See

discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: http://www.researchgate.net/publication/258495354

Numerical Simulation of High-Current Vacuum

Arcs Under Axial Magnetic Fields With
Consideration of Current Density Distribution
at Cathode

ARTICLE in IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON PLASMA SCIENCE · NOVEMBER 2011

Impact Factor: 0.95 · DOI: 10.1109/TPS.2011.2166565

CITATIONS DOWNLOADS VIEWS

5 4 59

6 AUTHORS, INCLUDING:

Shenli Jia Ling Zhang

Xi'an Jiaotong University Xi'an Jiaotong University
136 PUBLICATIONS 319 CITATIONS 16 PUBLICATIONS 66 CITATIONS

SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE

Lijun Wang Zongqian Shi

Xi'an Jiaotong University Xi'an Jiaotong University
81 PUBLICATIONS 208 CITATIONS 90 PUBLICATIONS 260 CITATIONS

SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE

Available from: Lijun Wang

Retrieved on: 06 July 2015
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON PLASMA SCIENCE, VOL. 39, NO. 11, NOVEMBER 2011
Numerical Simulation of High-Current Vacuum Arcs
Under Axial Magnetic Fields With Consideration of
Current Density Distribution at Cathode
Shenli Jia, Member, IEEE, Ling Zhang, Lijun Wang, Bin Chen, Zongqian Shi, and Wei Sun
Abstract—Based on a 2-D magnetohydrodynamic model, high-
current vacuum arcs (HCVAs) under axial magnetic fields (AMFs)
with consideration of current density distribution at the cathode
are simulated and analyzed. The current density distribution at
the cathode used in the simulation is obtained by processing the
image of cathode spots from experiments. In order to study the
influence of current density distribution at the cathode on vacuum
arc characteristics, HCVA is simulated under two kinds of current
density distribution at the cathode. Then, for HCVA simulation
in a half-sinusoidal period, the current density distribution at the
cathode and the AMF delay are both taken into account. The
simulation results show that the nonuniform current density at
the cathode makes the values of the arc plasma parameters in
the interelectrode region larger and their radial distribution more
nonuniform than the uniform current density at the cathode. The
more uniform current density at the cathode and the stronger
AMF at the moments in the second 1/4 cycle make the values
of the arc plasma parameters in the central region smaller and
their radial distribution broader than those in the first 1/4 cycle.
In addition, the simulation results will also be compared with the
experimental results.
Index Terms—Axial magnetic field, current density distribution
at the cathode, high-current vacuum arc (HCVA), magnetic field
delay.
I. I NTRODUCTION
V ACUUM arc is essentially a metal vapor arc in a vacuum
environment. The interelectrode plasma of vacuum arc
present in vacuum interrupters consists of ionized metal vapor
of the electrode material. The predominant effect of electrode
activity makes the research of vacuum arc more difficult. When
the arc current is not very high, the interelectrode plasma is
mainly supplied by cathode spots. The distribution of cathode
spots has a direct influence on the parameter distributions of
arc column. The current study of vacuum arc is mainly based
on experiments.
Manuscript received April 8, 2011; revised July 29, 2011; accepted
August 22, 2011. Date of publication September 19, 2011; date of current
version November 9, 2011. This work was supported by the National Natural
Science Foundation of China under Project 50907045, by the State Key
Laboratory of Electrical Insulation and Power Equipment Fund under Grant
EIPE10306, and by the Doctoral Fund of the Ministry of Education of China
under Grants 200806981052 and 20090201110015.
The authors are with the State Key Laboratory of Electrical Insulation
and Power Equipment, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China
(e-mail: sljia@mail.xjtu.edu.cn; ling_kexin313@163.com; lijunwang@
mail.xjtu.edu.cn; binchen1986@126.com; zqshi@mail.xjtu.edu.cn;
sw.3109160020@stu.xjtu.edu.cn).
Color versions of one or more of the figures in this paper are available online
at http://ieeexplore.ieee.org.
Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/TPS.2011.2166565
0093-3813/$26.00 © 2011 IEEE
3233
Numerical simulation technology is one of the important
tools for the deep research of high-current vacuum arc (HCVA).
At present, several researchers have proposed several kinds
of vacuum arc models. The most typical models have been
proposed by Boxman [1], Keidar et al. [2], [3], Schade and
Shmelev [4], [5], and our research group [6], [7]. Boxman cal-
culated mass flow and current flow independently, Keidar et al.
[2], [3] considered a magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) model
of vacuum arcs, and Schade and Shmelev considered energy
conservation in [4], later they considered anode evaporation in
[5]; anode evaporation was taken into account. In our previous
research works, vacuum arc was simulated based on a two-
temperature MHD model [6], [7]. In the models [1]–[6], the
cathode spots (current density at cathode) are assumed to be
uniformly distributed on the entire cathode surface or within
the effective part of the cathode. In the model [7], a nonuniform
distribution of cathode spots was considered. According to
the simulation results ([7, Figs. 15 and 16]), it was found
that, with consideration of nonuniform distribution of current
density at the cathode, the distributions of axial current density
at the anode and heat flux density to the anode were more
nonuniform. However, the nonuniform distributions of current
density at the cathode used in the simulation were simplified
and linear distributions.
In this paper, based on the MHD model developed by our
group, HCVAs under AMFs with consideration of current
density distribution at the cathode are simulated and analyzed.
The current density distribution at the cathode is obtained by
processing the image of cathode spots from experiments. The
simulation results are also compared with the experimental
results.
II. N UMERICAL S IMULATION
A. Physical and Mathematic Model
The physical and mathematical model of vacuum arc used
in this paper is the same as that in [6] and [7]. Based on
the conservation equations of mass, momentum, and energy,
Maxwell’s equations, and the generalized Ohm’s law, the set
of governing equations is as follows:
∂ni ur ∂ni uz ni ur
+ +
∂r ∂z r
=
0 (1)

