Lifetime and switching characteristics of a high-current multichannel pseudospark

Abstract

A radial multichannel pseudospark switch is integrated into a plasma focus system designed to generate soft x rays to determine switch durability in a long-term test. The operating parameters correspond to a repetition rate of up to 2 Hz, stand-off voltages of 10 kV and peak currents of 200 kA. Only minimal electrode erosion is witnessed after a serial test of 180 000 shots where the electrode surfaces are inspected after every 25 000 shots. The good condition of electrode surfaces suggests the possibility of an additional 200 000 shots, implying that for the given parameter range the lifetime of the multichannel pseudospark is at least four times longer than that of traditional high-current switches such as spark gaps. In a comparative test the performance of the multichannel pseudospark switch is evaluated against a multichannel spark gap. The results of these investigations show that the low-erosive pseudospark is well suited to substitute for spark gaps in high-current applications.

An ultra compact back-lighted thyratron for nanosecond switching applications

“…Huge amount of the electrons are emitted from the filed emission when the anode potential drops in the plasma sheath along the hollow cathode, where electrical filed achieves larger than 10 6 V/m (the plasma sheath thickness is less than 100 μm) [2,3]. "The re-deposition of the cathode materials [4,5] combined with a multi-channel electrode design [6,7] prolongs the lifetime of the pseudospark for up to 1×10 9 shots for the medium power switch applications [8]. The Back-Lighted Thyratron [9] (BLT) is an optically-triggered version of the pseudospark switch.…”

Production of Plasma Jet Based on High-Current Pseudo-Spark Discharge

“…Other research and development on the PSD has concentrated on such applications as a fast high-current switch [4][5][6] for electron and ion beam sources. [7][8][9] In this paper, an application of the PSD for a powerful plasma jet has been proposed.…”

Arc erosion characteristics of pseudospark discharge in multiaperture geometry

“…13,14 With an applied voltage of 10 kV in a RLC circuit (Lϭ13 nH,Cϭ20 F), the maximum transmitted current per channel exceeds 110 kA. Owing to special geometry of this device, the self-magnetic field of discharge plasma leads to plasma distribution over a wide area in the interelectrode ͑gap͒ region.…”