Research on propulsion effect of exploding wire in water

For analyzing the mechanical effect caused by discharge in water, an experimental set is established which is consist of capacitor energy storage high pulsed power supply, propulsion accelerator and measurement system. To enhance propulsion effect, the mechanical restriction and magnetic restriction have been used and a particular discharge reactor with special electrode structure has been constructed. The pressure, discharge current, discharge voltage, and propulsion distance caused by wire explosion in water are measured under different wire parameters, and different pulsed power. Through analyzing the amplitude characteristics of pressure, the influences of wire parameters and capacitor energy to pressure waves are discussed and the relationship between propulsion distance and pulsed power is presented. The relationship between propulsion distance and the length of exploding wire with different diameters is shown. The influence of shape and size of discharge reactor to propulsion effect is also discussed.