition reduces the absorbed power (see also EE2)
Fast transition increases the induced voltage in any inductors
> Hence the transition speed is limited by the maximum insulation voltage of
the components
The equivalent resistor of the switch has to be changed in an optimal way!
This is provided by the electrical arc, if the arc is extinguished in an
appropriate way

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Basic electrical circuit
with a switch
Most switching applications may be reduced the following basic electrical
switching circuit:

Switch

Source

Thevenin equivalent

Parasitic capacitance
Load

11

AC switching stress
The source is considered to be an AC supply
For DC applications similar considerations may be found

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 Stress by a short circuit situation

The switch is considered as closed, hence the basic circuit reduces to

Source

Thevenin equivalent
closed
open with arc
open
Load
Neglecting the normal operation current (with respect to high the short circuit
current) the governing equations are given by

(1)

13

Principal situation with no

counteracting switch voltage

Maximum possible current:

Normal
operation
current!

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Principal situation with
counteracting switch voltage

Prospective short
circuit current

(1)

15

Effect of voltage across

the switch
Reducing the current peak and the time period of the
short circuit current flow

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Solving the differential
equation (1/3)
The homogenous part of the differential equation yields Assuming no
switch voltage
(2) (3)

Variation of the constant

(4)

(5)

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Solving the differential

equation (2/3)

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Solving the differential
equation (3/3)

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Result:
Prospective short circuit current

(6)

Exponential term Oscillation term

20
Simulation of the short
circuit (1/4)
Circuit

21

Simulation of the short

circuit (2/4)
Result

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Simulation of the short
circuit (3/4)
Detail

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Simulation of the short

circuit (4/4)
Detail: initiating short circuit 30 later

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Characteristic stress (1/2)
Heating of the switch

may be calculated if the total resistance of the switch is known by

(7)

Assuming that the switch resistance is constant and varying from device to
device the characteristic value for the stress is the integral term
Hence this characteristic value may be indicated for grids or other typical high
current stress (e.g. lightning current) and is given by the I square t value

(8)

For switches the maximum value is indicated in the data sheet

For an overcurrent the maximum (rms) one second value is indicated
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Characteristic stress (2/2)

Mechanical stress
The mechanical stress is caused by the magnetic field and the magnetic force
mainly
The magnetic induction is proportional to the current
The magnetic force is proportional to the current and the magnetic induction
Hence the force is proportional to the current to the power of two
This means, that the critical value is the peak value of the current
For a switch maximum short circuit peak current is indicated in the data sheet

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Transient recovery voltage after
current zero
If the current is interrupted, the following equivalent circuit may be applied

Switch

Source

Thevenin equivalent

Parasitic capacitance
Load

27

Transient recovery voltage after

current zero for a short circuited load
The following equivalent circuit may be applied
Switch

Source

Thevenin equivalent

Parasitic capacitance

(9)

(10)

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Solution of the
differential equation
Simulation

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Result
Interruption

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Result Detail
Transient recovery voltage

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Additional remarks
switching interruption
The switch voltage has to approach the exciting voltage
Consequently there must be any faded and oscillating transition
If the current is not zero at the point of interruption, an additional oscillation
due to the stored magnetic energy (in the inductor of the grid) will appear
> The higher the interrupted (chopped) current the higher the overvoltage
> This overvoltage may initiate a re ignition of the open contact
> Any additional inductivity (inductive loads) will cause a higher overvoltage
peak

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Ohmic inductive load
Circuit

33

Ohmic inductive load

Result

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 Capacitive load
Circuit

35

Capacitive load
Result

The maximum voltage across the switch may yield

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 The general solution of the differential
equation for an ohmic inductive load (1/7)
Switch

Source

Thevenin equivalent

Load

The differential equation has to be solved after the current

The inductivities and the resistors may be combined to equivalent components

37

The general solution of the differential

equation for an ohmic inductive load (2/7)
Switch

DE: (11)

(12)

Homogenous solution: (13)

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 The general solution of the differential
equation for an ohmic inductive load (3/7)

Characteristic polyomial: (14)

For realistic grid and load values the root yields a complex number

(15)

Describes the faded oscillation

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The general solution of the differential

equation for an ohmic inductive load (4/7)
Particular solution
After infinite period of time the homogenous part will be zero (note the fading
term)
In this case the rules for AC excited situation must be valid
The impedance in this situation is

(16)
The current must be the exciting term divided by the absolute value of the
impedance

(17)

The phase shift must be the negative phase angle of the impedance

(18)
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The general solution of the differential
equation for an ohmic inductive load (5/7)
Hence the particular solution yields

(19)

At the time point 0 the total current is equal to

Hence
1 1 1 0

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The general solution of the differential

equation for an ohmic inductive load (6/7)
One determination equation for A and B yields

(20)

The second equation follows out of (11) for

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The general solution of the differential
equation for an ohmic inductive load (7/7)
Solving the equation after and yields a faded sinus and cosine oscillation
thus the total result yields in agreement with the simulations above

(21)

Capacitive loads yield a series oscillator too and hence a similar approach
Knowing the current, the voltage at the capacitor (switch) may be calculated
by applying the voltage / current relation at a capacitor
Because of the huge effort, switching effects are simulated by means of
appropriate software
The main problem is the unknown arc voltage which is very complex to
calculate and would require a too high effort (computer capacity and
simulation time)
Hence very simple assumptions for the arc model are implemented usually
The appropriate arc behavior is proved by the type tests for switching devices
defined in the relevant standards

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