1997 Volume 117 Issue 6 Pages 838-844
This paper presents a new, practical method of simulating the behavior and the shape of arcs driven by magnetic force in a gas. This simulation method is very useful in designing electric devices using magnetically driven arc technique. First, we describe the arc model. In this model, the arc is assumed to be a chain of small rigid cylindrical current elements. Each element receives Lorentz's force from the magnetic field and a fluid drag force from the surrounding gas. Owing to the similarity between an arc and a rigid column, the drag force of the arc is expressed by that of the column. The element moves with the velocity determined by these forces. Consequently, we can obtain the behavior and the shape of the whole arc. Finally, a simulation example is shown. We have obtained the arc is given the spiral shape by the magnetic field. This simulation result illustrates the observation of arc.
The transactions of the Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan.B
The Journal of the Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan