Three-dimensional nonequilibrium numerical modeling of arc-anode attachment in high-intensity argon arcs

Summary form only given, as follows. A three-dimensional numerical model has been developed to understand arc-anode attachment phenomena observed in direct-current electric arcs. The developed model fully couples a plasma flow with associated electromagnetic fields in a self-consistent manner. The electrons are assumed to have a separate Maxwellian distribution from the heavy particle one, based on the two-temperature model The species continuities are taken into account to consider chemical non-equilibrium. The species diffusion fluxes are calculated using the Self-Consistent Effective Binary Diffusion approximation. The electric and magnetic potential equations are coupled to obtain electric and magnetic fields with a well-defined current density, based on the species diffusion flux formulation. The governing equations are solved using the Finite Volume Method (FVM). The Gauss-Seidel Line Relaxation (GSLR) method is used to find out solutions of the linearized equations, using successive sweeps in two different directions in a three-dimensional domain. The model is applied to a high-intensity argon arc with the plasma flow along the arc axis directed towards the anode surface. An additional cold cross flow is imposed with varying velocities parallel to the anode surface and perpendicular to the plasma flow. The results show the arc attachment deflection and stability for the different conditions.