∂ur ∂ur
mi ni uz + ur
∂z ∂r
3234 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON PLASMA SCIENCE, VOL. 39, NO. 11, NOVEMBER 2011

 
∂ (ni kTi ) ∂(ne kTe ) boundary condition of the cathode side for the magnetic field
=− +
∂r ∂r transport equation.
+ (j

θ z B − j B
z θ ) +  · (τ̄ i )r
∇ ¯ (2) For the cathode side, the electron temperature is about
∂uz ∂uz 1.5 eV, the ion temperature is about 10 eV, and the mean charge
mi ni uz + ur number of ions is 1.85. The boundary condition of the cathode
∂z ∂r

 (z = 0) for the magnetic field transport equation is described
∂(ni kTi ) ∂(ne kTe )
=− + by using the current density distribution at the cathode jc (r)
∂z ∂z
+ jr Bθ + ∇ · (τ̄¯i )z (3) 2πr


 µ0
3kTi mi u2 Bθ (r, z = 0) = jc (r)rdrdθ. (11)
∇ · ni u + + ∇ · (pi u) 2πr
2 2 0 0
3kme ne νei
= ∇·(λi ∇Ti )+ (Te −Ti )+∇·(τi ·u) (4) For the anode side, the anode is assumed to be still in the


mi 
3kTe me v 2 passive state. Between the anode and the adjacent plasma,
∇ · ne v + + ∇ · (pe v) the anode sheath is considered. The anode is considered as
2 2

 an equipotential surface. According to this condition and the
kTe 5k 2 ne Te
+ ∇ · −gT j · − ∇Te generalized Ohm’s law, the boundary condition of the anode
e 2me νei side for the magnetic field transport equation is obtained
3kme ne νei j2 k∇Te

=− (Te − Ti ) + + gT j · (5) ∂Bθ 1

m i  σ e = −µ0 σ −vz Bθ − jθ Bz
1 ∂z ne e
−∇· ∇Bθ 
µ0 σ 1 ∂Pe k ∂Te ∂ϕsh
∂vθ Bz ∂vz Bθ ∂vr Bθ + + gT · + . (12)
= − − ne e ∂r e ∂r ∂r
∂z
∂z ∂r
1 ∂σ ∂σ Here, ϕsh is the potential drop of the anode sheath.
− 2 jz − jr
σ ∂r ∂z The boundary condition of the anode side for the electron


1 ∂Bθ ∂σ ∂Bθ ∂σ energy conservation equation is described by [4]
+ +
µ0 σ 2 ∂z ∂z ∂r ∂r


