High Power Hollow Electrode Thyratron-Type Switches

Abstract

A review of recent developments in a new group of high power switches, including the pseudo-spark and BLT, is presented. Experiments are reported wherein it is shown that for several key aspects of high power switching the pseudo-spark and BLT switches are superior to either high pressure spark gap switches and/or thyratrons, in some cases, both. These aspects include current operating range (> 100 kA), current rate of rise (> 10[expn 12] A/sec), switching precision, trigger efficiency, current reversal, and recovery time. Several electrical and optical trigger methods are described. Pseudo-sparks and BLTs have also been tested in different types of gas lasers including copper vapor-, N2-, and excimer-lasers.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 01, 1987
Accession Number
ADA638740

Entities

People

  • A. Goertler
  • C. Braun
  • C. Kozlik
  • E. Boggasch
  • G. Kirkman
  • J. Christiansen
  • K. Frank
  • Martin A. Gundersen
  • V. Dominic
  • W. Hartmann

Organizations

  • University of Southern California

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Charge Carriers
  • Dielectrics
  • Efficiency
  • Electrical Engineering
  • Electrodes
  • Excimer Lasers
  • Gas Lasers
  • Glow Discharges
  • High Pressure
  • High Voltage
  • Lasers
  • Light Sources
  • Repetition Rate
  • Spark Gaps
  • Switches
  • Switching
  • Thyratrons

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Electrical Engineering
  • Pulsed Power and Plasma Physics.

Technology Areas

  • Directed Energy