Does a phase shift occur in an AC arc?

TL;DR

This paper investigates the apparent power in an AC arc, demonstrating that it exceeds active power without a phase shift, challenging traditional power triangle models and highlighting the absence of reactive power.

Contribution

It provides a historical analysis showing that apparent power can be larger than active power without phase shift, questioning existing power models.

Findings

Apparent power exceeds active power without phase shift.

Reactive power vanishes in the studied AC arc.

Challenges traditional power triangle models.

Abstract

This is a translation of a classic paper in German showing that the apparent power in an AC arc is larger than the active power although no phase shift exists between the voltage and the current, indicating that the reactive power vanishes. The phenomenon studied in this paper gave rise to a variety of mutually conflicting "power triangle" models relating the active, reactive, and apparent powers P, Q, and S whose merits are still under debate today.