 2kTe
1 ∂pe ∂ne ∂pe ∂ne 1 Bθ 2.5ne kvz Te + qez = ne evz · − ϕsh . (13)
+ 2 − − · 2 (6) e
ne e ∂z ∂r ∂r ∂z µ0 σ r
ne ≈ zi ni (7) The MHD equations are calculated by the CFD software
jr jz 1 Fluent (control volume approach). A detailed discussion can be
vr = u r − , vz = uz − , vθ = − jθ (8)
ne e
ne e  ne e found in [6].
1 ∂Bθ 1 ∂Bθ Bθ
jr = − , jz = + ,
µ0 ∂z µ0 ∂r r
jθ = βe (jr − ne eur ) (9) C. Images of Cathode Spots and Current Density
j 1 1 k∇Te Distributions at Cathode
∇ϕ = − +u×B− j×B+ ∇pe +gT . (10)
σ ne e ne e e The current density distribution at the cathode is obtained
by processing the image of cathode spots from experiments.
Here, mi is the ion mass, me is the electron mass, ni is the The experiments were conducted in a demountable stainless-
ion density, ne is the electron density, u is the ion velocity, steel vacuum chamber with an internal pressure on the order of
v is the electron velocity, Ti is the ion temperature, Te is the 10−4 Pa maintained by a turbomolecular pump. The sinusoidal
electron temperature, k is the Boltzmann constant, pi = ni kTi current with a frequency of 50 Hz and a root-mean-square (rms)
is the ion pressure, pe = ne kTe is the electron pressure, j is the value of 15 kA was supplied by an LC circuit. The vacuum arc
current density, B is the magnetic field, τ̄¯i is the viscosity stress was ignited by a triggering spark within a hole with a diameter
force, λi is the ion thermal conductivity, νei is the electron–ion of 3 mm at the center of the cathode. Images of arc columns
collision frequency, σ is the electrical conductivity, zi is the and cathode spots were photographed through the observation
mean charge number, e is the electron charge, µ0 is the vacuum window with a high-speed digital camera (Phantom v10) with
permeability, βe is the electron Hall coefficient, and ϕ is the an exposure time of 2 µs and a frame rate of 17 000/s. A pair of
electrical potential. gT is selected as 3/2. The subscripts r, z, commercial cup-shaped AMF electrodes shown in Fig. 1 was
and θ represent the radial, axial, and azimuthal components, used in the experiments. The electrode diameter was 58 mm,
respectively. the material of the contact plate was OFHC copper, and the
electrode separation was fixed at 10 mm. The current curve is
shown in Fig. 2.
The images of the cathode spots at different moments are
B. Boundary Conditions and Calculation Method
shown in Fig. 3. Based on the approach proposed in [8], the
The boundary conditions of the cathode and anode are spec- images of cathode spots can be numerically processed, by
ified by using the same way as that in [6], [7], except the which the reconstruction of the cathode spots on the cathode
JIA et al.: NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF HIGH-CURRENT VACUUM ARCS UNDER AMFs
Fig. 1. View of the cup-shaped Cu AMF electrodes used in the experiment.
Fig. 2. (Current curve) Half-wave sinusoidal current with 15 kA (rms).
Fig. 3. Images of cathode spots with cup-shaped Cu electrode at I = 15 kA
(rms), D = 58 mm, and d = 10 mm.
surface can be carried out. Fig. 4 shows an example of image
processing.
The reconstructed cathode spots can be used to obtain the
distribution of azimuthally averaged current density on the
cathode surface based on the basic assumption that every cath-
ode spot carries the same current. First, the cathode surface is
equally divided into some homocentric annulus. Second, the
azimuthally averaged current density in each annulus at any
radial position (the black scattered dot shown in Fig. 5) can be
calculated by accumulating the current carried by each cathode
spot within the annulus and dividing the accumulated current
by the area of the annulus. Then, based on the current density in
3235
Fig. 4. Example of image processing. (a) Original image of cathode spots at
a current peak of 15 kA (rms). (b) Reconstructed cathode spots on elliptical
cathode surface. (c) Real positions of cathode spots on round cathode surface.
Fig. 5. Radial distribution of azimuthally averaged current density. The black
scattered dot represents the averaged current density in the annulus where it
locates. The red dotted line represents the seventh-order polynomial fitted curve
of the current density distribution, which is fitted based on the black scattered
dot. The blue line has an exponential distribution, which is fitted based on the
arc current and the red dotted line.
each annulus, the fitted curve of the current density distribution
(the red dotted line shown in Fig. 5) can be obtained, where
the data were fitted by a seventh-order polynomial. Due to the
difference between the fitted curve and the actual distribution,
the result obtained by integrating the seventh-order polynomial
fitted curve over the whole cathode surface may not equal the
3236 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON PLASMA SCIENCE, VOL. 39, NO. 11, NOVEMBER 2011

Fig. 6. Current density distributions corresponding to the images of cathode spots with cup-shaped Cu electrode at I = 15 kA (rms), D = 58 mm, and
d = 10 mm.

arc current. Moreover, due to the hole at the center of the
cathode, the current density near the cathode center is zero,
causing the difficulty of treating the current density distribution
at the cathode in the arc simulation. To solve the problems
mentioned earlier, an exponential fitted curve (the blue line
shown in Fig. 5) is adopted, which is fitted based on the arc
current and the seventh-order polynomial fitted curve and used
in the arc simulation. The current density distributions at the
cathode, corresponding to each image of the cathode spots, are
shown in Fig. 6.
D. AMF Distributions
The transient AMF distribution was computed by the com-
mercial software ANSYS. First, the interelectrode region was
simplified as a cylindrical conductor with the same diameter
JIA et al.: NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF HIGH-CURRENT VACUUM ARCS UNDER AMFs 3237

Fig. 7. Distributions of axial magnetic field at the midgap plane at different

moments. From down to up are 1, 2, 9, 3, 8, 4, 7, 5, and 6 ms (at I = 15 kA
(rms), D = 58 mm, and d = 10 mm).

