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Title: ''Water bath'' effect during the electrical underwater wire explosion

Journal Article · · Physics of Plasmas
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.2789990· OSTI ID:21057458
; ; ; ;  [1]
  1. High Current Electronic Institute SB RAS, Tomsk (Russian Federation)

The results of a simulation of underwater electrical wire explosion at a current density >10{sup 9} A/cm{sup 2}, total discharge current of {approx}3 MA, and rise time of the current of {approx}100 ns are presented. The electrical wire explosion was simulated using a one-dimensional radiation-magnetohydrodynamic model. It is shown that the radiation of the exploded wire produces a thin conducting plasma shell in the water in the vicinity of the exploding wire surface. It was found that this plasma shell catches up to 30% of the discharge current. Nevertheless, it was shown that the pressure and temperature of the wire material remain unchanged as compared with the idealized case of the electrical wire explosion in vacuum. This result is explained by a 'water bath' effect.

OSTI ID:
21057458
Journal Information:
Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 14, Issue 10; Other Information: DOI: 10.1063/1.2789990; (c) 2007 American Institute of Physics; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1070-664X
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English