Use of Axial Magnetic Fields to Improve High-Current Vacuum Interrupters

When an axial magnetic field is applied to a vacuum arc, the arc tends to be stabilized in its diffuse mode. A minimum arc voltage is found for a certain magnetic field. In this condition, interrupting current is significantly increased, and it is nearly proportional to the diameter of electrodes. About ten years ago, a practical axial magnetic field electrode was developed for vacuum circuit breakers. Since then, through various improvements in its structure, this electrode has been refined for practical application in vacuum circuit breaker interrupters. The application has successfully covered not only medium-voltage circuit breakers, but also high-voltage (84 kV), dc high-voltage, and high-current circuit breakers. In this paper, ten years experience in this area is described.     

Influence of corona on strike probability of grounded electrodes by high voltage discharges

This paper presents the results of an investigation into the influence of corona formation processes at the tips of grounded rod electrodes on the probability of those rods being “struck” by high-voltage discharges. Experiments simulating the final stage of the attachment process were carried out with a composite voltage comprising a simultaneously applied impulse and DC potential of different levels to grounded rod electrodes simulating lightning rods, featuring either a spherical or pointed (conical) tip. The experiments show that corona does not influence the probability of the electrode being struck until a critical electric field (EF) strength is reached.     

Use of a liquid-metal cathode in high-vacuum studies of electric breakdown

Studies of electric breakdown in a high vacuum involving liquid-metal (mercury and gallium) cathodes, whose surfaces are stabilized by centrifugal forces, have shown that an increase in the angular velocity at which the experimental apparatus rotates causes an increase in the breakdown field; the mechanism for the vacuum breakdown is found to be independent of the voltage across the electrodes. According to the Frenkel theory, vacuum breakdown results from a disruption of the steady state on the liquid-cathode surface in an electric field. Drops of liquid metal on the anode degrade the dielectric properties of the vacuum gap. Under these conditions, the breakdown mechanism becomes dependent on the voltage across the electrodes. Oxide films on the cathode surface also degrade the dielectric properties of the vacuum gap. It is suggested that the dielectric may be charged by positive ions emitted from the cathode.Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii Fizika, Vol. 12, No. 4, pp. 44–49, April, 1969.     

Kinetics of charged particles in a high-voltage gas discharge in a nonuniform electrostatic field

A high-voltage gas discharge is of interest as a possible means of generating directed flows of low-temperature plasma in the off-electrode space distinguished by its original features [1–4]. We propose a model for calculating the trajectories of charges particles in a high-voltage gas discharge in nitrogen at a pressure of 0.15 Torr existing in a nonuniform electrostatic field and the strength of this field. Based on the results of our calculations, we supplement and refine the extensive experimental data concerning the investigation of such a discharge published in [1, 2, 5–8]; good agreement between the theory and experiment has been achieved. The discharge burning is initiated and maintained through bulk electron-impact ionization and ion–electron emission. We have determined the sizes of the cathode surface regions responsible for these processes, including the sizes of the axial zone involved in the discharge generation. The main effect determining the kinetics of charged particles consists in a sharp decrease in the strength of the field under consideration outside the interelectrode space, which allows a free motion of charges with specific energies and trajectories to be generated in it. The simulation results confirm that complex electrode systems that allow directed plasma flows to be generated at a discharge current of hundreds or thousands of milliamperes and a voltage on the electrodes of 0.3–1 kV can be implemented in practice [3, 9, 10].     

Conditioning phenomenon in vacuum discharge

Experimental data on electric breakdown in a 0.35 mm high-vacuum gap due to rectangular high-voltage pulses is presented. In one system vacuum was achieved using an oil diffusion pump, in the other, using an ion-sorption pump.It is shown that oil vapor and the cracking products of the oil formed during breakdown affect the probability distribution of breakdowns. Conditioning is linked to the dynamic processes of rupture and of reestablishing initiating centers on the electrode surface. A physical model is suggested for the conditioning processes.     

