Analysis of cold flow reestablishment time in a circuit breaker nozzle

The deblocking process in a circuit breaker nozzle is similar to the flow starting process in a shock tunnel, and the computer uses this analogy to solve for the deblocking process by utilizing a diaphragm at the throat of a nozzle. At time equal to zero the diaphragm is broken and the throat area increases with time. It is a rarity to have the area as a function of both time and distance. Experimental data obtained from the RPI calibration shock tunnel are utilized to verify some of the calculated results with the area being a function of distance and the agreement is found to be good. The circuit breaker designer can utilize the computer simulation to estimate the deblocking time, an important parameter in the design of circuit breakers.