Numerical simulation of low pressure gas metal arc plasma

Annotation. In this paper the model of the cathode spot of a vacuum arc is considered in the framework of the drift-diffusion representation. It is shown that the main source of electrons, providing the current transport of vacuum arc, are ionization processes in the cathode zone, while the emission processes are an auxiliary source of initial electrons. The effects associated with the distribution of electron density in the plasma column of cathode spot, in particular the formation of a “plasma reaction zone” and “ionization wave”, are discussed