Abstract
The corona-stabilized switch has a great potential in pulsed power systems where high pulse repetition frequencies are required. Corona discharge in SF6 in highly inhomogeneous electric field is utilized to improve repetitive performance of this kind of switch. To clarify how the repetitive performance (insulation recovery and repetitive breakdown stability) of the switch depends on the field inhomogeneity, the insulation recovery and repetitive breakdown stability of a corona-stabilized switch are experimentally investigated and theoretically analyzed. An innovative double-pulse method combining breakdown voltage and discharge channel images is used to measure the insulation recovery of the switch. For different electrodes, their voltage jitters at pulse repetition frequencies of 1-2000 Hz are measured to illustrate the stability of repetitive breakdown. The experimental results are theoretically analyzed from the memory effect and behavior characteristics of the residual plasma, the critical volume and its dynamic characteristics. The results reveal the corona stabilization enhancement effect during the repetitive breakdown in SF6 in extremely inhomogeneous field. The influence of electrode profile on the propagation of discharge channel shock wave, the decay of residual plasma and the recovery of neutral gas density are clarified. Effect of the electrostatic conditions, including the critical volume and its dynamic characteristics, and the intensity of corona discharge, on the repetitive performance of the switch are also clarified.
Highlights
The gas-discharge plasma generated by high-voltage pulses with high repetition frequency offers a number of desirable attributes such as high electron temperature, strong chemical reaction activity, and excellent instantaneous power [1], [2]
This section shows the experimental results of insulation recovery performance and repetitive breakdown stability of the corona-stabilized switch using various high-voltage electrodes
The initial electrons provided by SF6 negative ions preferentially participate in the corona discharge activity and enhance the corona stabilization effect of the subsequent breakdown, resulting in improvements in the insulation recovery and repetitive breakdown stability of the switch
Summary
The gas-discharge plasma generated by high-voltage pulses with high repetition frequency offers a number of desirable attributes such as high electron temperature, strong chemical reaction activity, and excellent instantaneous power [1], [2]. The gas-discharge plasma closing switch is still the main option for repetitive pulsed power generators where highvoltage and high-power are required, because it has many desirable features for pulsed power applications. Previous research has revealed that gas switches can be roughly divided into high-pressure and low-pressure switches according to their working pressure range. This classification is related to Paschen’s curve [9]–[13]
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