SPATIAL FLUCTUATIONS OF 'GLIDING' ARC

Abstract

Gliding arc discharges are the subject of renewed interest in applications to a variety of chemical reactions. A gliding arc is created by a weakly ionised gas flowing between two electrodes. The reacting gas introduced at the electrode base blows the arc column upwards. These devices can be applied in industry mainly for decontamination and general gas treatment. We describe the different types of arc motion (arc root jump, arc string breakdown...) observed during high voltage DC work and their importance for the gliding arc devices efficiency.