Arc Foot Motion, Current Distribution, Arc Short-Circuiting and Arc Clogging in an Air-Blast Interrupter

Tests are conducted in a commercial air-blast interrupter. The arc foot motion on the nozzle surface and the arc behavior are studied after contact separation for currents up to 25 kA rms. Arc short-circuiting between the arc column and the nozzle surface, and the distribution of the current in the arc foot during normal motion of the arc in the nozzle and during arc clogging are measured using special probes embedded in the nozzle.