The Influence of Fluid Mechanics on the Behavior of Gas-Blown Spark Gap Switches.
Abstract
A research facility was designed and constructed to conduct experiments to determine the influence of fluid mechanics on the performance of gas-blown spark gap switches. The effects of gas flow velocity, electrode divergence angle and hydrodynamic boundary layer development were investigated for laminar flow in a switch consisting of a pair of electrodes mounted in a diverging nozzle configuration. The results of the experiments show that for a given set of operating conditions, a threshold gap velocity exists, and increasing the velocity above this value results in no improvement in switch performance. This threshold velocity is exponentially dependent on the electrode divergence angle, an increase in the latter resulting in a lower threshold velocity. The threshold velocity was found to vary nonmonotonically with the degree of hydrodynamic boundary layer development at the point of minimum gap spacing, and for the conditions investigated there is an optimum hydrodynamic entry length that results in a minimum threshold velocity. The effects of turbulence were investigated briefly with the results showing an improvement in switch performance with turbulence. A numerical model was developed to predict the transient gas density distribution produced in the flow by the arc. The results of the model prediction are compared with interferograms obtained during the experiments. Keywords: Pulsed power; Switching; Spark gaps.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 29, 1985
- Accession Number
- ADA161298
Entities
People
- Herbert J. Carper Jr.
- Timothy T. Maxwell
Organizations
- Texas Tech University