Welding Power Supply Control to Prevent Circuit Breaker Trips
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional welding power supplies often result in nuisance trips of circuit breakers, particularly AFCI-type circuit breakers, during welding operations due to sudden power losses and hard short circuits, which disrupt productivity and weld quality.
Innovation Solution
The development of advanced welding power supplies with power conversion circuitry and control circuitry that limit input and output currents during high-power events, such as hard short circuits, to prevent circuit limiter trips, and include user interfaces for configuring the type and amperage of circuit limiters to optimize power delivery and reduce nuisance trips.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If conventional welding power supplies operate during welding operations, then welding power is delivered to the weld, but circuit breaker trips occur due to hard short circuits and sudden power losses
Solution Approach 1:
The control circuitry is configured to detect hard short circuits and suddenly applied loads before they cause circuit breaker trips, and to respond by limiting output current and power. This preliminary detection and counter-action prevents the harmful effect of circuit breaker tripping while maintaining welding operation capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides protective current limiting and power reduction as a cushion against circuit breaker trips. By anticipating potential overload conditions through hard short circuit detection, the system cushions the electrical circuit from sudden power losses that would otherwise cause nuisance trips.
2Reliability
If output current is limited during hard short circuits, then circuit breaker trips are prevented, but weld quality and productivity may be affected
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts output current and power based on real-time detection of hard short circuits and suddenly applied loads. During normal welding operations, full power is delivered to maintain productivity. When hard short circuits are detected, the system dynamically reduces current and power to prevent circuit breaker trips, then restores normal operation when the condition clears.
Solution Approach 2:
The control circuitry continuously monitors for hard short circuits and suddenly applied loads, using this feedback to adjust output current and power levels. This closed-loop feedback ensures that current limiting is applied only when necessary to prevent circuit breaker trips, while maintaining optimal welding parameters during normal operation to preserve productivity.
Data Source
AI summary
Example welding power supplies include: power conversion circuitry configured to convert input power to welding power, and to output the welding power; and control circuitry configured to: in response to detecting a short circuit between a welding electrode and a workpiece, controlling the power conversion circuitry to increase a current of the welding power; and in response to identifying a predetermined condition that would cause a circuit limiter connected to the input power to trip, control the power conversion circuitry to reduce at least one of an input current of the input power or an output current of the welding power to avoid tripping the circuit limiter.