Oscillation processes of DC electric arcs at different setups of electrodes and variable parallel capacitance

Electric arcs in electrical DC systems represent both an enormous challenge to switchgear (switch arc) and a serious hazard to humans and the whole system (fault arc). Hitherto existing literature states an negative impact of a parallel capacitance on the arc existence. For low voltage DC systems the behavior of free burning arcs in air is analyzed. The formation of arc-oscillations due to a parallel capacitance is investigated. Several dependencies between total current, arc-length, electrode material and value of the parallel capacitance are outlined.