Simulating different modes of current transfer to thermionic cathodes in a wide range of conditions

Changes in the pattern of steady-state modes of current transfer to thermionic cathodes induced by variations of the cathode geometry and temperature of the cooling fluid are studied numerically. For some combinations of control parameters, only one stable mode in a wide current range exists, which combines features of spot and diffuse modes. This mode, when attached to an elongated protrusion on the cathode surface, may be identified with the so-called super spot mode observed in experiments on low-current arcs. There is also reasonable agreement between the modelling and the experiment on cathodes of high-current arcs operating in the diffuse mode. The conclusions on existence under certain conditions of only one stable mode in a wide current range and of a minimum of the dependence of the temperature of the hottest point of the cathode on the arc current, manifested by this mode, may have industrial importance and admit a straightforward experimental verification.