Fig. 8. Distribution of current density at the cathode at t = 5 ms, I = 15 kA

(rms), D = 58 mm, and d = 10 mm.

as the contact plate, and the conductivity in this region was

assumed to be homogeneous. Then, the current distribution in
the electrodes and the “cylindrical conductor,” and the magnetic
field distribution were simulated. According to the simulated
results, the current density is uniformly distributed on the
midgap plane, and the radial AMF distributions at the midgap
plane at different moments are shown in Fig. 7. The AMF
generated by the azimuthal component of the current flowing
through the cup behind the contact is mainly determined by the
electrode structure. Due to the little effect of the cylindrical-
conductor radius on the distribution and magnitude of AMF
[9], it can be concluded that the current distribution in the arc
column has little influence on the AMF distribution. Thus, the
AMF was calculated before the arc simulation.
III. S IMULATION R ESULTS
The influence of current density distribution at the cathode on
vacuum arc characteristics was simulated and analyzed. In the
simulation, a copper electrode with 58-mm diameter was se-
lected, the electrode separation was 10 mm, and the sinusoidal
arc current had a frequency of 50 Hz and an rms value of 15 kA
(the same as the experimental conditions). First, HCVA at the
peak value of arc current (t = 5 ms) was simulated under two
Fig. 9. Radial distributions of the plasma parameters on the anode surface at
I = 15 kA (rms), D = 58 mm, and d = 10 mm. (a) Axial current density.
(b) Electron temperature. (c) Heat flux density to the anode.
kinds of current density distribution at the cathode. Then, with
consideration of current density distribution at the cathode and
AMF delay, the dynamic process of HCVA was simulated and
analyzed.
A. Influence of Current Density Distribution at Cathode
Two kinds of current density distribution at the cathode are
shown in Fig. 8. In Fig. 8, “nonuniform jc ” comes from the blue
solid line in Fig. 5. In the simulation, the AMF distribution,
coming from the curve for t = 5 ms in Fig. 7, and other
boundary conditions are the same for the two cases. Then, the
typical results will be given and analyzed.
3238
Fig. 10. Distribution of axial current density at t = 5 ms. (a) Uniform jc .
(b) Nonuniform jc at I = 15 kA (rms), D = 58 mm, and d = 10 mm.
Fig. 11. Radial distributions of axial current density on the anode surface at
different moments at I = 15 kA (rms), D = 58 mm, and d = 10 mm.
The radial distributions of axial current density, electron tem-
perature, and heat flux density to the anode on the anode surface
are shown in Fig. 9. It can be found that the current density
distribution at the cathode has a significant influence on the
plasma parameter distribution in the arc column. With uniform
jc , the plasma parameters in the central region are smaller, and
their radial distributions are broader. On the other hand, with
nonuniform jc , the plasma parameters in the central region
are larger, and their radial distributions are more nonuniform.
The nonuniform jc makes severer current constriction than the
uniform jc . Larger current density leads to larger Joule heating,
further leading to higher electron temperature and larger heat
flux density to the anode.
Fig. 10 shows the axial current density distributions of
vacuum arc. For the contour figures in this paper, the upper
is the anode, and the lower is the cathode. It can be seen
that the current density distribution in the interelectrode gap,
especially near the cathode, is closely related to the current
density distribution at the cathode. With uniform jc , current
constriction near the anode is more significant than that near the
cathode. With nonuniform jc , current constriction gets much
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON PLASMA SCIENCE, VOL. 39, NO. 11, NOVEMBER 2011
Fig. 12. Radial distributions of electron temperature on the anode surface at
different moments at I = 15 kA (rms), D = 58 mm, and d = 10 mm.
Fig. 13. Radial distributions of heat flux density to the anode at different
moments at I = 15 kA (rms), D = 58 mm, and d = 10 mm.
severer, and current constriction near the cathode becomes more
significant than that near the anode.
In vacuum arc, the plasma density is not as dense as that in
gas arc. The Hall term of the generalized Ohm’s law (the third
term on the right side of (10)) cannot be neglected because it is
the main reason that causes current constriction. Larger jz and
larger Bθ make stronger Hall electric field, leading to severer
current constriction. Near the anode, current constriction is
mainly due to the Hall Effect, which is related to the current
density distribution. On the other hand, near the cathode, cur-
rent constriction is determined by the current level [10] and the
boundary condition at the cathode. With uniform jc , the slight
current constriction near the cathode is due to the high-current
level. With nonuniform jc , current constriction near the cathode
is enhanced by the nonuniform current density at the cathode.
B. Influence of Current Density Distribution at Cathode and
Magnetic Field Delay
With consideration of AMF delay, the AMF values at a
discrete moment in the second 1/4 cycle are larger than those
at the corresponding moment in the first 1/4 cycle. In addition,
jc at the moment in the second 1/4 cycle is more uniform than
that at the moment in the first 1/4 cycle.
Taking jc and AMF delay into account, HCVA was sim-
ulated at nine discrete moments (1, 2, . . . 9 ms). The radial
JIA et al.: NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF HIGH-CURRENT VACUUM ARCS UNDER AMFs
Fig. 14. Axial current density distribution at different moments (from t = 1 ms to t = 9 ms) at I = 15 kA (rms), D = 58 mm, and d = 10 mm.
distributions of axial current density, electron temperature, and
heat flux density to the anode on the anode surface are given
at nine discrete moments, as shown in Figs. 11–13. It can be
seen that the plasma parameters are smaller and their radial
distributions are more uniform at a discrete moment in the
second 1/4 cycle than those at the corresponding moment in
the first 1/4 cycle. This is mainly due to the larger AMF and
more uniform jc at a moment in the second 1/4 cycle. As the
arc current increases, the difference of radial distribution of the
aforementioned plasma parameters reduces, which is because
the differences of AMFs and the current densities at the cathode
at two corresponding moments decrease.
The distributions of axial current density in the interelectrode
region at nine discrete moments are shown in Fig. 14. It can be
seen that, as the sinusoidal current increases, current constric-
tion gets severer. With lower arc current, current constriction
near the cathode is slighter than that near the anode, which
is because current constriction near the cathode is mainly
determined by the cathode boundary condition. With higher
arc current, the extent of current constriction near the cathode
exceeds that near the anode, which is because the higher
current level enhances current constriction near the cathode. A
comparison between the axial current density distributions at
two corresponding moments when the arc currents are equal
has been made, but the distributions of current density at the
cathode and AMF are different (e.g., two images on the same
horizontal line in Fig. 14, at t = 1 ms and t = 9 ms). It can be
seen that the axial current density distribution at the moment in
the second 1/4 cycle is more uniform than that at the moment in
3239
the first 1/4 cycle. This is because a more uniform jc can make
the arc current distribution more uniform in the interelectrode
region and a stronger AMF can prevent arc constriction more
efficiently.
IV. C OMPARISON W ITH E XPERIMENT
A. Comparison With the Images of Arc Columns
Nine images of arc columns at discrete moments (from t =
1 ms to t = 9 ms) are shown in Fig. 15 on the right side. In the
experiments, images of arc columns were photographed first;
the aperture of the digital high-speed camera was 8. As it can be
seen from Fig. 15, the arc column is too bright. In the following
experiments, in order to detect the cathode spots clearer, the
aperture of the digital high-speed camera was increased to 16.
Therefore, the arc column looks brighter than the cathode spots
at the same moment.
The distributions of the ion density integrated along the path
of view at these nine moments are shown on the left side of
Fig. 15. Based on the approach proposed in [11], the plasma is
assumed to be optically thin, the absorption within the plasma
can be neglected, and the light emission coefficient is assumed
to be proportional to plasma density. Therefore, the calculated
light intensity has the same distribution as the ion density
integrated along the path of view.
The arc column is brighter in the arc center and darker at
the edge; the arc column becomes brighter with the increase of
arc current but becomes darker with the decrease of arc current.
3240 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON PLASMA SCIENCE, VOL. 39, NO. 11, NOVEMBER 2011

