Spectroscopic Approach to the Analysis of High Current Arcs in SF6

Spectroscopic observations were carried out on transient free-burning arcs drawn by separating copper/tungsten electrodes in SF6 gas. The peak value of the arc current was varied up to 60 kA. A new optical method was developed to measure temperature and pressure profiles of the arc taking the magnetic pinch force into account. The arc voltage calculated from the obtained temperature and pressure profiles agreed well with electrical measurements. The results made it clear that the composition of the arc changes significantly at the critical instantaneous current of 10 kA. Above 10 kA the arc is composed of the electrode vapor, while it contains SF6 gas below 10 kA.