Voltage Recovery Time of Small Spark Gaps

A two-pulse method is used to determine how fast and to what degree a small spark gap can recover its voltage holdoff capability after breaking down. The first pulse is used to overvolt and break down the gap. The second pulse is used, after a time delay, to determine the voltage recovery of the gap. By varying the time delay to the second pulse, a recovery voltage versus time plot can be obtained. Time delays from 10 ?s to 100 ms have been recorded. The spark gap discharges millijoules of energy with a gap spacing of less than 1 mm. Recovery has been measured at breakdown voltages of up to 10 kV in argon, hydrogen, and a mixture of the 2 gases. The experimental setup, pulse circuits, and data collection methods are described. Percent voltage recovery versus time plots for various parameters (gas species, gap spacing, and pressure) are discussed.     

Factors affecting and methods of improving the pulse repetitionfrequency of pulse-charged and DC-charged high-pressure gasswitches

The results of this paper describe some of the factors which affect the repetitive operation of high-pressure gas switches (spark gaps) for both pulse-charged and DC-charged operation. Also discussed are methods which may be employed to improve the pulse repetition frequency (PRF) of spark gaps operating under such conditions. Under pulse-charged conditions, the voltage recovery process of the spark gap has been shown to be restricted following partial density recovery by the residual ion population. This restriction may be minimized by applying a suitable bias voltage across the gap to remove the ion influence. It is also possible to manipulate the voltage-pressure (V-p) breakdown characteristic of a spark gap in order to improve the rate of rise of recovery voltage by reducing the recovery voltage dependence upon gas pressure. The combination of these effects has been shown to reduce the voltage recovery time of pulse-charged spark gaps from several hundred milliseconds to several milliseconds. Under DC-charged conditions, where no “dead time” is available for voltage recovery, it is possible to employ corona discharge effects, which occur in highly nonuniform fields, to stabilize and control the breakdown process. The use of corona stabilization has enabled the operation of a self-closing spark gap at a PRF of more than 5 kHz, without employing gas flow techniques. A triggered version of a corona-stabilized spark gap has also been developed which has demonstrated single run capabilities of 10⁷ (4 h continuous operation at 700 pps) and a lifetime of ~10 shots (maintenance free, sealed switch). The triggered corona switch has also demonstrated controlled switching up to a PRF of 1.2 kHz     

Study on a New Ignition Method of the Spark Gap Based on Plasma Ejection in Air

A new ignition method of the spark gap based on plasma ejection is proposed in this paper, as the conventional trigatron spark gap performs poorly under the low working coefficient (the ratio of the charging voltage to the self‐breakdown voltage) in air. The plasma is generated by the capillary discharge, which has high pressure, high temperature and high velocity. The capillary discharge device is placed inside the low voltage electrode. As long as the triggering signal is sent to the device, a column of the plasma flow is ejected in axial direction and develops rapidly towards the high voltage electrode. Subsequently, the gap is broken down and a high resistive channel is formed, where the thermal ionization takes place and the arc across the whole gap is generated and develops into a well conductive channel. The process of the thermal ionization of the high resistive channel varies with the change of the spark gap distance. The breakdown delay and the delay jitter of the spark gap increase with the spark gap distance, as both parameters are mainly determined by the developing process of the plasma ejection. The characteristics of the plasma flow determine the possibility of the breakdown of the spark gap under the low working coefficient. The ignition method based on capillary plasma ejection has been proved by the preliminary experiments, which indicate that under the gap length of 8 cm and the working coefficient of less than 3%, the effective ignition is still achievable.     

