The Interaction between Droplets and Vacuum Arc in the Vacuum Interrupters

In this research, droplets with a diameter on the order of 100μm are studied. Their movement in the vacuum arc is simulated with the help of dynamic meshing technology. During the movement, the droplets are heated and charged by the vacuum arc. On the other hand, the feedback of droplets to the vacuum arc is also considered, including evaporation process and the ionization process of the droplet vapor. The results show that with the increase of droplet diameter, the temperature increase and the velocity of droplets decrease. The influence of the vacuum arc on the droplets can be determined by the ablation cloud of the droplets. The ionization process of the droplet vapor leads to a lower electron temperature and higher atom density around the droplets.