Fig. 15. Vacuum arc with I = 15 kA (rms), D = 58 mm, and d = 10 mm. The calculated light intensity distributions from the simulation results are on the left
side, and the experimental arc images are on the right side. The two images on the horizontal line represent the results at the same moment. For each image, the
anode is at the top and the cathode is at the bottom.

The maximum of the calculated light intensity locates in the current. Thus, they have the same distribution and the same
arc center, and the calculated light intensity increases with the change tendency. At t = 1 ms, the arc image shows that the
increase of arc current but decreases with the decrease of arc interelectrode plasma has not filled the whole interelectrode
JIA et al.: NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF HIGH-CURRENT VACUUM ARCS UNDER AMFs
Fig. 16. (a) Appearance of anode after experiments of 15-kA current (rms).
(b) Temperature distribution on anode surface.
region, and the brightest area locates in the central region near
the cathode center, but at t = 9 ms, the interelectrode plasma
has occupied the whole interelectrode region, and the arc is
darker than that at t = 1 ms. The calculated light intensity at
t = 9 ms is smaller, and its radial distribution is more uniform
than that at t = 1 ms. It can also be seen that the arc constriction
at t = 2 ms is severer than that at t = 8 ms. The comparison
of the calculated light intensity distributions at t = 2 ms and
t = 8 ms also indicates that the arc constriction is more serious
at t = 2 ms. With the increase of arc current, as the AMF delay
decreases simultaneously, both experimental and simulation
results show that there is less difference between the results at
two corresponding moments in the half-wave.
B. Comparison With the Appearance of Anode
The appearance of anode after the experiments of 15-kA
current (rms) is shown in Fig. 16(a). It can be seen that the
anode is still passive, and no obvious melting can be found.
Based on the heat flux density to the anode shown in Fig. 13
and the anode activity model proposed by our research group
[12], the anode thermal process was simulated, and the tem-
perature distribution on the anode surface shown in Fig. 16(b)
can be obtained. It can be found that the maximum temperature
(about 1160 K) is below the melting point of copper (1356 K),
and the anode is still in solid state.
Both simulation and experimental results show that no obvi-
ous melting can be found on the anode surface.
3241
From the previous comparisons and analysis, it can be known
that the simulation results are in agreement with the experimen-
tal results.
V. D ISCUSSION
When the arc current is not very high, the cathode spots
are the only source of the interelectrode plasma. One function
of the cathode spots is to provide for the current continuity for
the cathode. The distribution of current density at the cathode
is related to the distribution of cathode spots and the mean
current passed by a cathode spot. According to the experiments
by Chaly et al. [13], for low-current vacuum arc, the mean
current passed by a cathode spot depended on the magnetic
field. Moreover, for AMF-stabilized developed HCVAs, it is
assumed that all cathode spots carry the same mean current
[14]. Based on the assumption that every cathode spot carries
the same current, the distribution of current density at the
cathode is determined by the distribution of cathode spots.
The distribution of cathode spots can be affected by many
factors. The influence of gap distance, current, and AMF on
the dynamics of cathode spots has been investigated [15]–[18].
At different stages of arc development [19] and for different
material electrodes [15], [20], the cathode spots were observed
to have different distributions. Recently, a concentration of
cathode spots has been observed in the area that faces the
area of anode melting [21]. In our experiments, the gap dis-
tance is fixed, the contact material is OFHC copper, and no
obvious melting is observed on the anode surface. Therefore,
the different distributions of cathode spots are related to the
changing current, the delayed AMF, and the different stages of
arc development.
According to the experimental results, the cathode spots con-
centrate in the central region of the cathode, and the azimuthal
distribution of the cathode spots is nonuniform due to the
slots on the electrode surface. To simplify the calculation and
analyze qualitatively, the current density is depend on the radial
position, independent on azimuth angle.
The current density distribution at the cathode has a sig-