Statistical Delay Times in Small Gas Spark Gaps

Statistical times were measured as a function of overvoltage and gap conditioning in small (0.127 mm) flowing-gas spark gaps. Results for air, nitrogen, oxygen, and helium are reported here. Statistical time was determined by averaging 60 measurements of the time between application of a step voltage to the gap and breakdown of the gap. These times, ranging from 100 ns to over 100 ?s, were measured with 10-ns resolution. Conditioning was done by breaking down the spark gap 40 times per second until the desired number of pulses was obtained (5000, 50 000, 500 000). Conditioning increased the breakdown voltage of gaps filled with air, nitrogen, and oxygen, but had little effect when helium was used. The functional dependence of the statistical time on electric-field strength was not changed by conditioning. Limited results showed statistical time increased with pressure in air-filled spark gaps.     

Characteristics of a vacuum spark triggered by the transient hollowcathode discharge electron beam

The discharge characteristics of a vacuum spark triggered by the transient hollow cathode discharge (THCD) electron beam is investigated over a wide variety of discharge conditions. Two systems of the vacuum spark device have been considered-the first system powered by eight 2700-pF doorknob capacitors charged to a voltage of 40 kV (input energy of 17.6 J); while the second system employs a single 1.85-μF Maxwell capacitor discharged at a voltage of 20 kV (input energy of 370 J). The operating pressure of these systems has been varied over the range of 10 ^-2 to 10^-5 mbar in order to examine the effect of the operating pressure on the plasma formation of the vacuum spark discharge. The effectiveness of plasma heating has been found to be significantly enhanced in the two vacuum spark systems studied here. In particular, the plasma of the 17.6 J system has been observed to be heated to a condition hot enough to emit in the X-ray region when the operating pressure is reduced from 10^-2 to 10^-5 mbar. Similarly, in the case of the 370 J system, hot spot formation is also observed to occur only at a low operating pressure of 10^-4 mbar     

小型场畸变气体开关的击穿抖动特性

基于高功率重复频率脉冲功率源的应用需求,研制了一种三电极场畸变结构气体火花间隙开关,并开展了重复频率条件下的触发特性研究。实验研究了场畸变火花间隙开关的触发特性随重复频率、气体成分、工作压强和工作系数的变化关系,计算了气体开关的触发击穿时延和抖动参数,分析了影响开关触发特性的主要因素。实验结果表明:气体开关触发击穿的抖动随着重复频率增加而增大;填充气体中SF₆和N₂体积比1∶1时,混合气体的综合性能较好;工作系数主要影响开关第二放电火花间隙(间隙2)的击穿抖动。     

Air breakdown times of two-stage spark gaps and their applications

The air breakdown times of second spark formation, geometrically in series with trigatron switching, are studied and compared to that of a triggered spark gap. Despite a large breakdown jitter of ⩾1 μs in the trigatron, the latter is not observed to affect the electrical closure times of the series-connected second spark gap, which is triggered largely as a result of their direct electrical and optical coupling. While most of the multistage spark gaps are designed for fast and precision switching of high voltages, the air breakdown times of the second spark formation find a number of useful applications, particularly in achieving uniform glow discharge in pulsed gas lasers     

氮气介质高气压开关特性

从理论分析、软件模拟、实验研究等方面研究了氮气介质高气压开关的工作特性。根据强度理论计算所设计并加工的开关的理论压强可达10 MPa。对氮气介质高气压开关进行实验,得到在气压范围2,4,6 MPa、电极间隙0.1,0.5,1.0 mm时,气隙的击穿延时小于14 ns,抖动小于1 ns;在气压2 MPa、电极间隙0.1 mm时50%击穿电压约为34 kV。与常压空气开关相比较,该开关具有很好的稳定性和绝缘特性。     

Pseudospark discharge in long time current pulse: electricalcharacterization and recovery phenomena

At high currents, the performance of triggered vacuum gaps is limited by the constriction of the arc discharge on the anode. In a symmetrical system within flat electrodes, a motionless anode spot appears in front of the trigger spark. A pseudo-spark system within electrode cavities and specific gas pressure provides a good mechanism for avoiding anode spot phenomena. It appears possible to obtain a high intensity diffuse discharge. In this paper, we present the experimental measurements of the instantaneous voltage and discharge current, (peak current less than 50 kA, discharge time between 20 and 300 μs). These measurements allow us to determine the dynamical resistance, mean voltage and energy lost during the conduction phase. Consequently, we refine our knowledge of discharge development. Additionally, we present a complementary investigation on quenching behavior     

