STATIONARY ELECTRIC ARC IN A CROSS-FLOW AND TRANSVERSE MAGNETIC FIELD

An electric arc is held stationary against a gas flowing transverse to the arc axis by applying a magnetic field perpendicular both to the arc axis and the direction of the gas flow. A theoretical analysis of the problem is undertaken for the case where the arc is sufficiently long for a central region of the arc (called the uniform column) to exist where a two-dimensional treatment, in the plane of the gas flow, is adequate. The Reynolds number of the flow is taken to be small compared with one. The technique of matched asymptotic expansions is used to calculate the two-dimensional distributions of the quantities of interest, e.g., the temperature and velocity of the gas.