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1999
Journal Article
Titel
Lifetime and switching characteristics of a high-current multichannel pseudospark
Abstract
A radial multichannel pseudospark switch is integrated into a plasma focus system disigned to generate soft x rays to determine switch durability in a long-term test. The operating parameters correspond to a repetition rate of up to 2 Hz, stand-off voltages of 10 kV and peak currents of 200 kA. Only minimal electrode erosion is witnessed after a serial test of 180 000 shots where the electrode surfaces are inspected after every 25 000 shots. The good condition of electrode surfaces suggests the possibility of an additional 200 000 shots, implying that for the given parameter range the lifetime of the multichannel pseudospark is at least four times longer than that of traditional high-current switches such as spark gaps. In a comparative test the performance of the multichannel pseudospark switch is evaluated against a multichannel spark gap. The results of these investigations show that the low-erosive pseudospark is well suited to substitute for apark gaps in high-current applications.
Author(s)
Language
English