Since mid-year, a new four-year research project titled ‘Prediction of Dielectric Strength of Low-Voltage Circuit Breakers (DCB)’ has been underway. The project, funded by the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic, addresses the growing need for modern circuit breakers and switches, which are essential for the transition to sustainable and smart energy grids.
With the development of carbon-free technologies such as photovoltaic systems, electric vehicle charging stations, and smart homes, the demand for new types of low-voltage circuit breakers is growing. These devices must not only be powerful and reliable but also capable of communication within smart grids. The development of such equipment is slowed by the need to undergo demanding dielectric tests after short-circuit trials – tests that cannot yet be reliably predicted through simulations.
The project on predicting the dielectric strength of low-voltage circuit breakers aims to overcome this obstacle. The research team will focus on developing new modeling tools that will enable not only the simulation of the switching arc during a short circuit but also its impact on surface conductivity inside the breaker. This will make it possible to estimate in advance whether the device will pass the dielectric test—significantly accelerating the entire development process.
This new research project brings together an interdisciplinary team of experts from both academia and industry. From the Plasma Diagnostics and Modelling research group at the Department of Plasma Physics and Technology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, and the CEPLANT center, the team includes Dr. Zdeněk Bonaventura, Assoc. Prof. Pavel Dvořák, Dr. Monika Stupavská, Dr. Jana Jurmanová, and Peter Burda (pictured), who joined the team as a Ph.D. student. Another academic partner is Brno University of Technology (BUT), led by Dr. Jiří Valenta. The industrial partner is Eaton Elektrotechnika s.r.o., a long-term research collaborator of the Plasma Diagnostics and Modeling group. The project lead at Eaton Elektrotechnika s.r.o. is Dr. Stanislav Kadlec.
The project has the potential to transform the way next-generation circuit breakers are designed and tested. By combining advanced modeling with experimental validation, it will be possible to develop devices faster, more efficiently, and with greater reliability.
CEPLANT researchers Assoc. Prof. Jaroslav Hnilica and Dr. Peter Klein recently collaborated with SHM, s.r.o. in Šumperk as part of the project “Senzorika pro 21. století”, focusing on diagnostics of industrial deposition processes and machine optimization. The partnership connects plasma research with industrial practice, driving innovation in sensor technologies.
Dr. Martina Mrkvičková from the Plasma Diagnostics and Modelling reasearch group at CEPLANT and DPPT completed a two-week research stay at Ruhr University Bochum within the COLOSSE program, focusing on advancing EFISH plasma diagnostics and exploring innovative upgrades to improve measurement sensitivity and efficiency.
