Abstract
The study addresses the post arc ablation (PAA) of PTFE (Polytetrafluoroethylene) material after being stressed by high current arcs. Arcs were generated in ambient air applying AC or DC current profiles to reach energy input in the range 7-22 kJ. The characterization has been performed essentially based on standard optical measurement techniques. The shadowgraph technique enabled us to show that the PAA flow is composed by a significant amount of carbonaceous soots lasting for several dozens of milliseconds after current interruption. The pyrometry technique allowed to estimate the soots temperature in the range 1400-2200 K.
Highlights
The understanding of the ablation process of PTFE (Polytetrafluoroethylene) material undergoing intense incident heat fluxes is of critical importance for the design and optimization of various systems such as space propulsion systems [1, 2], thermal protection systems for atmospheric entries [3, 4] and ablationassisted current interruption systems [5, 6]
The shadowgraph technique enabled us to show that the post arc ablation (PAA) flow is composed by a significant amount of carbonaceous soots lasting for several dozens of milliseconds after current interruption
In the case of high voltage circuit breakers based on self-blast approach [7], the knowledge of the PTFE ablative behavior after current interruption remains of considerable importance since it critically affects the arc breakdown voltage during the hot dielectric recovery phase
Summary
The understanding of the ablation process of PTFE (Polytetrafluoroethylene) material undergoing intense incident heat fluxes is of critical importance for the design and optimization of various systems such as space propulsion systems [1, 2], thermal protection systems for atmospheric entries [3, 4] and ablationassisted current interruption systems [5, 6]. In this later case, the ablation of the PTFE material interacting with high current arcs needs to be determined with enough accuracy in order to enable reliable prediction of the interrupting performances. The experimental investigations presented hereafter are aimed at characterizing the PTFE PAA after being stressed by high current arcs
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