Xiaoang Li

Degradation of Performance Due to Electrode Erosion in Field Distortion Gas Switch in Long-Term Repetitive Operation

Field distortion gas switches are extensively used in pulsed power systems. Switch performance typically degrades because of electrode erosion, which directly influences the output parameters, stability, and reliability of pulsed power systems. With the same value of pd, different pressure and gap lengths in gas switches can affect electrode erosion property and thus, the subsequent performance degradation, but few results have been published. In this paper, repetitive discharges have been undertaken in a three-electrode field distortion gas switch with fixed pd to study the influence of pressure and gap length on electrode erosion and switch performance. The morphology of electrode surface and time histories of both trigger jitter and the probability of prefire have been investigated during the whole life cycle of the gas switch. The results show that when pd is fixed, high pressure (>0.8 MPa) and a short gap make for low trigger jitter at the start of the switch life cycle but lead to more severe electrode erosion, expediting the degradation of performance in field-distortion gas switches. Meanwhile, the probability of prefire increases rapidly with the increase of pressure.

The effects of insulating coatings and current prepulse on tungsten planar wire array Z-pinches

This paper presents experimental results on the effects of insulating coatings and current prepulse on tungsten planar wire array Z-pinches on ∼100 ns main current facility. Optical framing images indicated that without a current prepulse the wire ablation process was asymmetrical and the implosion was zippered. The x-ray peak power was ∼320 GW. By using insulating coatings on the wire surface the asymmetry remained, and the processes of ablation and implosion were delayed by ∼30 ns. The x-ray burst was narrow and decreased to ∼200 GW. When current prepulses were used on both standard and insulated wire arrays, implosion symmetry was improved and the x-ray burst was improved (to ∼520 GW peak power). In addition, there was a strong emitting precursor column for insulated loads with the current prepulse.

Ejection of Electrode Molten Droplet and Its Effect on the Degradation of Insulator in Gas Spark Switches

Electrode erosion is a notable issue influencing the performance and restricting the lifetime of gas switches. In the erosion process, electrode materials heated by spark channel will melt or evaporate and be driven to depart from electrode surface, contaminating the gas switch insulator, and potentially inducing flashover accidents. In this paper, sputtering spots are observed near the erosion crater in a two-electrode gas switch, which indicates the existence of molten droplet ejection. In addition, a set of polymethyl methacrylate rings are inserted in the gas switch to detect the ejection of molten droplet as well as to simulate the switch insulator for investigating the degradation of surface insulation strength. The results show that the ejection of molten droplet is along the tangent surface of electrode with a small divergent angle. After repeated discharges, the insulator surface is bombarded by the droplet ejection and forms dense cracks and embedded metal particles in a narrow band. The spatial varied droplet ejection causes a decrease in both flashover electric field and surface resistance. It also leads to different surface resistances in different regions, which can result in an uneven electric field distribution. Thus, droplet ejection increases the probability of surface flashover accidents in gas switches.

Electrode erosion properties of gas spark switches for fast linear transformer drivers

Fast linear transformer drivers (FLTDs) are a popular and potential route for high-power devices employing multiple “bricks” in series and parallel, but they put extremely stringent demands on gas switches. Electrode erosion of FLTD gas switches is a restrictive and unavoidable factor that degrades performance and limits stability. In this paper, we systematically investigated the electrode erosion characteristics of a three-electrode field distortion gas switch under the typical working conditions of FLTD switches, and the discharge current was 7–46 kA with 46–300 ns rise time. A high speed frame camera and a spectrograph were used to capture the expansion process and the spectral emission of the spark channel was used to estimate the current density and the spark temperature, and then the energy fluxes and the external forces on the electrode surface were calculated. A tens of kilo-ampere nanosecond pulse could generate a 1011 W/m2 energy flux injection and 1.3–3.5 MPa external pressure on the electrode...

Study on Resistance and Energy Deposition of Spark Channel Under the Oscillatory Current Pulse

In the use of spark gaps as switching devices in pulsed power systems, spark resistance is a crucial factor influencing the voltage rise time and the efficiency of energy delivered to the load. However, current oscillations make it difficult to accurately measure the spark resistance. Therefore, we present a spectrographic method to measure the spark radius and the conductivity of spark channel according to its emission spectrums. A series of experiments has been carried out to investigate the time-dependent properties of spark resistance under oscillatory damped current pulses. The current and voltage waveforms have been recorded to calculate the energy deposited in the spark channel. Furthermore, the influences of gas pressure and gap length on spark resistance and the deposited energy have been discussed. The results indicate that lower resistance, and energy deposition is obtained with shorter gap lengths operating at higher pressures.

