Development of Arc-Fault Circuit-Interrupter requirements for Photovoltaic systems

Dini, David A.; Brazis, Paul; Yen, Kai-Hsiang

doi:10.1109/pvsc.2011.6186301

Cited by 49 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…Compliant to [17,18] a differentiation is made between three distinct types of arc faults, as shown in TABLE I. Photovoltaic systems are outdoor installations.…”

Section: DC Arc Faults In Photovoltaic Systemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Field test results of serial DC arc fault investigationson real photovoltaic systems

Erhard

Schaller

Berger

2014

2014 49th International Universities Power Engineering Conference (UPEC)

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DC arcing faults pose a safety risk in already existing photovoltaic systems. Due to the aging of the photovoltaic system components enhanced by environmental factors and the high DC voltages, long-lasting arc faults can occur and may cause serious damage. Conventional fault protection methodslike circuit breakers or fuses -are only able to clear faults if they carry a large fault current. Compared to arcing faults in AC installations DC arcing faults in photovoltaic systems have a bigger hazard potential. This is mainly based on the favorable conditions of existing. That is first of all missing zero-crossings of the current and the fact that a solar generator regarded as a source of energy cannot be turned off. Secondly a solar generator is a distributed energy systems with a big amount of potential places of origin for arc faults. Because of the non-linear current-voltage output characteristic of photovoltaic systems a lot of arc faults cannot be detected or even extinguished by common fault protection methods. Moreover it does not only ensure a higher arc-stability but also a wider range of stable arc operating points. Furthermore ambient conditions (e.g. solar radiation, temperature, etc.) and the arc length extend the range of stable arc operating points tremendously. For those reasons the characterization of DC arc faults in photovoltaic systems by means of measurement in real existing photovoltaic systems is indispensable. Especially under consideration of the increasing number of accidents with photovoltaic systems involved. This paper will include a general description of the infrastructure used for measuring and recording arc voltage and current. In addition, the experimental test setup used to insert a series arc fault within a PV system and to generate comparable results under safe conditions will be explained in detail. Furthermore the field test results of serial DC arc fault investigations in photovoltaic systems with different module technologies and taking into account a wide range of environmental conditions and a huge variety of different fault locations within the solar generator will be presented.Index Terms--electric fault, arc fault, DC arc, photovoltaic system, arc fault generator, arc fault measurement

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“…Compliant to [17,18] a differentiation is made between three distinct types of arc faults, as shown in TABLE I. Photovoltaic systems are outdoor installations.…”

Section: DC Arc Faults In Photovoltaic Systemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Field test results of serial DC arc fault investigationson real photovoltaic systems

Erhard

Schaller

Berger

2014

2014 49th International Universities Power Engineering Conference (UPEC)

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“…Unfortunately, PV arc faults often start in coated wiring, or around organic-based adhesives and epoxies. When exposed to the high temperatures of the arc plasma, these materials pyrolyze and release combustible hydrocarbons that subsequently start PV fires [27]. With fire-retardant materials [33] the fire risk can be reduced.…”

Section: Physics Of Arcingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It should also be noted that if there was a thin metal connection (analogous to a fuse) between the solder and the Sn/Cu bus, significantly less voltage would trigger the arc because the current would burn through the connection and generate the arc. (This is the technique used with the arc fault generator in 1699B testing [27].) However, once the arc is triggered, the voltage across a burning arc drops significantly (1.2 to 1.3 V/mm [28][29]) because the resistance drops once the air is ionized and a high-temperature plasma is established [11].…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Electrical and thermal finite element modeling of arc faults in photovoltaic bypass diodes.

Bower¹,

Quintana²,

Johnson³

2012

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Arc faults in photovoltaic (PV) modules have caused multiple rooftop fires. The arc generates a high-temperature plasma that ignites surrounding materials and subsequently spreads the fire to the building structure. While there are many possible locations in PV systems and PV modules where arcs could initiate, bypass diodes have been suspected of triggering arc faults in some modules. In order to understand the electrical and thermal phenomena associated with these events, a finite element model of a busbar and diode was created. Thermoelectrical simulations found Joule and internal diode heating from normal operation would not normally cause bypass diode or solder failures. However, if corrosion increased the contact resistance in the solder connection between the busbar and the diode leads, enough voltage potential would be established to arc across micron-scale electrode gaps. Lastly, an analytical arc radiation model based on observed data was employed to predicted polymer ignition times. The model predicted polymer materials in the adjacent area of the diode and junction box ignite in less than 0.1 seconds. 4 ACKNOWLEDGMENTSThis work was funded by the US Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Program.5

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“…Research and development in protection devices to detect series arcs has been done overseas. [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11] Series arc detector is a device that monitors series arcs in target circuits, and announces series arc detection, or discontinues the electrical paths in cooperation with a circuit breaker. Monitoring of series arcs is realized mainly through detection of highfrequency arc noise superimposed on current.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Identification Technique of DC Series Arc-fault Strings in Photovoltaic Systems

et al. 2019

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The DC series arc-faults lead a risk due to an aging of photovoltaic system components enhanced by environmental factors and high DC voltages in already existing photovoltaic systems. Until recently, many research activities have focused on the detection of DC series arc-faults by current signature analysis. However, DC arc detector has two problems. First, it is difficult to distinguish arc noise and switching noise of power conditioner by circuit current in photovoltaic system. Secondly, when a DC series arc fault occurs in the photovoltaic system, DC series arc-fault string cannot be specified because the arc noise is propagated in the circuit. In this article, we propose two novel techniques for the DC series arc-fault detection and identification of faulty strings.Experiments were performed by generating DC series arc in the field. The proposed technique is investigated based on the experimental results in the terms of effectiveness and applicability. K E Y W O R D Sarc noise, identification of arc-fault string, photovoltaic system, series arc-fault detection, sort method AUTHORS' BIOGRAPHIESMakoto Kanemaru, member, completed doctorate in 2011 at Tokyo Institute of Technology (Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering), and was employed by Mitsubishi Electric Corp. He was involved in arc detection techniques and motor diagnosis techniques. Now, he is associated with Advanced Technology R&D Center. He is a Doctor of Engineering. He is also a member of IEIEJ, SOPEJ, and JSES. Kentaro Kokura, member, completed his first term of doctorate at Miyazaki University (Electrical and Electronic Engineering) in 1999, and was employed by Mitsubishi Electric Corp. R&D in circuit breakers for distribution lines. Now, he is associated with Advanced Technology R&D Center. Mitsugi Mori, non-member, graduated from University of Fukui (Fac. of Eng., Electronic Eng.) in 1996, and was employed by Mitsubishi Electric Corp. He was associated with development of distribution circuit breakers and ground-fault interrupters. Now, he is associated with Fukuyama Works.

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Development of Arc-Fault Circuit-Interrupter requirements for Photovoltaic systems

Cited by 49 publications

References 4 publications

Field test results of serial DC arc fault investigationson real photovoltaic systems

Field test results of serial DC arc fault investigationson real photovoltaic systems

Electrical and thermal finite element modeling of arc faults in photovoltaic bypass diodes.

Identification Technique of DC Series Arc-fault Strings in Photovoltaic Systems

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