nificant influence on the distribution of the parameters in the
arc column. The nonuniform current density at the cathode
can cause severer current constriction than the uniform current
density at the cathode. Current constriction near the cathode,
due to the high-current level and the nonuniform current density
at the cathode, can cause high heat flux density to the cathode,
leading to the erosion of the cathode. Larger current density
leads to larger heat flux density to the anode, which can make
the anode melt and vaporize, further leading to the erosion of
the anode and the decrease of interruption capability.
In the simulation of the dynamic process of HCVA, the cur-
rent density distribution at the cathode was taken into account,
as well as the magnetic field delay. The simulation results
showed that the arc plasma parameters in the central region
are smaller, and their radial distributions are more uniform at
moments in the second 1/4 cycle than those in the first 1/4 cycle.
This is because the AMF is larger and the radial distribution
of current density is more uniform at the cathode at a moment
in the second 1/4 cycle. The change tendency of the plasma
3242
parameters is similar to that with consideration of magnetic
field delay [22]. However, with consideration of nonuniform
current density at the cathode, the values of the plasma parame-
ters in the central region get larger. In addition, the differences
between the results at two corresponding moments are more
obvious due to the different current densities at the cathode at
two corresponding moments.
In our experiments, the arc current is not very high, and the
heat flux density to the anode is not enough to make the anode
melt and vaporize. Therefore, the anode is still passive, and the
evaporation of anode can be neglected. With higher arc current,
an intense heat flux density to the anode will make the anode
temperature exceed its melting point, and then, the anode vapor
should be considered.
From the arc column image at t = 9 ms shown in Fig. 15,
there seems to be separate jets appearing near the cathode. Two
regions exist in the interelectrode region: individual channels
produced by the individual cathode spot, and a common chan-
nel formed by the expanded and mixed jets. In the simulation,
in order to simplify the calculation and make comparison easily,
based on the assumption that the common channel occupied
most of the interelectrode region, the arc model is the same
as that for other cases. In the future, for further research, the
separate jets should be contained in the arc model for lower
current.
VI. C ONCLUSION
Based on the MHD model, the influence of current density
at the cathode on the characteristics of HCVA has been simu-
lated. According to current simulation results and analysis, the
following conclusions can be drawn.
The distribution of current density at the cathode has a sig-
nificant effect on the parameter distribution in the arc column.
The nonuniform current density at the cathode causes severer
current constriction and larger heat flux density to the anode.
The more uniform current density at the cathode and the
stronger AMF make the values of the arc plasma parameters
in the central region smaller and their radial distributions more
uniform at moments in the second 1/4 cycle than those in the
first 1/4 cycle during a half-wave current.
The simulation results are in agreement with the experimen-
tal results.
R EFERENCES
[1] R. L. Boxman, “Magnetic constriction effects in high-current vacuum
arcs prior to the release of anode vapor,” J. Appl. Phys., vol. 48, no. 6,
pp. 2338–2345, Jun. 1977.
[2] M. Keidar and M. B. Schulman, “Modeling of the effect of an axial
magnetic field on the high-current vacuum arc,” in Proc. 19th ISDEIV,
Xi’an, China, 2000, pp. 210–213.
[3] M. Keidar, M. B. Schulman, and E. D. Taylor, “Model of a diffuse column
vacuum arc with cathode jets burning in parallel with a high-current
plasma column,” IEEE Trans. Plasma Sci., vol. 32, no. 2, pp. 783–791,
Apr. 2004.
[4] E. Schade and D. Shmelev, “Numerical simulation of high current vacuum
arcs in external axial magnetic fields,” IEEE Trans. Plasma Sci., vol. 31,
no. 5, pp. 890–901, Oct. 2003.
[5] E. Schade and D. Shmelev, “Numerical modeling of high current vacuum
arcs in external axial magnetic fields taking into account essential anode
evaporation,” in Proc. 21st ISDEIV, Yalta, Ukraine, 2004, pp. 411–414.
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON PLASMA SCIENCE, VOL. 39, NO. 11, NOVEMBER 2011
[6] L. Wang, S. Jia, Z. Shi, and M. Rong, “Numerical simulation of vacuum
