Application of vacuum arc cathode spot model to graphite cathode

A model of near-electrode processes is applied here to describe the behavior of cathode spots on graphite cathode in vacuum arc. The physical model is based on a kinetic treatment of cathode evaporation, electron emission from the cathode, and plasma production. The model consists of physical assumptions and a system of equations that are formulated in the paper. Spot parameters, such as cathode erosion rate, cathode potential drop, cathode surface temperature, current density, electric field, and plasma density, temperature, and velocity in the near-electrode region are calculated numerically. The calculation includes the dependence of spot parameters on spot current and spot lifetime. The variation of spot parameters as a function of spot lifetime are very strong at lifetimes shorter than 10 μs. The calculations indicate that Joule heating in the cathode body is significant, and may exceed cathode heating by the ion heat flux. Calculated spot parameters are compared with the corresponding experimental data for relatively low arc currents (<100 A) and their agreement is discussed     

Numerical simulation of anode heat transfer of nitrogen arc utilizing two-temperature chemical non-equilibrium model

A detailed understanding of anode heat transfer is important for the optimization of arc processing technology. In this paper, a two-temperature chemical non-equilibrium model considering the collisionless space charge sheath is developed to investigate the anode heat transfer of nitrogen free-burning arc. The temperature, total heat flux and different heat flux components are analyzed in detail under different arc currents and anode materials. It is found that the arc current can affect the parameter distributions of anode region by changing plasma characteristics in arc column. As the arc current increases from 100 A to 200 A, the total anode heat flux increases, however, the maximum electron condensation heat flux decreases due to the arc expansion. The anode materials have a significant effect on the temperature and heat flux distributions in the anode region. The total heat flux on thoriated tungsten anode is lower than that on copper anode, while the maximum temperature is higher. The power transferred to thoriated tungsten anode, ranked in descending order, is heat flux from heavy-species, electron condensation heat, heat flux from electrons and ion recombination heat. However, the electron condensation heat makes the largest contribution for power transferred to copper anode.     

Measurement of Essentially Nonstationary Heat Fluxes by a Bismuth-Based Gradient Sensor

Technical Physics - The gradient heat flux sensor made of a bismuth single crystal is calibrated. The volt–watt sensitivity of the sensor is determined and the method of data processing based...     

A self-consistent analytical model of arc spots on electrodes

A simple model of quasi-stationary electrode spots in arc discharges is presented. For a given dependence of parameters of the near-electrode plasma layer on the local surface temperature and on the voltage drop in the layer, the model allows one to evaluate integral parameters of the spots without using empirical parameters such as the value of the electric current per spot or arbitrary suppositions such as the principle of minimum voltage. Analytical formulas are obtained for the spot radius, integral heat flux removed by heat conduction, and the electric current per spot     

电弧特性及其对熔池形貌影响的数值模拟

通过电弧模型与熔池模型耦合数值模拟,研究了氩弧和氦弧特性及其对SUS304不锈钢钨极惰性气体保护（TIG）焊熔池形貌的影响.通过比较氩弧和氦弧的温度轮廓线以及阳极表面电流密度和热流密度分布发现,氦弧的径向距离比氩弧收缩明显,导致更多热量传递给阳极.模拟了氩弧和氦弧下浮力、电磁力、表面张力和气体剪切力分别对熔池形貌的影响.结果表明：不论是在氩弧还是在氦弧下熔池中表面张力是影响熔池形貌的最主要驱动力.在氩弧下,影响熔池形貌的另一个重要的驱动力是气体剪切力,而氦弧下则是电磁力.由于电磁力引起的内对流运动增加了熔深,从而导致相同氧含量时氦弧下的熔深和焊缝深宽比要高于氩弧下的熔深和焊缝深宽比.随着氧含量的增加,氩弧和氦弧下的焊缝深宽比均先增加而后保持不变.焊缝深宽比的模拟结果与实验结果符合较好. 关键词： 氩弧 氦弧 电弧特性 熔池形貌     

On the Heat Sources of the Arc Cathode Spot

The main heat sources of the are cathode root are ion impact and neutralization heating at the surface and Joule (resistance) heating in the volume of the cathode. The ratio II_ji between these two components of cathode power supply is investigated, it depends only on J/a (spot current divided by spot radius). In the case of Cu cathodes both components are equal if J/a = 9.17A/_μm, and their contributions to the increase of the spot temperature are equal if J/a = 10.25 A/_μm. This holds approximately even if the electron emission cooling is taken into account (by inclusion in the surface power supply). In the real (non-stationary) arc spot the influence of resistive heating is rather low (between 0.1 and 1 percent of the total power supply in the case of clean surfaces), with the exception of the explosive emission processes, where the Joule heat generation is comparable with or even superior to the surface heating processes by impact or possibly electron emission (Nottingham effect). The time average of the Joule component relative to the impact power input depends on the role of such essentially non-stationary processes in the arc spot regime. An estimate of this ratio II_j,ie basing on theoretical investigations and experimental experiences results in 0.01 ? II_j,ie ? 1.     

