Dynamic analysis of low-voltage air arc plasma during contact opening process

This paper aims at the research of the dynamic characteristic of low-voltage air arc plasma during the contact opening process. Based on the MHD (magnetohydrodynamic) theory, the dynamic grid technique was used to build the model of low-voltage air arc plasma. Through the calculation, the distributions of the arc column temperature and flow field during the contact opening process are acquired. The voltage variation of the arc column in different contact speed is also presented. Additionally, the experimental test is carried out and compared with the calculated result. The analysis shows that the flow field becomes stronger with the contact gap enlarged and the arc column expands continuously under the effect of the flow field. During the opening of the contact, the rise of the arc voltage with the time is not entirely linear.