Energy release in long-duration arcade flares

Using Yohkoh/SXT images we analysed several long-duration arcade flares (LDAFs), particularly energy release in loop-top flare kernels. In the first part of this paper we present detailed results for the 7 May 1993 flare (spatial structure, physical parameters, and kernels heating). In the second one we summarise results of kernel heating for all analysed LDAFs. The most important conclusions of our analysis are as follows: 1. The energy release in LDAFs kernels occurred during their whole decay phases. 2. The rate of energy release (E_H) was in the order of 10^-2 - 10⁰ erg cm^-3 s^-1. 3. The kernels usually ceased to exist when E_H was dropping below ∼ 10^-2 erg cm^-3 s^-1.