Cathodic and Anodic Spot Phenomena on Rotating Electrode Disks and Plasmatron Electrodes

The arc spot life time and velocity before reaching melting temperature have been calculated for different electrode materials. They vary between 10^?10 to 10^?14 s and 10² to 10⁶ m/s for heat flux densities of 10⁹ to 10¹² W/m². The experimental examination of such results was carried out by means of fast rotating electrode disks and tubular electrodes in plasmatrons. The measurements resulted in life times of more than 10^?5 s with erosion rates from 10^?10 to 10^?2 g/As and electrode spot diameters ranging from 0,01 to 5 mm while the heat flux density varied between 10⁷ to 10¹² W/m². Ten different types of continuous traces, single spots, and craters have been found. Some spot phenomena, the high erosion rates of rotating disks and the similarity of ignition events have been clarified for electrodes made from good conductive materials and less conductive. But the melting and boiling of the spot surfaces was inevitable in all cases.     

Vacuum Arc Anode Phenomena

This paper briefly reviews anode phenomena in vacuum arcs, specially experimental work. It discusses, in succession, arc modes at the anode, anode temperature measurements, anode ions, transitions of the arc into various modes (principally the anode spot mode), and theoretical explanations of anode phenomena. The two most common anode modes in a vacuum arc are a low current mode where the anode is basically passive, acting only as a collector of particles emitted from the cathode, and a high current mode with a fully developed anode spot. Characteristically this anode spot has a temperature near the atmospheric boiling point of the anode material and is a copious source of vapor and energetic ions. However, other anode modes can exist. A low current vacuum arc with electrodes of readily sputterable material may emit a flux of sputtered atoms from the anode. Usually this sputtered flux will have little effect upon the vacuum arc, but in certain circumstances it could be significant. A vacuum arc doesn't always transfer directly from a low current mode to the anode spot mode. In appropriate experimental conditions, formation of an anode spot may be preceded by the formation of an anode footpoint. This footpoint is luminous, but much cooler than a true anode spot. Finally, (again in appropriate circumstances) several small anode spots may form instead of one large anode spot. With sufficient increase in arc current or arcing time these will usually combine to form a single large active spot.     

Study of dynamics of thin liquid layer breakdown under conditions of spot heating and formation of a droplet cluster

Breakdown dynamics was studied experimentally for the horizontal layers of various liquids (ethanol, water) with the thickness of 300 μm under the conditions of spot heating from the substrate. The main stages of the process of liquid layer breakdown were determined, and time of dry spot formation was measured. Time of dry spot formation for ethanol at the heat flux of 12.6 W/cm² was 7.85 s, and for water at the heat flux of 117 W/cm², it was 0.13 s. It was found that for both working liquids, a residual layer appears in the region of spot heating before liquid layer breakdown. It is shown that together with the thermocapillary effect, evaporation is one of the main factors affecting dynamics of liquid layer breakdown and dry spot formation.     

Vacuum arc cathode spot grouping and motion in magnetic fields

Two of the important vacuum arc phenomena observed when the arc runs in a transverse magnetic field are cathode spot grouping and the cathode spot retrograde motion, i.e., in the anti-Amperian direction. This paper summarizes the main experimental observations and proposes a physical model for spot grouping and spot retrograde motion. The proposed spot motion model take in account the previous theoretical model of the cathode thermal regime and the plasma flow near the cathode surface that is based on two conditions: i) the heat loss in the cathode bulk is relatively small to the heat influx, and ii) the plasma flow in the Knudsen layer is impeded. In the present model, the current per group spot is calculated by assuming that the plasma kinetic pressure is comparable to the self-magnetic pressure in the acceleration region of cathode plasma jet. The model includes equations for the current per spot group, spot velocity dependence on the magnetic field and on the arc current in vacuum, as well as in gas filled arc gap. The calculated currents per spot group and spot velocity increase linearly with the magnetic field and arc current, and this dependencies well agree with previous observations. The cathode spot retrograde motion in short electrode gaps and at atmospheric pressure arcs, and the reversal motion in strong magnetic fields (>1 T) observed by Robson and Engel are discussed. The details of the retrograde motion observed in the last decades including the spot velocity dependence on the electrode gap, roughness, temperature, and material could be understood in the frame of the proposed model.     

