(Press-News.org) Contact information: Franziska Hornig
franziska.hornig@springer.com
49-622-148-78414
Springer
How hypergravity impacts electric arcs
A new study on electric discharge behaviour under intense gravitational forces shows that its dynamic changes as gravity increases
Arc discharges are common in everyday conditions like welding or in lightning storms. But in altered gravity, not as much is known about the behaviour of electric discharges. For the first time, Jiří Šperka from Masaryk University, Czech Republic, and his Dutch colleagues studied the behaviour of a special type of arc discharge, so-called glide arc, in varying hypergravity conditions, up to 18 G. In a paper just published in EPJ D, they demonstrate how the plasma channel of this glide arc discharge moves due to external forces of buoyancy in varying gravity conditions. These results could have implications for improved safety precautions in manned space flights, and in the design of ion thrusters used for spacecraft propulsion.
Though electric discharges can be affected by gravity, the electromagnetic forces between charged particles are typically much stronger than any gravitational forces. Therefore, in order to understand this effect, the authors designed an experimental device to perform measurements on atmospheric pressure glide arc helium plasma under the forces of hypergravity.
They changed the buoyancy force acting on the plasma channel of the glide arc while maintaining a constantly low external gas flow. To do so they relied on the Large Diameter Centrifuge at the European Space Agency's European space research and technology centre (ESTEC) facility in Noordwijk, the Netherlands.
They found that gravity strongly influences the glide arc discharge. These effects stem from thermal buoyancy, which increases with gravity. As such, increasing the centrifugal acceleration of gravity makes the glide arc movement substantially faster. Whereas at 1 G the discharge was stationary, at 6 G it glides with 7 Hz frequency and at 18 G that number rises to 11 Hz. The authors thus established a simple model for the glide arc movement assuming low gas flow velocities, which they validated with experimental results.
###
Reference:
J. Šperka et al. (2013), Hypergravity Effects on Glide Arc Plasma, European Physical Journal D 67: 261,
DOI 10.1140/epjd/e2013-40408-7
For more information visit: http://www.epj.org
The full-text article is available to journalists on request.
How hypergravity impacts electric arcs
A new study on electric discharge behaviour under intense gravitational forces shows that its dynamic changes as gravity increases
2013-12-18
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Polymer coatings based on molecular structures
2013-12-18
Polymer coatings based on molecular structures
KIT researchers developing a novel gel for biological and medical applications
This news release is available in German. A novel method developed by researchers from Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) ...
Computer-controlled table could direct radiotherapy to tumours while sparing vital organs
2013-12-18
Computer-controlled table could direct radiotherapy to tumours while sparing vital organs
Swivelling patients around on a computer-controlled, rotating table could deliver high doses of radiotherapy to tumours more quickly than current methods, while sparing ...
UNIST research team opens graphene band-gap
2013-12-18
UNIST research team opens graphene band-gap
(Ulsan, South Korea 18 Dec. 2013): Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) announced a method for the mass production of boron/nitrogen co-doped graphene nanoplatelets, which led ...
Flusurvey: Preliminary findings released
2013-12-18
Flusurvey: Preliminary findings released
Will we have a flu-free Christmas? UK reporting half the number of flu cases compared to this time last year
Preliminary results from the first month of the Flusurvey run by scientists at the London School ...
New optimized coatings for implants reduce risk of infection
2013-12-18
New optimized coatings for implants reduce risk of infection
Implants are commonly made from metals such as titanium alloys. These materials are being made porous during processing used to prepare them for medical use. Whereas this is important to ensure good contact ...
Kids grasp large numbers remarkably young
2013-12-18
Kids grasp large numbers remarkably young
EAST LANSING, Mich. — Children as young as 3 understand multi-digit numbers more than previously believed and may be ready for more direct math instruction when they enter school, according to research led by a Michigan State ...
Pollen influences optical properties of the atmosphere
2013-12-18
Pollen influences optical properties of the atmosphere
Laser measurements show: pollen has considerably influence on air quality
This news release is available in German. Leipzig, Germany. Pollen reflects more sunlight than previously known, ...
Describing biodiversity on tight budgets: 3 new Andean lizards discovered
2013-12-18
Describing biodiversity on tight budgets: 3 new Andean lizards discovered
Three beautiful new lizards from the Andes of Peru have been delimited and discovered using different lines of evidences by Peruvian and American biologists from San Marcos and Brigham Young universities ...
Packaging insulin into a pill-friendly form for diabetes treatment
2013-12-18
Packaging insulin into a pill-friendly form for diabetes treatment
Since insulin's crucial discovery nearly a century ago, countless diabetes patients have had to inject themselves with the life-saving medicine. Now scientists are reporting a new development ...
Tropical forests mitigate extreme weather events
2013-12-18
Tropical forests mitigate extreme weather events
Tropical forests reduce peak runoff during storms and release stored water during droughts, according to researchers working at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama. Their results lend ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
Turbulence with a twist
Volcanic emissions of reactive sulfur gases may have shaped early mars climate, making it more hospitable to life
C-Path concludes 2025 Global Impact Conference with progress across rare diseases, neurology and pediatrics
Research exposes far-reaching toll of financial hardship on patients with cancer
The percentage of women who went without a Pap smear for cervical cancer screening increased following the COVID-19 pandemic, from 19% in 2019 to 26% in 2022
AI tools fall short in predicting suicide, study finds
Island ant communities show signs of ‘insect apocalypse’
Revealed: The long legacy of human-driven ant decline in Fiji
Analyzing impact of heat from western wildfires on air pollution in the eastern US
Inadequate regulatory protections for consumer genetic data privacy in US
Pinning down protons in water — a basic science success story
Scientists reveal how the brain uses objects to find direction
Humans sense a collaborating robot as part of their “extended” body
Nano-switch achieves first directed, gated flow of chargeless quantum information carriers
Scientist, advocate and entrepreneur Lucy Shapiro to receive Lasker-Koshland special achievement award
Creating user personas to represent the needs of dementia caregivers supporting medication management at home
UTIA participates in national study analyzing microbial communities, environmental factors impacting cotton development
Mizzou economists: 2025 farm income boosted by high cattle prices and one-time payments
What 3I/ATLAS tells us about other solar systems
University of Cincinnati allergist receives $300,000 grant to research rare esophageal disease
Ohio State scientists advance focus on nuclear propulsion
New study reveals a hidden risk after cervical cancer
Environment: Indigenous Amazon territories benefit human health
Zoology: Octopuses put their best arm forward for every task
New research reveals wild octopus arms in action
NEW STUDY: Across eight Amazon countries, forests on Indigenous lands reduce spread of 27 diseases – From respiratory ailments to illnesses spread by insects, animals
How many ways can an octopus flex its supple arms? Now we know
Analysis of ‘magic mushroom’ edibles finds no psilocybin but many undisclosed active ingredients
Modifiable parental factors and adolescent sleep during early adolescence
Excess HIV infections and costs associated with reductions in HIV prevention services in the us
[Press-News.org] How hypergravity impacts electric arcsA new study on electric discharge behaviour under intense gravitational forces shows that its dynamic changes as gravity increases