Effects of an anode sheath on energy and momentum transfer in vacuum arcs

Wang, Zhenxing; Tian, Ying; Wang, Haoran; Wang, Jianhua; Geng, Yingsan

doi:10.1088/1361-6463/aa7615

Cited by 7 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…Boxman's model is commonly accepted in the community, and it is widely applied to calculate the anode input heat flux density in the literature. Based on the model of Boxman, Shmelev et al [42] and Wang et al [43] studied the anode sheath region using the PIC method. According to the simulation results, the ion kinetic energy should be considered in the heat flux calculation [43] as shown in the following equation:…”

Section: A Arc Modelmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Anode Input Heat Flux Density in High-Current Vacuum Arcs as Anode Spot Formation

Zhang¹,

Liu

et al. 2022

IEEE Trans. Plasma Sci.

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In vacuum interrupters, anode spot significantly decreases the current interruption capability. Generally, the anode spot is evaluated by the anode spot threshold current. Unfortunately, as a circuit parameter, arc current cannot explain the anode spot formation from the physical point of view. This work proposes the heat flux density as a new parameter to evaluate the anode spot. The objective of this study is to determine the anode input heat flux density as anode spot formation. The heat flux density is numerically obtained by a twotemperature magnetohydrodynamic model. Based on a previous systematic experimental work over a wide range of discharge conditions, the calculated critical anode input heat flux density located in a narrow range from 7.3 × 10 8 to 11.3 × 10 8 W/m 2 . Compared with the arc current, the anode input heat flux density is a key parameter in the interaction between the vacuum arc column and the anode; moreover, the heat flux density has a close relationship with both the arc distribution and the anode activity. Therefore, heat flux density is a reasonable physical parameter to reveal the mechanism of the anode spot formation.

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Section: A Arc Modelmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Based on the model of Boxman, Shmelev et al [42] and Wang et al [43] studied the anode sheath region using the PIC method. According to the simulation results, the ion kinetic energy should be considered in the heat flux calculation [43] as shown in the following equation:…”

Section: A Arc Modelmentioning

confidence: 99%

Anode Input Heat Flux Density in High-Current Vacuum Arcs as Anode Spot Formation

Zhang¹,

Liu

et al. 2022

IEEE Trans. Plasma Sci.

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“…In addition, the effect of the anode sheath is taken into account at the anode, which accelerates the speed of the ions hitting the anode [34]. The anode sheath potential ϕ sh is expressed as [35]:…”

Section: Boundary Conditionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Three-dimensional hybrid plasma modeling of anodic sputtering in vacuum arcs

Cao¹,

Li²,

Wang³

et al. 2021

Plasma Sources Sci. Technol.

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In this paper, a three-dimensional plasma jet model based on a hybrid algorithm was developed to study the sputtering phenomena during the interaction between the vacuum arc plasma jet and the anode. To improve the balance between accuracy and efficiency of the simulation model, heavy particles (ions and atoms) were treated as particles, while electrons were considered as a massless fluid. The Monte Carlo collision method was used to model inelastic collisions between heavy particles and electrons. In addition, the anode in this model did not only act as a passive current collector, but may also emit atoms into the gap when hit by heavy particles. The simulation results show that the anode is sputtered by the impact of high-speed ions from the plasma jet, and a stream of atoms is generated from the part of the anode surface that is in contact with the plasma. Some of the sputtered atoms are ionized into Cu 1+ ions by colliding with electrons during their movement from the anode to the cathode. As a result of the production of these new ions, the Cu 1+ ions density may exhibit a bimodal distribution with one peak near the cathode and the other near the anode. Furthermore, the ions can be divided into two groups according to their velocity distribution: high-speed ions moving from the cathode to the anode and low-speed ions moving in the opposite direction. These findings reveal that the sputtering process between the plasma and the material surface has a great influence on the energy distribution function of the ions in the plasma, which has often been ignored by researchers in previous studies.

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“…Hence, we must discuss the scaling law of collision processes. In general, the frequency ν and probability P of collisions during a period of ∆t can be expressed as [20]:…”

Section: Scaling Law For Particles Collisionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The most recent numerical methods of applied-field MPD thrusters are particle-in-cell with Monte Carlo collision (PIC/MCC) algorithms [15][16][17][18]. The PIC/ MCC model based on single particle motion can capture the dynamic transport phenomenology of all plasma species and describe the properties of the sheaths [19,20]. Although this model is extremely useful to provide thorough insight into discharge, the considerable amount of calculations involved is challenging.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Study of scaling law for particle-in-cell/Monte Carlo simulation of low-temperature magnetized plasma for electric propulsion

Li¹,

Wu²,

Tan³

et al. 2019

J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys.

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Particle-in-cell/Monte Carlo collision (PIC/MCC) algorithms are an outstanding numerical method for predicting the kinetic characteristics of discharge plasma. However, heavy computational costs limit its application, especially in large-scale plasma simulations. To investigate the distribution properties of plasma in magnetoplasmadynamic (MPD) thrusters, we used a scale reduction method called scaling law to simplify and accelerate the PIC/ MCC simulation. In this method, the physical processes, including the particle motion and collisions, of discharge plasma remained unchanged, thereby preserving the similarity of the discharge system before and after scaling. On the basis of the scaling law, all the scaling schemes of the relevant physical quantities were obtained. We verified the scaling law by analysing the electron trajectories and densities in electromagnetic fields at different scaling factors. The scaling methodology shows great advantages in reducing the total computation and the time to achieve the convergence of the simulation. Therefore, the PIC/MCC model with the scaling law provides an efficient and in-depth understanding of the discharge plasma in MPD thrusters.

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Effects of an anode sheath on energy and momentum transfer in vacuum arcs

Cited by 7 publications

References 42 publications

Anode Input Heat Flux Density in High-Current Vacuum Arcs as Anode Spot Formation

Anode Input Heat Flux Density in High-Current Vacuum Arcs as Anode Spot Formation

Three-dimensional hybrid plasma modeling of anodic sputtering in vacuum arcs

Study of scaling law for particle-in-cell/Monte Carlo simulation of low-temperature magnetized plasma for electric propulsion

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