Fundamental investigation on the thermal transfer coefficient due to arc faults

In order to determine the pressure rise due to arc faults in electrical installations, the portion of energy heating the surrounding gas of fault arcs has to be known. The ratio of the portion of energy to the electric energy, the thermal transfer coefficient, well known in literature as kp factor, is adopted here. This paper presents a theoretical approach for the determination of the pressure rise in electrical installations. It is based on the fundamental hydro- and thermodynamic conservation equations and the equation of gas state taking into account melting and evaporation of metals as well as chemical reactions with the surrounding gas. With respect to the dependence of the arc energy on gas density, the radiative effect of fault arcs on the energy balance is introduced. In consideration of the radiation, the more reasonable arc energy is applied for the estimation of the gas temperature and of the thermal transfer coefficient in the energy balance. In order to identify conveniently which factors essentially influence the development of pressure, the thermal transfer coefficient is studied and evaluated as an alternative variable of the gas pressure. The results for a test container show that factors such as the kind of insulating gases and of electrode materials, the size of test vessels, and the gas density considerably influence the thermal transfer coefficient and thus the pressure rise