Vacuum discharge from perovskite oxide electrodes

This paper presents results of the investigation of electrical discharge in vacuum from perovskite-like La_0.7Sr_0.3CoO₃ and YBa₂Cu ₃O_6.95 electrodes. Data are given on the local chemical composition of cathode surfaces subjected to nanosecond high-current arc discharges and on the erosion of ceramic cathode materials. The results of measurements of the work function and of the emission capability of extended ceramic cathodes and of field emission characteristics of clean surfaces of perovskite-like oxides are presented. A comparative analysis has been carried out of the behavior of ceramic cathodes with results obtained from the discharge of metallic electrodes     

高梯度绝缘子的实验研究与性能分析

为解决脉冲功率系统中绝缘部件的真空沿面闪络问题,开发了基于二次电子崩理论的层叠式高梯度绝缘材料。利用全金属超高真空分析系统,对高梯度绝缘子的真空出气特性进行检测;利用四极质谱仪,对高梯度绝缘子真空出气的气体成分进行分析。利用阻抗分析仪测试不同结构绝缘材料的高频介电性能。基于纳秒脉冲真空实验平台,对高梯度绝缘子的真空沿面闪络性能进行测试。研究结果表明:高梯度绝缘子具有良好的高频介电性能,其拐点频率高达200 MHz;锻炼后高梯度绝缘子的闪络场强可达190 kV/cm,其闪络性能和高梯度绝缘结构中绝缘层的材料及绝缘层与金属层的比例直接相关。     

The method of laser-sustained arc ignition

The method of laser-assisted vacuum arc deposition (laser-arc) was developed to effectively produce high-quality coatings, especially multilayer coatings with a reduced number of droplets. The efficiency of this method depends mainly on the ignition probability of the vacuum arc discharges. In the present work, the process of arc initiation by laser irradiation is studied and the influencing factors such as power density of laser irradiation, target material, and electrode configuration are discussed. It is shown that a high ignition probability (ρ>50%) on such coating materials at Ti, TiC, TiN, and C can be guaranteed with a laser power density of about 10⁸ W/cm², which can be achieved with a low-cost Nd-YAG pulse laser. Measurements of the plasma current preceding the arc ignition and microscopic investigations of the erosion pattern caused by the laser irradiation suggest that the process of plasma-sustained are ignition (unipolar arcing) plays an important role during the buildup phase of the vacuum arc discharge     

Gaseous discharge plasmas produced by high-energyelectron-irradiated insulators for spacecraft

High-energy electron irradiation of insulators in vacuum causes both internal regions and surfaces of insulators to achieve high (negative) static voltage relative to nearby “ground”. Occasional spontaneous discharges inject pulses of partially ionized gas composed of the insulating material and surface gas-adatoms into the adjacent vacuum. The gas is capable of partially discharging the high surface potentials by carrying current across the vacuum to “ground”. The current-time waveforms were measured as a function of the spatial arrangement of the sample, test chamber electrodes, and static electric fields in order to investigate effects inside spacecraft boxes and cavities. It was found that plane-parallel electric fields are less able to sustain large discharge currents than are divergent electric fields. Also, physical confinement of the pulse of gas within the region of the electric field greatly increases the conductance of the gaseous discharge. Thus, the spatial arrangement of the sample, test chamber electrodes, and static electric field has a strong impact on the level of ESD-pulse threat to sensitive electronics posed by spontaneous discharges of irradiated insulators in spacecraft     

介质阻挡放电中微放电周期特性的光学测量

采用特殊设计的双水电极介质阻挡放电装置,利用光学方法原位、无干扰地测量了大气压空气介质阻挡放电中微放电的单脉冲特性和周期特性,实验上首次发现在介质阻挡放电斑图模式中,微放电在驱动电压的正负半周的放电时刻并不是固定的,相邻两次放电的时间间隔是长短交替的。根据壁电荷对微放电通道相邻两次放电的不同作用,分析了相邻两次放电时刻的联系,很好地解释了相应的实验现象。     

The behavior of vacuum arc discharges on hydrogen impregnatedelectrodes

This paper reports on experimental studies of the behavior of vacuum arcs at hydrogen impregnated electrodes. The arc discharges were analyzed by high speed photography, open shutter photography, measurement of arc voltage and current, and measurements of the erosion in dependence on the level of impregnation for a wide range of arc currents. The results show that impregnation of electrodes with hydrogen reduces the erosion rate, causes smaller crater dimensions, changes the macroparticle size, and decreases the current per spot. For a given current the arc voltage depends on the degree of impregnation. At low current it decreases with increasing impregnation. Furthermore, the arc discharge burns more stable on impregnated electrodes. The total erosion rate decreases significantly due to the reduction of the droplet fraction. The spot movement is faster than on nonimpregnated electrodes     