Decrease in the static electric gas breakdown voltage in the presence of free electrons in a discharge gap

The dependence of the gas breakdown voltage U _B on the anode-cathode spacing d, pressure p, and other gas characteristics in the presence of a steady external ionizer in the discharge gap was determined within the avalanche discharge theory. The case was considered where the spatial charge created by the external ionizer did not distort the electric field in the discharge gap. In the absence of external ionizer the obtained dependence comes down to the well-known expression for the gas breakdown voltage (the Paschen law).     

Temporal and spatial structure of the X-ray emission in alow-energy vacuum spark

Two distinct phases of X-ray emission in a small vacuum spark with a plasma trigger have been identified. The first phase of emission is associated with the trigger plasma and originates from beam-target X-rays issued from the pointed anode. The source of electrons at this period is from the trigger plasma. The second phase of emission is associated with the breakdown of the main gap. The source of X-rays is a combination of beam-target and beam-plasma X-rays. It is observed that the angular distribution is constant. The X-ray energies vary regularly with the applied voltage, and the triggered vacuum spark as a high brightness     

Transition of a diffuse discharge to a spark at nanosecond breakdown of high-pressure nitrogen and air in a nonuniform electric field

The transition of a runaway-electron-induced diffuse discharge initiated in a nonuniform electric field under a high pressure of air and nitrogen to a spark is studied. High-voltage pulses with a rise time of 0.5 ns are applied to a discharge gap with a tubular cathode having a small radius of curvature. It is shown that the leader of the spark discharge propagates toward the tubular cathode along preproduced tracks and may pass from one track to another. For a pulse rise time of about 0.5 ns and a gap length of 12 mm or more, it is found that spark leaders originating at the cathode (which has a small radius of curvature) do not reach the anode and accordingly, do not cause the spark breakdown of the gap. It is confirmed that the spark breakdown of the gap is associated with a spark leader that moves away from the plane electrode after the appearance of a bright spot on it.     

直流场畸变开关中混合气体击穿特性

氩气中一般含有大量亚稳态原子,在强外电场作用下容易产生自由电子,能够促进放电通道快速形成。采用场畸变型气体开关,在直流电压下设计了实验平台来探究气体开关中采用SF6-Ar或N2-Ar混合气体后放电时延及抖动的变化情况。改变多种气体状态进行一系列实验,并得出场畸变气体火花开关中SF6-Ar及N2-Ar的击穿特性,根据工程需要对气体种类及混合比例进行最优化设计。实验表明SF6-Ar中Ar质量分数达到20%及以上时,开关放电时延及抖动明显减小。     

Inflections of spark leaders in elevated-pressure nanosecond gas discharges

The formation of spark leaders and a diffuse discharge due to the breakdown of gaps with a non-uniform electric field is studied in different elevated-pressure gases under the conditions of runaway electron beam and X-ray generation. Negative voltage pulses are applied to an electrode with a small radius of curvature. For pulse rise times of 0.5 and 1.5 ns, inflections on the spark leaders were observed. In a number of cases, two inflections appear making a right angle to the longitudinal axes of the leaders. It is shown that the formation of spark leaders is preceded by the appearance of diffuse tracks, which bridge the gap for no longer than 1 ns.     

