Technique, Applicable to Circuit Breakers, for the Measurement of the Spatial Distribution of the Current in an Arc

Abstract

A new technique has been developed for the measurement of the spatial distribution, at the electrode surface, of the current in a moving arc. In the case studied, the arc is driven by a. transverse magnetic field between two parallel electrodes. The technique is however also applicable to a gas blast arc. The technique is based on the measurement of the variation of the magnetic flux inside a cavity located below the electrode surface. This variation of the magnetic flux is shown here to be related to the spatial distribution of the current in the arc. The frequency response of the measuring system has been determined experimentally and is taken into account. Applications to circuit breakers are considered and discussed.