Observation of vacuum arc cathode spot with high-speed framing camera

The distribution of cathode spots in a CuCr25 vacuum arc controlled by an axial magnetic field and ignited on the lateral surface of the cathode is investigated for long gap distances, from the processing of high-speed video images. The processing method includes also estimating the current carried by a single spot and reconstructing the distribution of the current density at the cathode. Various distributions depending partly on the arc current are described.

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Experimental Research on CuCr Contacts Cathode Spots with Material Properties

Advanced Materials Research ◽

10.4028/www.scientific.net/amr.1021.200 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 1021 ◽

pp. 200-204

Author(s):

Guo Shun Xu ◽

Guo Lin Wu ◽

Jin Wu Zhuang

Keyword(s):

Material Properties ◽

High Speed ◽

Cathode Spot ◽

Metal Vapor ◽

Vacuum Arc ◽

Contact Material ◽

Vacuum Switch ◽

Spot Group ◽

Upper Limit ◽

Research Platform

Vacuum arc is supported by metal vapor which comes from cathode spots, the research on cathode spots can reveal the nature of vacuum arc, this will help improve the breaking capacity of the vacuum switch. This paper constructs the research platform which is based on vacuum arcing chamber, the contact material is CuCr50, through high-speed camera on the cathode spots, analysis found that: cathode spots usually consist of multiple micro spots, these spots stay together and form a micro-spot group; the minimum maintain current of a single micro spot is 7A, and the upper limit current is 25A; the upper limit current of a single cathode spot is 100A; along with the increase of current, the division of the micro-spot group will be more and more obvious, and eventually evolve into multiple independent cathode spots.

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The cathode spot of a vacuum arc

Uspekhi Fizicheskih Nauk ◽

10.3367/ufnr.0125.197808c.0665 ◽

1978 ◽

Vol 125 (8) ◽

pp. 665-706 ◽

Cited By ~ 63

Author(s):

G.A. Lyubimov ◽

V.I. Rakhovskii

Keyword(s):

Cathode Spot ◽

Vacuum Arc

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Energy Balance on Current Density Distribution of Cathode Spot in Vacuum Arc

IEEJ Transactions on Power and Energy ◽

10.1541/ieejpes.139.302 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 139 (5) ◽

pp. 302-308 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Shinji Yamamoto ◽

Soshi Iwata ◽

Toru Iwao ◽

Yoshiyasu Ehara

Keyword(s):

Energy Balance ◽

Density Distribution ◽

Current Density ◽

Cathode Spot ◽

Current Density Distribution ◽

Vacuum Arc

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Electric Explosion of Liquid Metal Jets in the Cathode Spot of a Vacuum Arc

2020 7th International Congress on Energy Fluxes and Radiation Effects (EFRE) ◽

10.1109/efre47760.2020.9242191 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Igor Uimanov ◽

Gennady Mesyats

Keyword(s):

Liquid Metal ◽

Cathode Spot ◽

Electric Explosion ◽

Vacuum Arc

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Cathode spot motion in vacuum arc of zinc cathode under oxygen gas flow

IEEE Transactions on Plasma Science ◽

10.1109/27.964460 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 29 (5) ◽

pp. 713-717 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

R. Miyano ◽

Y. Fujimura ◽

H. Takikawa ◽

T. Sakakibara ◽

M. Nagao

Keyword(s):

Cathode Spot ◽

Gas Flow ◽

Vacuum Arc ◽

Oxygen Gas ◽

Spot Motion

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Simulation of vacuum arc cathode spot movement between transverse magnetic field contacts

AIP Advances ◽

10.1063/5.0025585 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

pp. 015324

Author(s):

Hao Jing ◽

Junfei Yang ◽

Xianhai Pang ◽

Shixin Xiu

Keyword(s):

Magnetic Field ◽

Transverse Magnetic Field ◽

Cathode Spot ◽

Transverse Magnetic ◽

Vacuum Arc

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Study of ion separation mechanism in the multi-component vacuum arc discharge

Plasma Sources Science and Technology ◽

10.1088/1361-6595/ac43c5 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Qiang Sun ◽

Qianhong Zhou ◽

Hantian Zhang ◽

Wei Yang ◽

Ye Dong ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Heavy Ions ◽

Cathode Spot ◽

Arc Discharge ◽

Fluid Model ◽

Composite Cathode ◽

Plasma Jets ◽

Vacuum Arc ◽

Separation Mechanism ◽

Ion Separation ◽

Light Ions

Abstract The separation phenomenon of light and heavy ions was widely observed experimentally in the vacuum arc discharge with multi-component composite cathode. In this work, a two-dimensional axisymmetric multi-fluid model is used to study the separation mechanism in the multi-component composite cathode vacuum arc. The multi-component vacuum arcs are simulated as a whole which includes separate cathode spot jets, the mixing region, and common arc column. The results show that the plasma jets originated from the separate cathode spot mix together to form a common arc column after a certain distance from the cathode. Due to the rapid increase of ion temperature dozens of times in mixing region of cathode spot jet, the effect of pressure gradient becomes far greater than that of the collisions between light and heavy ions. This leads to a shift in the predominant ion motion mechanism from ion-ion collision (single cathode spot jet region) to pressure expansion (the mixing region). Finally, the light ions gain higher velocities under pressure expansion. In addition, the effect of thermal conductivity and viscosity leads to the wider high temperature regions for light ions, thus making a wider distribution of corresponding ion flux. The numerical results are qualitatively consistent with the experimental results. This paper provides an insight into ion separation mechanism in the multi-component vacuum arc.

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