The Investigation of Copper-Chromium Contacts in Vacuum Interrpters Subjected to an Axial Magnetic Field

The characteristics of a vacuum arc between CuCr contacts under an axial magnetic field have been investigated. Test samples were made of CuCr contacts, and the arcing voltage was measured. The arcing voltage of the CuCr contacts under an axial magnetic field is lower than that of pure copper contacts by 10-20 V. From the measurement of the post-arc current and interruption test results, it was found that the arc concentrates and a part of the electrode melts at a rather low current, but that the electrode melting does not affect the interrupting capability. Also, the insulation characteristics were measured. With respect to voltage conditioning, high-current conditioning improved the breakdown voltage by 50 percent for a 20-mm gap and by 100 percent for a 3-mm gap. These test results show that CuCr contacts, used with axial magnetic fields, are promising for use in high-voltage and high-power vacuum interrupters.     

Behavior of prebreakdown emission centers with 200-kv 100-ns pulses applied to a vacuum gap

Using an electron-transparent anode (titanium foil), the behavior of prebreakdown emission centers on a cathode made of 12X18H10T stainless steel is studied for the case of vacuum gap excitation by 100-ns-wide voltage pulses with an amplitude of 200 kV. To raise the working electric field to 1 MV/cm or higher, the electrodes are preprocessed by a low-energy high-current electron beam in the surface melting mode. It is found that prebreakdown emission centers may be stable and unstable. The stable ones arise at an electric field strength of 0.4?C0.6 MV/cm, and their activity grows with voltage up to breakdown. As the electric field increases, new unstable emission centers occur at sites other than those observed at the previous voltage pulse. Reasons for the appearance of unstable emission centers are discussed.     

Cathode processes in free burning and stabilized by axial magneticfield vacuum arcs

Collective behavior of the cathode spots (CS) has been investigated in free burning and stabilized by axial magnetic field (AMF) vacuum arcs. Experiments carried out proved previously discovered phenomenon of CS group formation in free burning arc to be a general phenomenon for a short high-current vacuum arc. The dependency of CS group size in the developed are on arc current for different contact materials has been analyzed. Application of AMF with even relatively low intensity strongly affects on cathode processes. In short arcs, it hinders formation of the CS group and consequently reduces thermal stress applied to the electrodes. It has been revealed that high current vacuum arc under the action of AMF can exist only at current densities exceeding certain minimal value that depends on AMF intensity, contact gap, and does not depend on current itself. The dependency of this minimal (or normal) current density on AMF intensity has been studied for short and long vacuum arcs. A qualitative model of the cathode spot dynamics has also been proposed     

Possibility of lasing on the Ne transitions in the afterglow of a background electron multiplication wave

The possibility of lasing with the Ne + H₂ Penning mixture in the afterglow of a background electron multiplication wave that emerges in the presence of a nanosecond high-voltage pulse with the subnanosecond leading edge across the discharge gap filled with the atmospheric-pressure gas is considered. The needed nonuniformity of the field is created with small-curvature-radius electrodes. It is demonstrated that lasing is possible at a relatively small (several centimeters) length of the active medium.     

Influence of electrode separation on ion density in the vacuum arc

The density of singly ionized chromium shortly before and after forced extinction of vacuum arcs between chromium-copper electrodes was measured by laser-induced fluorescence for 2- and 10-mm contact gaps and currents between 200 A and 1 kA. In all cases studied, the ion density was constant before ramping down to the current and decayed exponentially after current zero. The ion density at current zero was found to be lower and to decay faster for a short gap than for a longer one, clearly indicating the effect of the contact separation on the charge carrier density. The variation of the time constant for the ion density decay with contact separation is closely analogous to the influence of contact separation on the recovery time of a switch gap. Furthermore, the recovery of dielectric strength of a chromium-copper gap proceeds on the same timescale as the decay of the density of singly ionized chromium. Both of these findings confirm that the ion density has a strong impact on the recovery of a vacuum gap     

