What happens to oil in an oil switch during an arc?

During an arc in an oil switch, the oil plays a crucial role in extinguishing the arc. As the electrical fault occurs and the arc is generated, the temperature around the arcing point rises significantly. This intense heat causes the surrounding oil to rapidly vaporize. The vaporized oil helps to create a cooling effect on the arc chamber, as the transition from liquid to vapor absorbs heat energy, which contributes to quenching the arc.

The vaporized oil also assists in isolating the arc from the contacts, further stabilizing the system and allowing for safe interruption of the current. This process highlights the importance of oil in providing both insulation and cooling during fault conditions in oil switches.

Other choices would not accurately describe the behavior of oil in this situation; for instance, remaining unchanged would ignore the physical and thermal interactions occurring during arcing. Similarly, cooling down does occur but is a secondary effect of the vaporization process, while condensing would imply a temperature drop after the arc is extinguished, which is not the primary immediate response of the oil during the arcing event.