Application of Electron-Beam Controlled Diffuse Discharges to Fast Switching
Abstract
Recent investigations into the phenomena associated with electron-beam controlled diffuse discharges indicate a potential application for repetitive ( > 10 kHz, in a "burst" mode}, high power (~10 to the 10th ~ power W} switching. In such discharges the conductivity of the gas is regulated by the competition between beam ionization and attachment and recombination processes in the gas. Short opening times, limited in practice to the decay time of the electron beam, can be realized while high voltage is being applied to the switch. We report on one series of experiments using a N2-02 combination in which the time dependence of the discharge current at two pressures has been determined. The results are compared to a zero-dimensional numerical simulation where the gas chemistry is coupled to the discharge circuit. Experiments exploring the advantages of gases with different collision cross sections and the behavior of the overall discharge stability have also been performed. A formalism for switch design in which the switch gas mixture and pressure, switch area and length are estimated self-consistently for a given system efficiency is reviewed, The formalism is used to design a single pulse, 200 kV, 30 kA (6 omega) , 100 ns FWHM inductive storage generator.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 1983
- Accession Number
- ADA637356
Entities
People
- I. M. Vitkovitsky
- Richard F. Fernsler
- Robert J. Commisso
- V. E. Scherrer
Organizations
- United States Naval Research Laboratory