Neutral Atom Density at Current Zero in Interruption of Intense-Mode Vacuum Arc

Neutral atom density in intense-mode vacuum arc just before current zero as a determinant factor for the current interruption success or failure was measured by Shack-Hartmann laser wavefront sensors. The electrode selected in this study was Cu50Cr50 wt.% and the contact diameter of 6 mm. 50-Hz sinusoidal current of 2 kA
rms
or 4 kA
rms
was applied to the electrode gap and current of 1 kA
p
was superimposed just before current-zero point, and transient recovery voltage with height of 25 kV was applied to the electrode gap at current zero. The neutral atom density in the 4.5-mm gap was about 2.5–4.0 × 10
¹⁹
m
^-2
for the current of 2 kA
rsm
, and 5.0–8.0 × 10
¹⁹
m
^-2
for the current of 4 kA
rms
, respectively. In the intense-mode vacuum arcs, the anode surface was heated during high-current arc period, and the critical neutral atom density for TRV of 25 kV was suggested to be around 5.0–8.0 × 10
¹⁹
m
^-2
.