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A detailed analysis of the experimental results from an orifice flow arc during the quasisteady period following a peak current of 3 kA is presented. The velocity profile of the gas flow has been derived from the experimentally measured temperature profile and the axial and radial pressure distributions. It is shown that the total electric power dissipated in the arc column can be adequately taken into account without necessarily introducing the possible effects of turbulence. The analysis also yields an indication of the local energy balance. A simplified arc model, based on the integral method of arc analysis but including kinetic energy transport, total radiation loss, and compressibility effect has been established. The radiation is taken into account using an empirical relation derived from the experimental data of Strachan et al. Arc scaling parameters are introduced and experimental results obtained during the quasi-steady-state agree well with those predicted by the present arc model.

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