Arc-Fault Photovotlaic Reliability and Plasma Physics of Failure Investigations.

摘要: Unmitigated arc-faults present fire dangers, shock hazards, and cause system downtime in photovoltaic (PV) systems. The 2011 National Electrical Code® added section 690.11 to require a listed arc-fault protection device on new PV systems. Underwriters Laboratories created the outline of investigation for PV DC arc-fault circuit protection, UL 1699B, fo certifying arc-fault circuit interrupters (AFCIs) for arc suppression. Unfortunately, little is known about the physics of failure of arc-fault events, and appropriate trip times, which can vary by location in the PV system, different electrode and polymer encapsulant geometries and materials. In this investigation,