Plasma parameters within the cathode spot of laser-induced vacuumarcs: experimental and theoretical investigations

Cathode spot formation in laser-induced breakdown in vacuum was investigated by laser absorption photography with high spatial (0.5 μm) and temporal (100 ps) resolution. The discharge was initiated between Cu electrodes with a cathode-anode distance of 15-250 μm. The duration of pulsed discharges was 750 ns and dc discharges some milliseconds; the current was below 10 A. Picosecond momentary absorption photography yielded spatial-temporal density distributions in the ignition phase of the cathode spot. An absolute electron density >5×10²⁶ m^-3 in narrow plasma fragments with a diameter smaller than 5 μm was estimated. Mathematical modeling has satisfactorily explained the formation of the narrow plasma channel due to the bulk current self-focusing, as well as due to the generation of nonstationary emissive centers at the moving boundary of the expanding cathode spot plasma     

Über den Gleichspannungsdurchschlag im Ultrahochvakuum

DC-breakdowns with arc-conditioned electrodes in vapour-free vacuum have been investigated with high temporal resolution. The breakdowns started always with a cathode flare, the ignition voltage of which was strongly correlated with prebreakdown field emission. The temporal development of gap plasma, discharge current and gap voltage during the breakdowns could be satisfactorily explained by the models of explosive electron emission and space-charge limited diode conduction. No change of mechanism was observed with gap distances up to 6 mm and voltages up to 120 kV. Generally the resistance of the discharge channel became low enough for a transition to the arc stage. However, in a few cases a self-limitation of the discharge occurred due to starvation of the material transfer from the cathode. At higher gap distances the surrounding walls had a distinct influence on the ignition of the discharges.     

X-ray radiation due to nanosecond volume discharges in air under atmospheric pressure

The formation of nanosecond discharges in atmospheric-pressure air versus the applied pulse polarity and discharge gap geometry is studied. It is shown that the polarity of high-voltage nanosecond pulses and the electrode configuration have a minor effect on the volume discharges under a variety of experimental conditions. When the spacing between needle-like electrodes is large, the discharge is asymmetric and its glow is weakly dependent on the sign of the potential applied to the electrode. Negative voltage pulses applied to the potential electrode generate X-ray radiation from both the surface and volume. For a subnanosecond rise time of the voltage pulse and diffusion character of the discharge, the X-ray radiation comes from the brightly glowing region of a corona discharge. The average values of the fast electron velocity and energy in nitrogen are calculated. At field strengths E/p < 170 kV/cm atm, the average velocity of a fast electron bunch is constant because of central collisions. At field strengths E/p > 170 kV/cm atm, fast electrons run away. Central collisions are the reason for X-ray radiation from the volume.     

Ignition of a cloud of dry powder using super brush discharges

Ignition of a cloud of dry powder is a major concern in the field of industrial process safety. The different types of discharges are already defined (spark discharges, brush discharges, propagating discharges, cone discharges, corona discharges) such as their ignition properties in a gas or a dust atmosphere. For example, it is known that a classic brush discharge cannot ignite a cloud of dry flammable dust [6,13]. Glor and Schwenzfeuer performed direct ignition tests using brush discharges and defined that even if the energy released by this kind of discharge equaled the one of a spark, the power released by the brush discharge is too low to trigger an ignition.However, some doubts remained for super brush discharges. A brush discharge as a super brush discharge occurs between a charged insulating object and a conductive electrode. The main difference lies in the surface charge density reached on the insulator that is much higher for a super brush discharge than for a brush discharge. A high charge density can be reached for example using pipes of polyethylene individually charged by tribo-charging piled one above another. Such a configuration was evocated by Lüttgens [12] and tested by Larsen [11] who performed direct ignition tests in oxygen enriched atmospheres.This study is relevant with the actual safety problems since pharmaceutical and chemical powders are well known to generate electrostatic charges during their transport or handling and since the same configuration of independent polyethylene fibers can be found in flexible bulk containers that are one of the most common solutions to package this kind of powder.This paper presents the experimental set-up and the results of direct ignition tests performed with a polyethylene wax whose MIE is lower than 1  mJ at ambient conditions. The electric field reached at 1 m and the charge transfer were also registered and are described. Finally, numerical simulations are carried out to define the original surface charge density in order to help to understand the phenomenology of this discharge and its frequency of occurrence in industry.     

