Experimental investigations of the anode boundary layer in high intensity arcs with cross flow

The anode boundary layer in high intensity arcs determines the anode lifetime and processing efficiency in many industrial applications and can be controlled by cold lateral gas flows (LGFs) parallel to the anode. In this paper, properties of the anode boundary layer in a high intensity argon arc with argon and nitrogen LGFs have been studied. Anode heat and current transfer and restrike frequency and restrike length have been measured using a segmented anode and a high speed camera. Electron temperature, electron density and current density have been measured by a Langmuir probe setup. The correlation between these properties and the previously defined arc attachment mode has been described and explained.