Research Progress and Prospects of High-Capacity Generator Circuit Breakers

YANG Fei; SUN Jinru; DIAO Zhaowei; WU Yifei; SUN Hao; WU Yi; ZHANG Jinbo; LI Gang; CHENG Li; RONG Mingzhe

doi:10.7652/xjtuxb202604002

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Research Progress and Prospects of High-Capacity Generator Circuit Breakers

Special Topic Outstanding Achievements in Natural Sciences of Xi'an Jiaotong University | 更新时间：2026-04-10

- Research Progress and Prospects of High-Capacity Generator Circuit Breakers
- Journal of Xi'an Jiaotong University Vol. 60, Issue 4, Pages: 15-28(2026)
- 作者机构：
  
  西安交通大学电气工程学院，710049，西安
  西安高压电器研究院股份有限公司，710077，西安
  西安西电开关电气有限公司，710077，西安
- 作者简介：
- 基金信息：
- DOI：10.7652/xjtuxb202604002
  CLC： TM561
- Received：28 September 2025，
  
  Online First：26 December 2025，
  
  Published：10 April 2026
- 稿件说明：
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YANG Fei, SUN Jinru, DIAO Zhaowei, et al. Research Progress and Prospects of High-Capacity Generator Circuit Breakers[J]. Journal of Xi'an Jiaotong University, 2026, 60(4): 15-28.
DOI：

YANG Fei, SUN Jinru, DIAO Zhaowei, et al. Research Progress and Prospects of High-Capacity Generator Circuit Breakers[J]. Journal of Xi'an Jiaotong University, 2026, 60(4): 15-28. DOI： 10.7652/xjtuxb202604002.

摘要

发电机断路器（GCB）作为百万kW级发电机组的关键保护设备，对于保障电力系统安全具有重要意义，但其开断技术仍面临短路电流巨大、直流分量衰减缓慢的严峻挑战。针对大容量GCB，系统地综述了其研究进展。首先，梳理了GCB的技术演进路径。压缩空气式GCB能够依赖强力气吹，但存在系统庞大、开断速度受限的缺点；压气及自能式结构的SF

式GCB凭借优异灭弧性能成为主流，但面临温室气体环保替代压力；真空式GCB具有环保、快速介质恢复和长寿命优势，成为目前重要的发展方向。其次，针对关键技术研究现状，梳理了SF

断路器中电弧特性仿真、介质恢复提升及气流场优化的相关研究；聚焦于大电流燃弧特性、电弧与电极相互作用及多断口均流机制；系统归纳了通过磁场调控与多断口并联技术攻克大电流开断的真空断路器前沿技术进展。最后，总结指出了大容量GCB研发领域中提升单断口开断极限、优化多断口协同控制并发展智能运维技术的未来发展方向，为形成全系列绿色产品、支撑新型电力系统建设提供理论参考与工程指导。

Abstract

Generator circuit breakers（GCB），serving as critical protection equipment for millionkilowatt generating units，are of significant importance for ensuring the safety of power systems. However，their interruption technology still faces severe challenges，including extremely high short-circuit currents and slowly decaying DC components.This paper systematically reviews the research progress of high-capacity GCB.Firstly，the technological evolution path of GCB is outlined.Compressed-air GCB rely on strong gas blast but suffer from disadvantages such as large system size and limited breaking speed.SF

GCB with puffer or self-blast designs have become mainstream due to their excellent arc-extinguishing performance，yet they are under pressure for environmentally friendly alternatives because of greenhouse gas concerns.Vacuum GCB，with advantages such as environmental friendliness，fast dielectri

c recovery，and long service life，have emerged as a maj or development direction.Secondly，regarding the current status of key technologies，relevant research on SF

circuit breakers—including arc characteristic simulation，dielectric recovery enhancement，and gas flow field optimization—is reviewed.Focus is placed on the arc characteristics under high currents，the interaction between arcs and electrodes，and the current-sharing mechanism in multi-break configurations.Furthermore，the cutting-edge technological advancements in vacuum circuit breakers for overcoming high-current interruption challenges，primarily through magnetic field control and multi-break parallel techniques，are systematically summarized.Finally，future development directions in the field of high-capacity GCB are pointed out，which include enhancing the interruption limit of single breaks，optimizing the coordinated control of multi-break systems，and developing intelligent operation and maintenance technologies.This work aims to provide theoretical reference and engineering guidance for developing a full series of green products and supporting the construction of new power systems.

关键词

Keywords

references

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