arc under different axial magnetic fields,” J. Phys. D, Appl. Phys., vol. 38,
no. 7, pp. 1034–1041, Apr. 2005.
[7] L. Wang, S. Jia, Z. Shi, and M. Rong, “High current vacuum arc under
axial magnetic field: Numerical simulation and comparisons with experi-
ments,” J. Appl. Phys., vol. 100, no. 11, p. 113 304, Dec. 2006.
[8] V. P. Afanas’ev, A. M. Chaly, A. A. Logatchev, S. M. Shkol’nik, and
K. K. Zabello, “Computer-aided reconstruction of cathode images ob-
tained by high speed photography of high current vacuum arcs,” IEEE
Trans. Plasma Sci., vol. 29, no. 5, pp. 695–699, Oct. 2001.
[9] K. Nitta, K. Watanabe, K. Kagenaga, T. Mori, E. Kaneko, H. Somei, and
H. Takahashi, “Three-dimensional magnetic field analysis of electrodes
for VCBs,” IEEE Trans. Power Del., vol. 12, no. 4, pp. 1520–1525,
Oct. 1997.
[10] L. Wang, S. Jia, L. Zhang, D. Yang, Z. Shi, F. Gentils, and B. Jusselin,
“Current constriction of high-current vacuum arc in vacuum interrupters,”
J. Appl. Phys., vol. 103, no. 6, p. 063 301, Mar. 2008.
[11] W. Shang, E. Dullni, H. Fink, I. Kleberg, E. Schade, and D. Shmelev, “Op-
tical investigations of dynamic vacuum arc mode changes with different
axial magnetic field contacts,” IEEE Trans. Plasma Sci., vol. 31, no. 5,
pp. 923–928, Oct. 2003.
[12] L. Wang, S. Jia, D. Yang, K. Liu, G. Su, and Z. Shi, “Modelling and
simulation of anode activity in high-current vacuum arc,” J. Phys. D, Appl.
Phys., vol. 42, no. 14, p. 145 203, Jul. 2009.
[13] A. M. Chaly, A. A. Logatchev, K. K. Zabello, and S. M. Shkol’nik, “Effect
of amplitude and inclination of magnetic field on low-current vacuum
arc,” IEEE Trans. Plasma Sci., vol. 35, no. 4, pp. 946–952, Aug. 2007.
[14] S. M. Shkol’nik, V. P. Afanas’ev, A. M. Chaly, A. A. Logatchev,
S. I. Malakhovsky, I. N. Poluyanova, and K. K. Zabello, “Distribution of
cathode current density and breaking capacity of medium voltage vacuum
interrupters with axial magnetic field,” IEEE Trans. Plasma Sci., vol. 33,
no. 5, pp. 1511–1518, Oct. 2005.
[15] A. M. Chaly, A. A. Logatchev, and S. M. Shkol’nik, “Cathode spot dy-
namics on pure metals and composite materials in high-current vacuum
arcs,” IEEE Trans. Plasma Sci., vol. 25, no. 4, pp. 564–570, Aug. 1997.
[16] A. M. Chaly, A. A. Logatchev, and S. M. Shkol’nik, “Cathode processes
in free burning and stabilized by axial magnetic field vacuum arcs,” IEEE
Trans. Plasma Sci., vol. 27, no. 4, pp. 827–835, Aug. 1999.
[17] A. M. Chaly, “Magnetic control of high current vacuum arcs with the aid
of an axial magnetic field: A review,” IEEE Trans. Plasma Sci., vol. 33,
no. 5, pp. 1497–1503, Aug. 2005.
[18] Z. Shi, S. Jia, X. Song, Z. Liu, H. Dong, and L. Wang, “The influence
of axial magnetic field distribution on high-current vacuum arc,” IEEE
Trans. Plasma Sci., vol. 37, no. 8, pp. 1446–1451, Aug. 2009.
[19] A. M. Chaly and S. M. Shkol’nik, “Low-current vacuum arcs with short
arc length in magnetic fields of different orientations: A review,” IEEE
Trans. Plasma Sci., vol. 39, no. 6, pp. 827–835, Jun. 2011.
[20] N. E. Perskiy, V. I. Sysun, and Y. D. Khromoy, “The dynamics of cathode
spots in vacuum discharge,” High Temp., vol. 27, no. 6, pp. 832–836,
Nov./Dec. 1989.
[21] Y. Matsui, A. Sano, H. Komatsu, H. Satou, and H. Saito, “Vacuum arc
phenomena under various axial magnetic field and anode melting,” in
Proc. 24th ISDEIV, Braunschweig, Germany, 2010, pp. 324–327.
[22] D. Yang, L. Wang, S. Jia, X. Huo, L. Zhang, K. Liu, and Z. Shi, “Dynamic
process of high-current vacuum arc with consideration of magnetic field
delay: Numerical simulation and comparisons with the experiments,” J.
Phys. D, Appl. Phys., vol. 42, no. 6, p. 065 204 (8pp), Mar. 2009.
Shenli Jia (M’98) received the B.S., M.S., and Ph.D.
degrees in electrical engineering from Xi’an Jiaotong
University, Xi’an, China, in 1989, 1993, and 1997,
respectively.
From July 1989 to September 1990, he was with
the High Power Laboratory, Xi’an High Voltage
Apparatus Research Institute, the most authorized
certification test laboratory in China, as a Test En-
gineer. He is currently a Professor with the State
Key Laboratory of Electrical Insulation and Power
Equipment, Xi’an Jiaotong University, where he is
also the Director of the High Power Laboratory. His fields of interest include
vacuum arcs and switches, high-power test technology, and application of arc
discharges in nanomaterial fabrication.
Dr. Jia is a Member of the Chinese Society for High Power Test Technology.
JIA et al.: NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF HIGH-CURRENT VACUUM ARCS UNDER AMFs 3243