A fully enclosed, compact standard lightning impulse generator for testing ultra-high-voltage-class gas-insulated switchgears with high capacitance

At present, conducting standard lightning impulse (LI) tests in the field for gas-insulated switchgear (GIS) equipment is difficult because of the high capacitance of the test equipment and large circuit inductance of traditional impulse devices, which leads to a wavefront time T(f) ≥ 2.5 μs. A novel fully enclosed, compact standard LI generator for testing ultra-high-voltage-class GIS equipment with high capacitance is presented to solve the problem of T(f) exceeding the standard during LI voltage tests for actual large-sized equipment. The impulse generator is installed in a metal vessel filled with SF6 or SF6/N2 gas mixture at a pressure of 0.3-0.5 MPa, providing a more compact structure and a lower series inductance. A newly developed conical voltage sensor is used to accurately measure the output voltage waveform. Two test modes (via bushing docking and direct docking) for the GIS test based on the impulse generator are introduced. Calculation results show that the impulse generator can generate an LI test waveform following the present IEC standard for the test of equipment with capacitance >10,000 pF.

Free microparticles—An inducing mechanism of pre-firing in high pressure gas switches for fast linear transformer drivers

Microparticle initiated pre-firing of high pressure gas switches for fast linear transformer drivers (FLTDs) is experimentally and theoretically verified. First, a dual-electrode gas switch equipped with poly-methyl methacrylate baffles is used to capture and collect the microparticles. By analyzing the electrode surfaces and the collecting baffles by a laser scanning confocal microscope, microparticles ranging in size from tens of micrometers to over 100 μm are observed under the typical working conditions of FLTDs. The charging and movement of free microparticles in switch cavity are studied, and the strong DC electric field drives the microparticles to bounce off the electrode. Three different modes of free microparticle motion appear to be responsible for switch pre-firing. (i) Microparticles adhere to the electrode surface and act as a fixed protrusion which distorts the local electric field and initiates the breakdown in the gap. (ii) One particle escapes toward the opposite electrode and causes a near-electrode microdischarge, inducing the breakdown of the residual gap. (iii) Multiple moving microparticles are occasionally in cascade, leading to pre-firing. Finally, as experimental verification, repetitive discharges at ±90 kV are conducted in a three-electrode field-distortion gas switch, with two 8 mm gaps and pressurized with nitrogen. An ultrasonic probe is employed to monitor the bounce signals. In pre-firing incidents, the bounce is detected shortly before the collapse of the voltage waveform, which demonstrates that free microparticles contribute significantly to the mechanism that induces pre-firing in FLTD gas switches.

Spark resistance under high-speed gas flow in the oscillatory damped regime of discharge

Applying a high-speed gas flow is an effective method to exclude residual plasma and expedite the insulation recovery of high-power spark gaps and can extend their applications to higher-repetition fields. In this paper, the subject of interest is a spark gap repetitively working in a low-damping oscillatory regime of discharge. The influence of gas flow for performance regulation on spark resistance was investigated based on both electrical and optical diagnoses. A high-speed air flow ranging from 0 to 100 m/s was applied by a Laval nozzle, and a significant increase in the damping ratio of the discharge current, implying an increase in spark resistance, was observed with increasing speed of gas flow. According to the optical diagnosis results, the influence of gas flow on the spark channel had two main aspects: configuration and temperature. Although the electron temperature under gas flow showed a trend of slight increase, indicating an increase in the conductivity of the spark channel, the high-speed gas flow could greatly stretch and thin the discharge channel, which was the dominant factor and resulted in an increase in spark resistance.Applying a high-speed gas flow is an effective method to exclude residual plasma and expedite the insulation recovery of high-power spark gaps and can extend their applications to higher-repetition fields. In this paper, the subject of interest is a spark gap repetitively working in a low-damping oscillatory regime of discharge. The influence of gas flow for performance regulation on spark resistance was investigated based on both electrical and optical diagnoses. A high-speed air flow ranging from 0 to 100 m/s was applied by a Laval nozzle, and a significant increase in the damping ratio of the discharge current, implying an increase in spark resistance, was observed with increasing speed of gas flow. According to the optical diagnosis results, the influence of gas flow on the spark channel had two main aspects: configuration and temperature. Although the electron temperature under gas flow showed a trend of slight increase, indicating an increase in the conductivity of the spark channel, the high-speed ...

Observation of fast expansion velocity with insulating tungsten wires on ∼80 kA facility

This paper presents experimental results on the effects of insulating coatings on tungsten planar wire array Z-pinches on an 80 kA, 100 ns current facility. Expansion velocity is obviously increased from ∼0.25 km/s to ∼3.5 km/s by using the insulating coatings. It can be inferred that the wire cores are in gaseous state with this fast expansion velocity. An optical framing camera and laser probing images show that the standard wire arrays have typical ablation process which is similar to their behaviors on mega-ampere facilities. The ablation process and precursor plasma are suppressed for dielectric tungsten wires. The wire array implosion might be improved if these phenomena can be reproduced on Mega-ampere facilities.