CHARACTERIZATION OF 1.5 kJ COAXIAL PLASMA DISCHARGE

The design and construction of 1.5 kJ coaxial plasma device used in this work are presented. The experimental works included in this paper are consisted of electrical parameters measurements of this device as well as plasma current sheath, PCS, dynamics in axial phase. The discharge is performed in nitrogen gas with a pressure in the range from 1 to 2.2 Torr. The device under consideration is energized by a pressurized air gap switch supply placed at the upper of a condenser bank with a capacity of 3x10μf. It delivers a peak current of ~ 56 kA with rise time of 7 is at charging voltage of 10 kV. The electrical characteristics as a function of nitrogen gas pressure are estimated from measurements of discharge current I t and voltage V t by using Rogowsky coil and potential divider techniques respectively. The dependence of PCS dynamics in axial phase on a gas pressure is investigated experimentally by a magnetic probe technique. Also, the dynamics of the PCS is computed using a Snow-Plough model supplemented by experimental data. The discrepancy between the theoretical results and the experimental investigations are given in this paper.