Three-dimensional numerical simulation of rotary arc plasmas under externally applied magnetic fields

A three-dimensional time-dependent computational magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) code has been developed for research and development of a rotary-type gas circuit breaker. A test computation of arc-plasma flows under externally applied magnetic field in a small chamber has been carried out by using the developed computational code. The computational results have successfully demonstrated the unsteady behaviour of arc plasma flows with the spiral-like structures in a three-dimensional space, which induces the rotary arc electric current.