热流传感器传热特性电弧风洞实验及数值模拟

高超声速飞行器面临剧烈的气动加热环境, 电弧风洞是飞行器防热材料地面考核筛选的主力设备。热流密度是电弧风洞重要的模拟参数之一, 需要进行准确有效的测量。针对电弧风洞气流环境特点, 开展传统塞式量热计和新型同轴热电偶的对比测热试验, 并采用数值模拟对两种热流传感器的传热特性进行了分析。在电弧风洞平板自由射流试验热流密度分布在0~1 100 kW/m2范围内, 同轴热电偶的热流密度测试试验结果相对塞式量热计偏低10%~15%。数值模拟结果表明, 塞式量热计本身结构热物性参数不匹配会导致热流密度测量数值偏高至少10%, 而同轴热电偶测量数值偏高最大仅为2.19%, 相对塞式量热计具备更高的测量精度。同时, 电弧风洞中不同材质热流密度测试模型使用同轴热电偶进行测热试验时, 需要在同轴热电偶同模型之间增加适当厚度的不锈钢套以满足传感器周围环境的热匹配。      

Modeling and Measurement of the Initial Anode Heat Fluxes in Pulsed High-Current Arcs

An anode heat flux model has been developed for pulsed high-intensity dc arcs. The model is based on temperature-time-history measurements of the rear face of a very thin plane anode and high-speed streak photographs of the arc. The arc heat flux model is derived from a comparison of experimental data with an analytical solution of the one-dimensional heat conduction equation and the arc intensity and timing information obtained from high-speed photographs. A simplified input heat flux model consisting of connected segments of linearly varying heat fluxes with respect to time is used. Duration of the individual segments is determined from the streak photographs and the graphical match of measured rear-face temperature history and the numerical solution. Results using argon gas at atmospheric pressure indicate an initial transient heat flux regime of 100-?s duration with a peak heat flux of 2 × 109 W/m2 followed by a quasi-steady heat flux regime with a heat flux of 1 × 108 W/m2.     

Heat transfer and cold cathode erosion in electric arc heaters

A simple thermophysical model is proposed for cold electrode erosion in electric arc heaters. The model regards erosion as characterized by an effective enthalpy of electrode material ablation, resulting in heat unbalance between heat supply and heat removal by conduction. Replacing the arc spot by a moving surface heat source, the space-time evolution of the electrode surface temperature is studied in coordinates coupled to the source. Applying heat diffusion equations, we show that the erosion problem can be represented by a system of three simple equations. An experimental coaxial setup, with a magnetically driven arc, has been used for the erosion measurements in copper electrodes. Special thermal experiments were carried out for measuring needed arc spot parameters. A comparison of the model with our own and other experimental data demonstrates a reasonable agreement. The present model reveals the relative significance of the different parameters in the erosion process, and permits us to predict the erosion behavior in cold electrode electric arc heaters in a wide range of parameters     

Photographic appearance of high-current vacuum arcs prior to and during anode spot formation

This article presents the results of research on the photographic appearance of a highcurrent vacuum arc between butt type copper electrodes a of 30–80 mm diameter and a fixed gap of 10 mm. Current pulses of up to 30 kA peak amplitude at an initial value of (di/dt)₀ from 1–10kA/ms and a duration of approximately 14 ms were applied. Arcs were photographed with a high-speed framing camera, mostly at 10⁴ frames/s. A detailed study of discharge modes in phase transition from a high-current diffuse arc to a constricted arc with an anode spot was conducted. Most of the measurements were obtained at a peak current slightly in excess of 10 kA for electrodes of 55 mm diameter. It was found that at peak current exceeding moderately the threshold value of the onset of anode spot formation, the arc is characterized by the following main features: the formation of an anode spot and an anode plasma jet occurs concurrently with a local concentration of cathode spots; the anode spot is, most often, formed on the electrode edge; the coexistence of very varied structures of spots on the cathode; the lack of considerable constriction of the cathode discharge; the pseudo-periodic shrinking and expansion of the area occupied by cathode spots; the existence of a relatively dark space separates the anode plasma jet from the plasma sheath near the cathode surface; the plasma space distribution in the interelectrode gap is non-uniform and non-stationary.This work was supported by State Committee for Scientific Research within the research project No. 3 P40101507.     

Structure and parameters of vacuum arc cathode spots

The effect of such parameters of cathode materials as the heat of atom evaporation, atomic weight, work function of electrons on the structure of cathode spots of a vacuum arc, conditions of charged particle generation, and, most important, the F-emission of electrons, is considered. Determining the interrelation of cathode parameters and processes in a vacuum arc cathode spot helps develop conditions for a vacuum arc to effectively modify the surfaces of materials.     