The Effect of the Polarity and Design of the Discharge System on the X-ray Spectrum of the Micropinch Discharge Plasma

The spectral composition and X-ray radiation yield of a micropinch discharge plasma obtained at a facility of the low-inductance vacuum spark type are studied as a function of the polarity and design of the electrodes of the discharge system. It is shown that the X-ray radiation of the micropinch discharge plasma depends on the configuration of the electric field in the interval between the discharge electrodes, which determines the amount of erosion products involved in the micropinch process, resulting in the increase in the plasma density and its radiative characteristics.     

真空绝缘子脉冲表面电场在线测量系统的实现

基于Kerr电光效应,建立了用以对纳秒脉冲高电压作用下的真空绝缘子表面电场进行在线测量的实验系统。该测量系统由快脉冲高电压源、YAG激光器、同步控制系统、被测中空薄壁绝缘子及Kerr效应单元、光学相位差检测系统等部分构成。利用YAG激光器输出的激光脉冲,触发导通快脉冲高压源中的高压气体开关,使其给被测绝缘子试品上施加一个脉宽100ns的高压脉冲方波。利用同步控制,使得探测激光在试品上的脉冲方波达到幅值后,入射到Kerr腔体中对Kerr效应进行探测。从而实现了对绝缘子表面电场的在线测量,并给出了初步的测量结果。     

Peculiarities of Dielectric Barrier Discharges

The dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) is a highly transient, non‐thermal discharge form, which exists in a broad pressure range. It occurs in arrangements, where a dielectric layer covers at least one electrode. The dielectric quenches the current and distributes the discharge over the whole surface. Depending on the geometrical conditions three basic types of DBD arrangements are distinguished. In arrangements with a gas gap a filamentary or a homogeneous‐diffuse discharge mode appears. The (stable) filamentary mode consists of a multitude of microdischarges, which in some extent can be rather easily tailored for e. g. plasma‐chemical applications. In arrangements with a long electrode (or several in parallel) on a dielectric surface and a plane counter‐electrode on the reverse side of the dielectric, pure surface discharges can be observed. They are characterised by low ignition voltages. The extension of the discharge on the surface depends on the voltage amplitude. If pairs of long electrodes are within the bulk of a dielectric, discharge phenomena appear on the surface of the dielectric. As these devices can be produced with small and precise electrode gaps, high mean field strengths in the discharge region can be realised. The properties of the discharges in these arrangements as well as their dynamics are described in detail and compared with one another. The advantages of each type are highlighted. Some aspects, which may be of interest for plasma‐chemical reactions on surfaces and in the gas space are discussed.     

高气压大电流放电条件下的电极烧蚀

归纳了影响开关电极烧蚀量的因素,包括开关电极材料、放电条件等,分析了开关电极烧蚀特征与烧蚀后表面形貌,总结了开关电极烧蚀的主要机制电极加热和电极材料去除机制。为了延长开关工作寿命,提出了减少开关电极烧蚀的措施,包括选用抗烧蚀性能优异的材料作为开关电极材料、采用合适的开关电极结构和优化的放电条件等。     

Model Experiments on Study of the First Wall Erosion Under the Action of Vacuum Arcs

With d. c. vacuum arc discharges the dependence of cathode erosion rate on the transverse magnetic field induction is non-linear. At first erosion rate rises with the magnetic induction and then drops. The maximum erosion rate value corresponds to the magnetic induction interval (50 – 115) · 10^?4 T. The range of the vacuum arc discharge maximum stability also corresponds to the same interval. When the magnetic induction rises from 2 · 10^?3 up to 1.1 · 10^?2 T (I = 50 A), the erosion products angular distribution monotoneously narrows and with further magnetic ficld enhancement it abruptly widens. Current rise results in increasing extension of erosion products angular distribution. Asymmetry of erosion products angular distribution does not depend on the direction of the magnetic induction vector and gradually vanishes when the magnetic induction rises up to 1 · 10^?2 T and higher.     