Laser-assisted spin-polarized transport in graphene tunnel junctions

The Keldysh nonequilibrium Green's function method is utilized to theoretically study spin-polarized transport through a graphene spin valve irradiated by a monochromatic laser field. It is found that the bias dependence of the differential conductance exhibits successive peaks corresponding to the resonant tunneling through the photon-assisted sidebands. The multi-photon processes originate from the combined effects of the radiation field and the graphene tunneling properties, and are shown to be substantially suppressed in a graphene spin valve which results in a decrease of the differential conductance for a high bias voltage. We also discuss the appearance of a dynamical gap around zero bias due to the radiation field. The gap width can be tuned by changing the radiation electric field strength and the frequency. This leads to a shift of the resonant peaks in the differential conductance. We also demonstrate numerically the dependences of the radiation and spin valve effects on the parameters of the external fields and those of the electrodes. We find that the combined effects of the radiation field, the graphene and the spin valve properties bring about an oscillatory behavior in the tunnel magnetoresistance, and this oscillatory amplitude can be changed by scanning the radiation field strength and/or the frequency.     

常压窄间隙介质阻挡放电等离子体辐射特性

利用带有透明电极与可测向观察的一个介质阻挡放电(DBD)实验装置对它的常压窄间隙等离子体辐射特性进行了实验研究。结果表明：这一DBD装置的辐射特性会受激励电压、激励频率、DBD结构等多种因素影响。在频率为10～20kHz高压电源激励下,采用窄间隙、薄电介质层结构DBD可以大幅度提高放电空间的电场强度,增加放电功率密度,提高了放电装置性能。     

Micro-pinch formation and extreme ultraviolet emission of laser-induced discharge plasma

Extreme ultraviolet(EUV) source produced by laser-induced discharge plasma(LDP) is a potential technical means in inspection and metrology. A pulsed Nd:YAG laser is focused on a tin plate to produce an initial plasma thereby triggering a discharge between high-voltage electrodes in a vacuum system. The process of micro-pinch formation during the current rising is recorded by a time-resolved intensified charge couple device camera. The evolution of electron temperature and density of LDP are obtained by optical emission spectrometry. An extreme ultraviolet spectrometer is built up to investigate the EUV spectrum of Sn LDP at 13.5 nm. The laser and discharge parameters such as laser energy, voltage, gap distance,and anode shape can influence the EUV emission.     

Influence of Surface Contaminations on Cathode Processes of Vacuum Discharges

The influence of surface contaminations on the ignition and maintenance of vacuum discharges is discussed qualitatively. Surface analysis of the electrodes and gas analysis during the discharges demonstrate that fresh electrodes contain always impurities within the upper surface layers, which affect the behaviour of vacuum arcs and vacuum breakdowns. The most effective way for cleaning the surfaces are the discharges themselves, if they burn in UHV. During that cleaning the following variations have been found: Are cathodes spots change from rapid moving ones with small erosion (type 1) to slow ones with strong erosion (type 2). The ignition of nanosecond discharges needs higher field strength and field emission current density. Polishing effects by short discharges (< 5 ns) become more pronounced. Erosion craters in nanosecond discharges increase.     

Electrode system of the high voltage glow discharge for metal heating

The electrode configuration of the high-voltage low pressure glow discharge with a cylindrical cathode for producing the annular beam of electrons is studied in this paper. Supposing that the space charge density is equal to zero the distribution of the electric field in the region between the electrodes is determined. The distribution of the electric field governs the processes in the discharge.The authors would like to express their thanks to Dr. J. Horsák for carrying out the numerical calculations.     

