Continuing studies of plasma erosion switches for power conditioning on multiterawatt pulsed power accelerators

Journal Article · Thu Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1983 · IEEE Trans. Plasma Sci.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1109/TPS.1983.4316251· OSTI ID:5249264

Stringfield, R; Gilman, C; James, G; Peters, T; Sincerny, P; Wong, S

Recent PITHON experiments with plasma erosion switches (PES) have extended the range of operation of the switches by about 50 percent, in terms of closed time and charge passing through the switch. The quantity of charge passed through the switch has been increased to as much as 35 mC. Currents as large as 1 MA and voltages as great as 1.8 MV have been switched off to be diverted to a downstream load. The impedance of the erosion switch can be described as having three stages: 1) essentially zero impedance, 2) a transitional opening phase, and 3) an impedance which is very large (greater than 5 ..cap omega..) in comparison with the subohm downstream load. Current diagnostics, consisting of Rogowski coils and segmented shunts, have been successfully developed to monitor the current which propagates to the load region. These monitors have measured rise times as short as 38 ns and slew rates as great as 10/sup 14/ A/s at the load. With wire array loads, the pulse conditioning of the switch has been observed to reduce the magnitude of the current losses in the feed which are present when no switch is used. Correlations have been made between the switch closed time, voltage, current, and power with the feed inductance and the generator power injected into the magnetic insulated transmission line (MITL).

• Research Organization: Physics International Company, 2700 Merced St., San Leandro, CA 94577
• OSTI ID: 5249264
• Journal Information: IEEE Trans. Plasma Sci.; (United States), Journal Name: IEEE Trans. Plasma Sci.; (United States) Vol. 11:3; ISSN ITPSB
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS
430300* -- Particle Accelerators-- Auxiliaries & Components
ACCELERATORS
CURRENTS
ELECTRIC COILS
ELECTRIC CURRENTS
ELECTRIC POTENTIAL
ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT
ELECTRONIC CIRCUITS
ENERGY LOSSES
EQUIPMENT
EROSION
IMPEDANCE
LOSSES
MAGNETIC INSULATION
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
MONITORS
PLASMA
POWER CONDITIONING CIRCUITS
POWER LOSSES
POWER TRANSMISSION LINES
PULSES
ROGOWSKI COIL
SHUNT REACTORS
SWITCHES