Radiation of electric arc burning in argon

Using real experimentally obtained integral values, the paper deals with modelling of electric arc stabilised by flowing gas. Attention is focused namely on approximate estimation of radiation coefficient of argon. A designed model of electric arc burning in argon of atmospheric pressure inside arc heater’s anode channel is described. The model makes it possible to compute axial and/or radial dependencies of some quantities of interest (temperature, velocity, electric field intensity, arc radius, etc.), and subsequently to judge energy exchange between the arc and its surroundings. Sets of model’s input data, including arc voltage, arc current, argon flow-rate, and flow-rates and temperatures of water cooling individual parts of the arc heater, have been measured during numerous experiments. In a studied case with relatively high argon flow-rate, radiation has been found to be prevailing mechanism of energy transfer from arc to anode channel walls. Based on this finding, techniques have been designed for simple approximate estimation of radiation coefficient of argon in a limited extent of temperatures. As an example, they have been tested on a particular set of measured and computed data. Argon radiation coefficient estimated in this way has been compared with the results of theoretical computations carried out by other authors. Considering simplifications used and differences between a real situation and an ideal theoretical model, agreement of the results is within satisfactory limits.