Novel gaseous plasma gun for plasma opening switch

Abstract

Summary form only given, as follows. Experimental research of the plasma opening switch (POS) phenomenon showed that the plasma parameters determine the POS operation and its impedance. In the majority of the previous investigations the plasma formation was achieved by different type of coaxial plasma guns and flashboards. These types of plasma sources provide a non-uniform plasma with a multi-ion composition. There have been experiments with gaseous plasma guns which produced a pure plasma. However, in the experiment the plasma formation was achieved by several gaseous plasma guns which did not allow to obtain a uniform plasma. Previously a gaseous plasma gun was installed inside the cathode which determines the plasma injection towards the anode which, in fact, is not a preferable mode of the POS operation. In this report we present a design and results of a microsecond POS investigation (I/sub POS/=50 kA, T/sub 1/4/=950 ns) with a novel coaxial gaseous plasma gun. The operation of the plasma gun is based on the azimuthally uniform radial gas injection between two knife-type electrodes. An application of the high-voltage pulse between these electrodes causes formation of a plasma shell. This plasma shell is accelerated by the magnetic pressure gradient radially toward the POS the anode and cathode electrodes. Parameters of the pulsed gas vent and of the neutral and plasma flows are presented. Successful operation of the POS is demonstrated.