A Simple Self-Breaking 2 MV Gas Switch
Abstract
We describe a simple self-breaking 2 MV gas master switch for the LLNL 2 MV general purpose relativistic electron beam (REB) accelerator. The switch cavity has been hollowed out in a 17.8 em-thick acrylic slab. The switch gap is 3.55 cm. At 2 MV the maximum field at the cathode is 740 kV cm-1 and the maximum envelope field is 172 kV cm-1, The maximum measured switching voltage is 1.90 +-0.1 MV (10 bar abs). The minimum switching voltage is 1.1 MV (4.3 bar abs). The operating characteristics break away from the 89 kV/{cm atm) DC breakdown strength of SF6 at 5.5 bar abs. Careful electrical and mechanical design as well as strict quality control during assembly and operation have resulted in reliable and reproducible operation.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 1987
- Accession Number
- ADA634695
Entities
People
- E. K. Freytag
- Marco S. Di Capua
- Ronald A. Hawley
- Ward R. Dixon
Organizations
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory