Decay of electrical conductance and temperature of arc plasmas

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Abstract
Calculations assuming thermal equilibrium have been made of properties of cylindrical arc plasmas which decay after the removal of the electric field. Account is taken of energy losses due to thermal conduction and radiation, self‐absorption effects being included where possible in the treatment of radiation. The maximum possible influence of radial convection is calculated by assuming that convective flow maintains a uniform pressure in space and time. Comparisons are made of the calculated decay of electrical conductance with experimental measurements, where available, for A, N2, SF6, H2, and air; curves are given showing the contributions of thermal conduction, convection, and radiation to the decay. The theoretical results underestimate the rapid decays of electrical conductance that have been observed for plasma temperatures of less than 10 000 °K in air, and less than 7000 °K in SF6, but good agreement between theory and experiment is obtained for argon. Information from rate coefficients supports the view that the rate of atomic recombination to form molecules is insufficient to maintain thermal equilibrium and as a result there is an enhanced rate of cooling. Theoretical transient temperature profiles in air are also compared with published experimental profiles.

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