“神龙二号”气体火花开关中绝缘结构的电场分析与优化

气体火花开关作为重要部件被大量地应用于直线感应加速器和Z箍缩等大型脉冲功率装置中。绝缘结构设计不合理会使得气体火花开关中出现局部电场畸变和电荷积聚等现象。在高电压脉冲下长时间或高频次运行时,火花开关中的绝缘子会发生沿面闪络现象,直接影响到脉冲功率装置的正常运行。鉴于此,对气体火花开关中的绝缘结构进行了有限元电场分析,用表面电荷的积聚定性解释了沿面闪络发生的原因。通过对绝缘子的几何结构和电极尺寸的优化设计,有效降低了绝缘子表面和电极表面的电场强度,其中阳极三结合点场强从9.4 kV/mm降至1.5 kV/mm,阴极三结合点场强从2.95 kV/mm降至0.98 kV/mm,绝缘子表面最高场强从10.8 kV/mm降至4.95 kV/mm。优化后的绝缘结构电场分布较为合理,降低了由于表面电荷的积聚而引发沿面闪络的概率。     

Fast high-voltage pulse generation using nonlinear capacitors

Many pulsed power applications require short high-voltage pulses with a high-repetition rate. Conventional high-voltage discharge pulse-switches such as thyratrons, spark gap switches, and vacuum tube switches have a short lifetime, whereas the semiconductor switches have a long lifetime and high reliability. The semiconductor switches, however cannot be directly applied to fast high-voltage pulsed power generation due to their limited operating voltage ratings despite their relatively long switching times. Therefore, they are used with voltage amplification and a pulse compression stage. This paper describes two pulse generators that use the semi-conductor switches and nonlinear capacitors: one is based on an opening switch (IGBT) and inductive energy storage, the other is a combination of a closing switch (RSD) and capacitive energy storage     

Electron-optical study of the initial phase of subnanosecond pulsed electric breakdown of gas-filled gaps

The glow accompanying the breakdown of gas gaps with a strong overvoltage by voltage pulses with 1-ns and shorter fronts is studied by electron optics methods. The filling of the gap with glow was accompanied by the development of ionization wave processes originating in the bulk of the gas and controlling the first stage of the breakdown. The dynamics of evolution of ionization waves in the electrode gap was analyzed in the 1D approximation. The results of calculations are in qualitative agreement with experiment. This leads to the conclusion that breakdown can be initiated from the bulk of the gas rather than from the surface of the electrodes. At this stage, the electrodes are mainly required for producing the electric field in the gap.     

Neutral copper vapor density and electric recovery after forcedextinction of vacuum arcs

Dielectric recovery data were obtained for vacuum arcs between chromium copper butt contacts 30 mm in diameter and 2 mm apart. The 50-Hz arc current was forced to zero at its maximum of 200 A in about 1 μs. Following current zero, high-voltage pulses of a sufficient amplitude to always cause breakdown were applied to the gap. Gap recovery is characterized by the measured breakdown voltage as a function of time. Dielectric strength of the gap rises sharply within the first few microseconds after current zero, reaching its final value in about 10 μs. Neutral copper concentration in the center of the gap was measured by laser-induced fluorescence under conditions very similar to those of the recovery measurements. In contrast to the fast gap recovery, the copper vapor concentration does not change substantially during the first 100 μs from its value of 1.4×10¹⁸ m ^-3 near current zero. It is concluded that the neutral copper vapor concentration does not play a decisive role in gap recovery under these experimental conditions. This is corroborated by the fact that the mean free path for electron-impact ionization of copper atoms exceeds the gap length by four orders of magnitude     

Basic Characteristics of Vacuum Arcs Subjected to a Magnetic Field Parallel to Their Positive Columns

As vacuum arcs subjected to a magnetic field parallel to their positive column (an axial magnetic field) spread uniformly over all the electrodes and burn in the interelectrode region, arc voltages of these arcs are low and quiescent. When the magnetic field strength decreases, however, the arc voltage develops a large noise component and electrode melting occurs. Experiments were conducted to investigate the condition of these transition phenomena. As a result of these experiments, it was found that these two phenomena do not always occur simultaneously and that a new explanation for the mechanism of anode spot formation should be considered.