Application of a ferroelectric plasma cathode as a high-current switch

In this paper the parameters of two types of high-current switches based on ferroelectric BaTiO₃ ignition are presented. Both types of switches showed a reliable and controllable operation with a repetition rate of several Hz. The first type is a vacuum two-electrode switch ignited by the plasma which is generated by a BaTiO₃ cathode. This type of switch was tested in the voltage range of 3-25 kV and switched current amplitude of 2-15 kA with either negative or positive polarity of the high-voltage electrode. The second type is a BaTiO₃ surface flashover strip-like switch ignited by a driving pulse which has an amplitude of several kV. It was shown that the application of the driving pulse (>10 kV) leads to the appearance of many non-complete surface discharges which transform further to a multi-channel discharge. This type of switch was tested in the voltage range of 1-25 kV and current amplitude of 0.5-15 kA. The design of the switches, their lifetime, the time jitter and the parameters of the switched current for different discharge conditions are presented. Received 5 November 2001     

Plasma supported combustion

Oxidation of molecular hydrogen and different hydrocarbons in stoichiometric mixtures with air and oxygen in the pulsed nanosecond discharges was studied at room temperature, and the detailed kinetics of the process has been numerically investigated. In the discharge afterglow, the reactions including electron-excited particles play a dominant role for the time up to 100 ns, ion–molecular reactions—for the time of microsecond range, and reactions including radicals mostly contribute for the time interval of several milliseconds. The principal role of processes with formation of excited components that support the development of the chain mechanism of oxidation has been shown. The spatial uniformity of the gas-mixture combustion initiated by a high-voltage nanosecond volume discharge is investigated at gas pressures of 0.3–2.4 atm and temperatures of 1000–2250 K. The self-ignition time and the time of discharge-induced ignition are determined. It is found that the discharge significantly (by 600 K) decreases the ignition temperature with very low energy in the discharge (10⁻² J/cm³). The influence of gas excitation by a pulsed nanosecond discharge with a high-voltage pulse amplitude up to 25 kV on the properties of a premixed propane–air flame has been investigated over a wide range of the equivalence ratios (0.4–5). It was experimentally found that the flame’s blow-off velocity increased more than twice at a discharge energy input less than 1% of the burner power. Efficient production of active radicals under the action of a barrier discharge has been observed. The increase in the flame’s propagation velocity is explained by the production of atomic oxygen in a discharge by the quenching of electronically excited molecular nitrogen N₂ and the dissociation of molecular oxygen on electron-impact. A numerical model has been developed, which describes the influence of pulsed electric discharges on the ignition, combustion, and flame propagation.     

Pulsed dye laser diagnostics of vacuum arc cathode spots

The ignition and arc phases of vacuum arcs were investigated using differential dye laser absorption photography with simultaneous high spatial (micrometer) and temporal (nanosecond) resolution. The discharge duration was 800 ns, the current 50-150 A, the electrode material copper, and the cathode-anode distance less than 50 μm. A 0.4 ns laser pulse (tunable, γ=480-530 nm) was used to obtain momentary absorption photographs of the cathode region. During ignition, an optically thick anode plasma expanded toward the cathode, decaying within 25 ns after bridging the electrode gap. In the arc phase, a fragmentary structure of the cathode spots was observed in situ for the first time. The microspots have a characteristic size of 5-10 μm. They appear and disappear on a nanosecond time scale. The plasma density of the microspots was estimated to be greater than (3-6)×10²⁶ m^-3     

The plasma in high-current pseudospark switches

The discharge behavior and the erosion rate of pseudospark switches for high currents (50-150 kA) and pulse lengths of several microseconds were investigated for different electrode materials. A capacitor discharge (3.3 μF) without any load was used at a maximum voltage of 30 kV. Side-on optical investigations were performed either with a streak camera or a fast shutter camera. Using metal electrodes, the discharge ignites on axis, then widens up radially and burns homogeneously at the edge of the central apertures. After about 500 ns, a stable anode spot is observed on the plane electrode surface (at currents exceeding 45 kA), the location of which is statistical. The discharge is transformed to a metal vapor are discharge and the erosion rate increases by more than one order of magnitude. With semiconductor electrodes (i.e., silicon carbide), a different discharge behavior is observed, After ignition on axis, the discharge burns homogeneously on the whole carbide surface. No contraction to a small area occurs in comparison to metal electrodes. The reignition of later current half cycles starts at the triple point metal-carbide-gas. Then the discharge again spreads homogeneously over the total carbide surface. The erosion rate is about two magnitudes lower in comparison to metals. We assume that the current is conducted in a thin surface sheath which is heated to more than 2000 K     

大功率电弧加热器起弧过程流场特性研究

电弧等离子体是通过电极之间击穿放电,产生热电弧,实现对冷态介质加热,目前大功率的电弧等离子体发生器在航空航天领域有重要的应用,是国内外开展飞行器防热材料筛选和考核研究最重要的地面模拟试验设备.本研究基于发展的高焓气流非接触式光谱诊断方法,开展对10 MW量级大功率长分段电弧加热器起弧过程流场特性的定量、定性研究,在线测...