These slides were presented at the NAFEMS World Congress 2025, held in Salzburg, Austria from May 19–22, 2025.

Abstract

This paper handles the application of modern optimization software in dielectric design development of high voltage circuit breakers (HVCB) and shows how coupling of different simulation types can create more efficient workflows. Given the push to replace the circuit breaker insulation gas SF6 with more eco-efficient solutions, there is a need for high pace development and innovation. This necessitates new methods for HVCB development that enable the rapid finding of an optimal design given a large set of parameters and competing objectives. This multi-objective nature can be related to the varying conditions the HVCB must handle, or to different physical properties, such as mechanical and dielectric. A common challenge is to balance the different objectives and to understand all the inherent trade-offs in the design. The main purpose of this paper is to show a dielectric simulation optimization using the MOGA-II algorithm and compare the workflow to more traditional ones, such as a full factorial search. The comparison criteria include the time required to achieve the optimal design, the dielectric robustness of the 'œbest' found design, and the ability to effectively evaluate the compromise between competing objectives. In addition to the dielectric optimization, a new approach for coupling this workflow to optimization of mechanical properties of the HVCB is shown. This paper also details a new Python-based approach that reduces runtime by keeping simulation software clients active during large optimization runs. Initial findings indicate that the application of optimization algorithms like the MOGA-II gives a quicker route to an optimized design, while also enabling coupling of different optimization categories. As a result, new insights into the inherent objective trade-offs caused by the multi-objective nature in HVCB design can be found. These advancements have the potential to streamline the design process and can contribute to the development of more sustainable and efficient products.