Heat transfer and plasmatron electrode erosion

A simple thermophysical model is proposed for cold electrode erosion in electric arc heaters. The model regards erosion as characterized by an effective enthalpy for the change of state of the electrode material in the arc spot from solid to plasma. We show that the erosion problem can be represented by a system of three simple equations, based on the one -dimensional heat diffusion equation. The total heat flux in the arc spot can be represented by thermal volt-equivalent. The magnetically driven arc rotating between ring copper electrodes has been used for the experiments. The present model enables to reveal the relative significance of the different parameters in the erosion process and to predict the erosion behavior in cold electrodes electric arc heaters over a wide range of parameters.
Автор:  Marotta A., Sharakhovsky L. I., Borisyuk V. N.
Стр:  551-559