Influence of Ablation on Differential Arc Resistance

Abstract

The influence of ablation on the du/di behavior of an arc in a model gas circuit breaker was examined. Specifically the transition from a state without ablation in the nozzle towards states with ablation was of interest, since prior work indicated that for high currents the voltage becomes constant or du/di gets even positive if ablation is present. Measurements with different blow pressures and rectangular DC currents of varying amplitude were compared, using PMMA-nozzles and dry air as blowing gas. Ablation was measured by weighing the nozzle, scanning the cross section, and using a coordinate measuring machine. The results agreed well, and confirmed that higher pressure shifts the du/di curve towards more favorable values.