Performance of the Hermes-III Laser-Triggered Gas Switches
Abstract
This paper reports the performance of the SF6 insulated, multistage, laser-triggered gas switch used in the Hermes-III accelerator. In this accelerator, 20 of these switches are used to transfer energy from intermediate energy storage water-dielectric capacitors to the pulse forming lines (PFLs). Approximately 8,000 laser-triggered switch shots have been taken with seven prefires. Nearly 70% of these shots have been at nominal operating parameters. The average first-to-last spread in firing times for 20 switches is approximately 8 ns. Removal of systematic differences reduces this spread to -6 ns. This spread implies a one-sigma jitter for a single switch of < 2 ns at 70-75% of self-breakdown voltage. Results show that the jitter does not change significantly over an operating range of 70-90% of self-breakdown.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 1989
- Accession Number
- ADA638848
Entities
People
- D. L. Johnson
- G. J. Denison
- G. Weber
- J. J. Ramirez
- J. P. Corley
- J.a. Alexander
- K. C. Hodge
- L. P. Schanwald
- M. M. Manzanares
- R. A. Hamil
Organizations
- Sandia National Laboratories