Ling Zhang was born in Guangshui, China, on
March 13, 1983. She received the B.S. degree in elec-
trical engineering from Xi’an Jiaotong University,
Xi’an, China, in 2004, where she is currently work-
ing toward the Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering
in the State Key Laboratory of Electrical Insulation
and Power Equipment.
Her fields of interest include MHD modeling and
simulation of vacuum arcs.
Zongqian Shi was born in Datong, China, on April
17, 1975. He received the B.Sc., M.Sc., and Ph.D.
degrees in electrical engineering from Xi’an Jiaotong
University, Xi’an, China, in 1997, 2000, and 2004,
respectively.
He is currently an Associate Professor with the
State Key Laboratory of Electrical Insulation and
Power Equipment, Xi’an Jiaotong University. His
fields of interest include the theory and application
of vacuum arcs and high-speed dc interruption.

Lijun Wang was born in Weinan, China, on January

28, 1975. He received the B.Sc. degree from Xi’an
Wei Sun was born in Qiqihar, China, on May 25,
Jiaotong University, Xi’an, China, in 1997, the M.Sc.
1985. He received the B.S. degree in electrical en-
degree from the Shenyang University of Technology,
gineering from Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an,
Shenyang, China, in 2002, and the Ph.D. degree in
China, in 2009, where he is currently working toward
electrical engineering from Xi’an Jiaotong Univer-
sity in 2006. the M.S. degree in electrical engineering in the State
Key Laboratory of Electrical Insulation and Power
From 1997 to 1999, he was with the Xi’an High
Equipment.
Voltage Apparatus Research Institute and was en-
His fields of interest include MHD modeling and
gaged in the R&D of vacuum interrupters and circuit
breakers. He is also engaged in the research of MHD simulation of vacuum arcs and simulation of physical
fields in vacuum interrupters.
modeling and simulation of vacuum arcs and vacuum dc breaking technology.
He is currently with the State Key Laboratory of Electrical Insulation and Power
Equipment, Xi’an Jiaotong University.

Bin Chen was born in Huanggang, China, on March

1, 1986. He received the B.S. degree in electri-
cal engineering from the Huazhong University of
Science and Technology, Wuhan, China, in 2008.
He is currently working toward the M.S. degree in
electrical engineering in the State Key Laboratory
of Electrical Insulation and Power Equipment, Xi’an
Jiaotong University, Xi’an, China.
His fields of interest include MHD modeling and
simulation of vacuum arcs.