Reduce Insurance Premiums: ARCON Arc Fault Protection System for Wind Turbines.

Arc faults still occur in electrical power distribution systems in spite of all the necessary precautionary measures that may be implemented beforehand. The effects of arc faults are serious when they occur, and range from personal injury to extensive damage to switchboards, to weeks of downtime or even the exchange of the damaged power distribution system. The second generation of Moeller's ARCON arc fault protection system has been used successfully in low-voltage power distribution systems for six years. Builders and operators of wind turbines have now recognized their benefits for use in their field. ARCON is able to quench the arc fault in only two milliseconds - long before any serious damage to persons or to the switchboard can occur. The first integration tests at the renowned IPH testing laboratory in Berlin have impressively confirmed the capability of the system also in wind turbines.

The German Insurance Association (GDV) e.V. and its subsidiary the VdS Loss prevention have been looking at the issue of arc fault protection for a long time. Their philosophy is based on the principle: Prevention instead of limitation. The VdS thus certified the ARCON arc fault protection system as early as 2004. Since then, thanks to ARCON, customers using have been able to negotiate cheaper premiums with their property insurance.

The function of ARCON can be described quickly: The light emitted from the arc fault, as well as its short-circuit current, can be detected very easily. Special sensors connected to fibre-optic cables are laid along the active switchboard sections for detecting the light. Some of the extremely bright light of the arc fault enters the fibre optic cable radially and is transferred to the evaluation device where this information is processed. ARCON uses the current transformers present in the incomers to detect the second variable. If both detection variables exceed certain specified threshold values at the same time, the evaluation unit triggers the quenching device. This device produces a three-phase bolted short-circuit as close as possible to the incoming supply and parallel to the location of the fault. The current takes the path of least resistance and the arc fault is quenched. The entire process - consisting of detection, evaluation and quenching - is completed within two milliseconds.Once the causes of the fault have been rectified and the quenching device replaced, the switchboard is ready for service without any restriction.

Moeller GmbH, 53105 Bonn
Tel.: +49 (0)228 602-0
Fax: +49 (0)228 602-2275
E-Mail: presse@moeller.net
Internet: www.moeller.net
Please direct your enquiries to:
Corporate Communications, Tel.: +49 (0)228 602-2915

  (75 KB) Text as Word-File

  (1.3 MB) Image as ZIP-File