Why are vacuum circuit breakers so popular?

Vacuum circuit breakers have gradually replaced traditional oil circuit breakers and air circuit breakers, becoming the mainstream choice in the field of power system protection and control. So why are vacuum circuit breakers so popular?

Strong arc extinguishing ability and opening performance:

Vacuum circuit breakers utilize a high vacuum as the arc extinguishing and insulation medium. When the contacts separate and an arc is generated, in a vacuum environment, there are no ionizable gas molecules, allowing the arc to be extinguished extremely quickly and completely at the zero point of the current. Moreover, vacuum circuit breakers can reliably cut off short-circuit currents of up to several tens of kiloamperes, with more reliable response. They can also significantly reduce contact erosion and improve electrical lifespan. At the same time, the full opening speed of vacuum circuit breakers is fast, with the full opening time typically less than 40ms, which is conducive to system stability and reduces the risk of equipment downtime due to maintenance.

Long electrical lifespan and low maintenance requirements:

Since there are almost no harmful substances produced during the vacuum arc extinguishing process, the contact wear is extremely low. This makes its electrical lifespan far exceed that of traditional oil circuit breakers, with more full-capacity opening capacity times. The key point is that the vacuum arc extinguishing chamber of the core component adopts a fully sealed structure, and its internal state is not affected by external environmental conditions, so it can be maintained without maintenance during operation, which greatly reduces the operation and maintenance costs and the risk of equipment downtime due to maintenance.

High safety and environmental protection:

There is no flammable or explosive insulating oil or compressed gas inside the vacuum circuit breaker, eliminating the potential explosion and fire risks similar to oil circuit breakers, making it the optimal choice for high-risk locations such as coal mines, oil fields, and chemical plants. At the same time, the vacuum circuit breaker eliminates the harmful sulfur hexafluoride gas that affects the greenhouse effect. Its core vacuum medium is pollution-free, non-toxic, and has a simple and environmentally friendly process for waste disposal. Moreover, when cutting small inductive currents, its clamping value is relatively low, resulting in a smaller operating overvoltage, further enhancing the operational safety of the system.

Compact structure and strong adaptability:

The core application of vacuum technology significantly optimizes the overall design of the circuit breaker, making it exhibit excellent compactness and environmental adaptability. The volume and weight of the vacuum arc extinguishing chamber are much smaller than those of oil chambers or gas chambers required for the same voltage level, which directly leads to the refinement of the overall structure of the circuit breaker, saving a lot of valuable space for switch cabinets. At the same time, the operation energy required for opening and closing is low, allowing it to be matched with small-sized and highly reliable spring operating mechanisms. More importantly, due to the excellent sealing performance of the vacuum arc extinguishing chamber, the internal state of the circuit breaker can effectively isolate external environmental interference, even in complex and harsh conditions such as humid heat, pollution, and high altitudes where traditional switch equipment cannot operate stably, it can maintain excellent performance.