Measurements of the current-zero behaviour of constant-pressure axial-flow electric arcs in nitrogen

It is shown that the equations for the arc in constant-pressure axial flow can be described in terms of nondimensional variables that account for the effects of changes in the gas-flow velocity, pressure, arc length and circuit-element values. Experiments in nitrogen confirm the predicted scaling laws for arcs with an impressed linear current wave, as well as arcs for which an added parallel capacitance causes a strong arccircuit interaction. Sinusoidal current waves up to 150 A peak were used at flow velocities up to 300 m/s and pressures up to 2.5 atm.