高压多脉冲真空间隙击穿实验研究

 在真空间隙击穿机理的理论基础上,设计了高压多脉冲下真空间隙的击穿实验方案,对相同材料的多对电极间隙在高压单脉冲和三脉冲下的真空击穿特性进行了实验研究。实验结果与脉冲下真空间隙的击穿机理相符,对脉冲数量增加对真空间隙宏观击穿场强的影响进行了验证,推断出了决定真空间隙宏观击穿场强的关键因素,并对多脉冲加速间隙最大宏观场强的设计提出了建议。     

Recovery properties of vacuum spark gaps

The authors investigated the recovery properties of a 90-kV, 15-kA multiple site, triggered vacuum spark gap. Triggering was accomplished with a multisite surface flashover plasma source with approximately 60 sites distributed over a 10 cm² area. Gap dimensions were 1-cm spacing by 7.5-cm diameter. Recovery measurements were performed utilizing an inductively recharged double pulse circuit. Under a sinusoidal recharge, the time to a 40-kV recovery occurred in 330 μs for an average current fall rate approaching 10¹⁰ A/s. These vacuum spark gap switches may provide an alternative method of high-average-power switching     

氮气火花开关击穿机制的理论和数值研究

三电极气体火花开关带有触发极,相比两电极开关,其开关导通的可控性较高,工作电压较低且抖动小,所以气体火花开关中三电极开关的应用较为广泛.本文针对大气压氮气环境下的两电极开关和三电极开关的击穿机制进行了理论与数值模拟研究.通过理论和数值计算发现,对于平板-平板的两电极开关来说,低电压下(小于6.3 kV)无法产生流注击穿,高电压下(大于6.3 kV)会先形成由阴极到阳极的负流注,然后再形成由阳极向阴极的正流注.而在三电极开关的击穿过程中,首先会在触发极和绝缘体之间发生击穿,然后这个通道不断向阴阳极扩展,最终形成阴阳极之间的电弧通道.在本文的计算工况下,如果需要阴极-触发极、阳极-触发极同时击穿的话,其阴极-触发极之间的外加电压需要大于1.18 kV,而阳极-触发极之间的外加电压需要大于3 kV.当考虑触发极的场致发射后,该击穿阈值可以显著降低.     

Determination of the Average Energy of Iron Ions in the Axial Direction of a Micropinch Discharge Using an Ion Collector

The paper is devoted to determining the average ion energy for plasma propagating in the axial direction of a high-current low-inductance vacuum spark discharge in the Pion facility. The measurements have been carried out using an ion collector. The average energy of singly of singly charged iron ions depending on the voltage across the interelectrode gap is determined.     

Gas spark switches with increased operating life for Marx generator of lightning test complex

A new design of gas spark switches with an increased operating life and stable dynamic characteristics for the Marx generator of the lightning test complex has been developed. The switches are characterized by the following parameters in the mode of operation: voltage up to 80 kV, discharge current up to 50 kA, flowing charge up to 3.5 C/pulse. An increased operating life is achieved by using torus-shaped electrodes with increased working surface area and a trigger electrode in the form of a thick disk with a hole located between them. Low breakdown delay time and high stability of breakdown voltage under dynamic conditions are provided by gas preionization in the spark gap using UV radiation of an additional corona discharge in the axial region.     

Modeling and optimization of the multichannel spark discharge

This paper reports a novel analytic model of this multichannel spark discharge, considering the delay time in the breakdown process, the electric transforming of the discharge channel from a capacitor to a resistor induced by the air breakdown, and the varying plasma resistance in the discharge process. The good agreement between the experimental and the simulated results validated the accuracy of this model. Based on this model, the influence of the circuit parameters on the maximum discharge channel number(MDCN) is investigated. Both the input voltage amplitude and the breakdown voltage threshold of each discharge channel play a critical role. With the increase of the input voltage and the decrease of the breakdown voltage, the MCDN increases almost linearly. With the increase of the discharge capacitance, the MDCN first rises and then remains almost constant. With the increase of the circuit inductance, the MDCN increases slowly but decreases quickly when the inductance increases over a certain value. There is an optimal value of the capacitor connected to the discharge channel corresponding to the MDCN. Finally, based on these results, to shorten the discharge time, a modified multichannel discharge circuit is developed and validated by the experiment. With only 6-kV input voltage, 31-channels discharge is achieved. The breakdown voltage of each electrode gap is larger than 3 kV. The modified discharge circuit is certain to be widely used in the PSJA flow control field.