药芯焊丝脉冲TIG电弧增材制造电弧特性研究

对药芯焊丝脉冲TIG电弧增材制造电弧特性展开研究。利用高速摄像拍摄不同熔敷层脉冲电流条件下的电弧与熔滴过渡图片,对高速摄像图片进行分析,发现焊丝熔化过程存在“滞熔”现象,导致熔滴过渡存在渣桥过渡与液桥过渡两种接触过渡方式,在脉冲峰值电流较小的50/100 A电流参数下,出现熔滴断续的渣桥过渡的频率最高。熔滴过渡影响电弧温度场与药粉成分在电弧中的分布,利用光谱诊断分析熔敷过程中在不同脉冲峰值电流与脉冲基值电流条件下电弧温度场及药粉成分在电弧中的分布。利用点阵法测量得到各点光谱数据,根据Boltzmann图法计算各点温度,将各点温度拟合得到完整电弧温度场,结果表明,焊丝从钨极轴线前（左）侧送入,吸收电弧热量并且对电弧有扰动作用,电弧前侧温度低于电弧后（右）侧,电弧前侧尺寸稍小于后侧;随着熔敷层数增加,降低峰值电流,电弧收缩,高温区面积相对减小,低温区面积相对增大。电弧最高温度区域出现在钨极下方1~2 mm的范围,大约为13 000~15 000 K,脉冲峰值电流越大则最高温度区域面积越大。在脉冲基值电流时期,由于电流小,电弧面积相比于峰值时期要小得多,焊丝与电弧相互作用减弱,电弧温度场基本关于钨极轴线对称分布。选择药芯焊丝中特有的Na元素的NaⅠ589.6 nm谱线对其分布点进行标记,拟合绘出不同脉冲峰值电流与基值电流下药粉元素在电弧中的分布情况,结果表明,电流越小,药粉运动高度越低,在不同的脉冲峰值电流下药粉均没有沾染到钨极上,在不同的脉冲峰值电流与脉冲基值电流下 Na元素均偏电弧后侧分布,说明焊丝自电弧前侧送入熔池后,在电弧前侧的电弧中没有出现药粉强烈的喷发现象,而是进入熔池进行冶金反应。接触过渡解决了碱性焊丝工艺性差的问题,电弧较为稳定,避免药粉喷发损伤钨极,熔敷过程稳定进行。     

Characteristics of a Transpiration Cooled Argon ARC

The constrictor wall heat flux characteristics of a high intensity argon arc with a transpiration cooled constrictor are discussed. An apparatus utilizing a segmented plenum chamber is described which provides in contrast to previous experiments more uniform constrictor wall temperatures. This permits lower total transpirant mass flow rates so that laminar flow within the constrictor tube can be maintained. A significant amount of data agrees with the theoretical prediction that the heat flux to the constrictor wall decreases with increasing transpirant mass flux. Data are presented referring to the total energy distribution for the device and the modes of dissipation of heat from the constrictor wall. The effects of turbulence are shown to influence the heat flux to the constrictor, the electric field strength, and the temperature distribution in the arc column.     

Analytical calculation of cathode spot parameters on the electrode surface in arc discharge

The model of a heat transfer in the cathode spot on an electrode in the arc discharge is developed and analytical expressions for the spot radius and temperature as the functions of basic characteristics of the discharge and the electrode material are obtained. The dependence of the spot radius on the voltage drop of the cathodic discharge, which is consistent with results of numerical simulation, is calculated.     

活性剂等离子弧焊焊接电弧的光谱与热分析

针对活性剂等离子弧焊焊接过程,利用光谱分析方法对活性剂等离子弧焊焊接电弧进行光谱分析,采用红外热像伪着色法测定活性剂等离子弧焊焊接电弧温度场,并建立活性剂等离子弧焊焊接电弧热流密度径向分布模型,对焊接电弧的成分及焊接电弧温度场进行了研究。研究结果表明,常规等离子焊焊接电弧以氩原子和氩一次电离离子的谱线为主,金属蒸气谱线不突出,焊接电弧以气体粒子为主,属于气体电弧;活性剂等离子弧焊焊接电弧的光谱中氩原子及氩一次离子谱线的辐射强度增强,Ti,Cr,Fe金属谱线大量涌现;活性剂等离子弧焊焊接电弧的温度分布比较紧凑,温度场外形窄,温度分布范围较集中,电弧径向温度梯度较大;电弧径向温度分布呈现正态Gauss分布模式。     

Characteristic features of the emission properties of pulsed broad-beam ion and plasma sources utilizing the evaporation of metal by a vacuum arc

An experimental confirmation was obtained of the anode potential fall effect in pulsed broad-beam ion and plasma sources utilizing the evaporation of metal by a vacuum arc. An increase in the overall voltage across the arc discharge was discovered. The investigations demonstrated that the magnitude of the positive anode fall depends on the structural features of the ion source and are determined by the ratio of the plasma flux directed onto the lateral surface of the anode to the total plasma flux from the cathode spot. It was established that the anode fall effect is controlled and makes it possible to influence the homogeneity of the ion current distribution over the beam cross section, the efficiency of extracting ions from the plasma, and the charge composition of the ion flux.Scientific-Research Institute of Nuclear Physics, Polytechnic University, Tomsk. Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 2, pp. 82–92, February, 1994.