240-kA switch with potential application in electromagnetic-launch systems
Electromagnetic (EM) launchers have severe switching requirements. Switching demands for railgun systems, for instance, inlcude current conduction from hundreds of kA to a few MA, conduction times of a ms to a few s, standoff voltages as high as a few tens of kV, to rcovery voltages of 1 to 10 kV after conduction, opening and closing duty, and repetitive operation up to about 50 Hz. These demands, particularly for repetitive opening duty, are far beyond the capability of most current switches and switching concepts. This paper will review the performance of rod array triggered vacuum gap (RATVG) switches and discuss their potential for solving switching problems in EM launcher systems. A new mode of operation for the RATVG switch is proposed. Fundamental considerations for the operation of opening switches and their associated transfer circuits are presented. Methods of recovering the railgun's inductive energy to enable efficient repetitive operation are discussed and new circuits with such capability are proposed.
- Research Organization:
- Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-36
- OSTI ID:
- 5726807
- Report Number(s):
- LA-UR-83-2710; CONF-8310164-3; ON: DE84001174
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 2. symposium on electromagnetic launch technology, Boston, MA, USA, 11 Oct 1983; Other Information: Portions are illegible in microfiche products
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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