Title :
Investigations of a radial multichannel pseudospark switch for currents higher than hundred kA
Author :
Bergmann, K. ; Kiefer, J. ; Neff, W. ; Lebert, R.
Author_Institution :
Fraunhofer-Inst. fur Lasertechnik, Aachen, Germany
fDate :
June 29 1997-July 2 1997
Abstract :
A radial multichannel pseudospark switch for currents of several hundred kA is under investigation. In this switch the current is distributed to several discharge channels which are arranged around one common hollow cathode. A parallel ignition of up to 12 discharge channels could be demonstrated. Investigation of the cathode spots reveal that only spots with low erosion appear even if increasing the current per channel above the threshold value of about 50 kA known from single channel switches. In the multichannel switch this low erosion mode is supported by the plasma movement due to magnetic forces. In lifetime tests of more than 200000 pulses with a peak current of 220 kA, a pulse duration of about 15 /spl mu/s and a repetition rate up to 2 Hz (200000 as total charge transfer) the erosion was shown to be less than 0.1 /spl mu/g/C, which is at least two orders of magnitude lower compared to conventional spark gaps.
Keywords :
cathodes; glow discharges; pulsed power switches; spark gaps; 15 mus; 2 Hz; 220 kA; cathode spots; current distribution; discharge channels; hollow cathode; lifetime tests; low erosion cathode spots; magnetic forces; parallel ignition; plasma movement; radial multichannel pseudospark switch; Anodes; Cathodes; Dielectric breakdown; Electrodes; Electron beams; Glow discharges; Ignition; Photography; Plasmas; Switches;
Conference_Titel :
Pulsed Power Conference, 1997. Digest of Technical Papers. 1997 11th IEEE International
Conference_Location :
Baltimore, MA, USA
Print_ISBN :
0-7803-4213-5
DOI :
10.1109/PPC.1997.679343