Study of a circuit-breaker arc with self-generated flow. III. The post-arc phase

For pt.II see ibid., vol.16, p.615-22, 1988. The third part of this study of a circuit-breaker arc with self-generated flow concerns the model of the post-arc phase. The greater interruption capability of SF/sub 6/ compared to N/sub 2/, already suggested in pt.II, is confirmed by the following results: amplitude and duration of the postarc current are much lower in SF/sub 6/ and the maximum value of the rate of rise of recovery voltage is about three times higher in SF/sub 6/ than in N/sub 2/. The model also predicts the existence of a plateau in post-arc current variation and the original behavior of this type of circuit-breaker: interrupting efficiency increases with the current peak in the initial phase.< >