COMPUTATION OF THE SELF-INDUCED MAGNETIC-FIELD IN CIRCUIT-BREAKER ARCS

This paper applies the computational fluid dynamics methodology to com pute arc-flow interaction in circuit breakers, The compressible Euler equations are used as the basic flow model, and source terms are added to represent the ohmic heating, the radiation transport, and the self -induced magnetic pressure in the plasma. The equations are solved by a finite-volume scheme for unstructured triangular grids, Numerical so lutions are obtained for a transient 32 kA are-flow interaction in a g eometry investigated experimentally by Jones et al. The experimentally measured pressure at the cathode tip is compared to computations perf ormed with and without the inclusion of the magnetic pressure term, Th e importance of these terms for high-current arc-flow interaction case s is confirmed and quantified.