Abstract
Gas-filled plasma closing switches (PCSs) are essential components of different high energy density pulsed power systems, used to generate short, high-power (10s MW to several GW) impulses. In multiple practical applications, PCSs are required to operate in high current (10s kA), high voltage (10s-100s kV) regimes, to produce fast rising (ns and sub-ns) HV impulses. The transient resistance of a PCS significantly affects the power delivered to the load and the rise time of the generated pulses.
This paper investigates the time-dependent resistance of the plasma channel formed between the electrodes of the PCS. Experimentally-obtained current waveforms were used to calculate the transient plasma resistance and channel radius formed in the PCS when filled with dry air. The channel resistance drops rapidly from a few hundreds of ohms to a few hundreds of milliohms due to the Joule heating of the channel. The resistance was obtained for different gas pressures, from 0 bar to 6 bar (gauge). The analytically-obtained transient plasma resistance was used to model current waveforms which have been compared with the experimental results. The developed model will help to optimise the operational performance of gas-filled PCSs.
This paper investigates the time-dependent resistance of the plasma channel formed between the electrodes of the PCS. Experimentally-obtained current waveforms were used to calculate the transient plasma resistance and channel radius formed in the PCS when filled with dry air. The channel resistance drops rapidly from a few hundreds of ohms to a few hundreds of milliohms due to the Joule heating of the channel. The resistance was obtained for different gas pressures, from 0 bar to 6 bar (gauge). The analytically-obtained transient plasma resistance was used to model current waveforms which have been compared with the experimental results. The developed model will help to optimise the operational performance of gas-filled PCSs.
Original language | English |
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Number of pages | 4 |
Publication status | Published - 20 Sept 2018 |
Event | EAPPC & BEAMS 2018: 7th Euro-Asian Pulsed Power Conference (EAPPC) and 22nd International Conference on High-Power Particle Beams (BEAMS) - Changsha, China Duration: 16 Sept 2018 → 20 Sept 2018 http://www.eappc-beams2018.org/ |
Conference
Conference | EAPPC & BEAMS 2018 |
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Country/Territory | China |
City | Changsha |
Period | 16/09/18 → 20/09/18 |
Internet address |
Keywords
- plasma closing switch (PCS)
- pulsed power systems
- high energy density