Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-t5tsf Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-17T14:18:26.619Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Spark channel dynamics in railgun switches in unipolar and oscillatory discharges

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 June 2019

A.V. Kharlov Open the ORCID record for A.V. Kharlov [Opens in a new window]
A.V. Kharlov*
Affiliation:
Institute of High Current Electronics, Tomsk, Russia
*
Author for correspondence: A.V. Kharlov, Institute of High Current Electronics, 2/3 Academichesky Ave., 634055 Tomsk, Russia, E-mail: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Spark gaps are often used to commute energy in the discharge of a capacitive storage to a load. In some applications, a unipolar pulse is not feasible, and an oscillatory (underdamped sinusoidal) regime must be realized for the discharge of the capacitor bank. Spark gaps, which were developed for unipolar discharge, cannot be directly employed in an under-damped (oscillatory) regime since at the transition of the current through zero, the spark channel could stop motion and ignite in the following half period. This work has two main objectives: (i) To develop and test a simulation model of spark channel motion in linear rail geometry, which must be valid for both the oscillatory and unipolar regimes of capacitor bank discharge; and (ii) to investigate arc motion and electrode heating, depending on the current and charge transfer, over a wide range of operation. A self-consistent treatment of plasma motion and electrode heating (taking into account the radiation of a plasma channel) is applied in the present paper, and it is shown that radiation can significantly impact on the temperature of the electrodes. Electrode ablation and the temperature dependence of the main thermal parameters are also taken into account. Stainless steel (Cr/Ni/Ti 18/10/0.6÷0.8), copper (Cu), chromium (Cr), tungsten (W), and molybdenum (Mo) are used here as electrode materials since these materials are widely used for the manufacture of electrodes. The results of numerical calculations are compared with experimental results, and conditions are defined for reduced electrode erosion.

Keywords

Electrical dischargeelectrodes erosionplasma accelerationspark gap
Type
Research Article
Information
Laser and Particle Beams , Volume 37 , Issue 2 , June 2019 , pp. 223 - 230
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2019 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Borkowski, P and Hasegawa, M (2007) A Computer program for the calculation of electrode mass loss under Electric Arc Conditions. IEICE Transactions on Electronics E90–C, 1369–1376.Google Scholar
Cavailler, C (2005) Inertial fusion with the LMJ. Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion 47, B389–B403.Google Scholar
Cho, CH, Rim, GH, Lee, HS, Kim, KH and Jin, YS (2001) Experimental analysis of rotating arc behaviors in a rotary arc gap switch for a 500 kJ capacitor bank. IEEE Transactions on Magnetics 37, 358–361.Google Scholar
Cressault, Y, Hannachi, R, Teulet, P, Gleizes, A, Gonnet, JP and Battandier, JY (2008) Influence of metallic vapours on the properties of air thermal plasmas. Plasma Sources Science and Technology 17, 035016.Google Scholar
Cui, X, Lib, J, Mob, J, Fang, J, Zhou, B, Xiao, X and Feng, F (2016) Incremental electromagnetic assisted stamping (IEMAS) with radial magnetic pressure: A novel deep drawing method for forming aluminum alloy sheets. Journal of Materials Processing Technology 233, 79–88.Google Scholar
Dieter, EG, Henry, SD and Lampman, ST (1979) Metals Handbook 9th edition, vol 2, Properties and Selection-Nonferrous Alloys and Pure Metals. Ohio: American Society for Metals.Google Scholar
Essiptchouk, AM, Sharakhovsky, LI and Marotta, A (2004) The effect of arc velocity on cold electrode erosion. Physics of Plasmas 11, 1214–1219.Google Scholar
Feng, D, Xiu, S, Wang, Y, Liu, G, Zhang, Y and Bi, D (2015) Influence of axial self-magnetic field component on arcing behavior of spiral-shaped contacts. Physics of Plasmas 22, 103505.Google Scholar
Gleizes, A, Gonzalez, JJ, Liani, B and Raynal, C (1993) Calculation of net emission coefficient of thermal plasmas in mixtures of gas I with metallic vapour. Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics 26, 1921–1927.Google Scholar
Gleizes, A, Gonzalez, JJ and Freton, P (2005) Thermal plasma modelling. Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics 38, R153–R183.Google Scholar
Hsu, SC, Merritt, EC, Moser, AL, Awe, TJ, Brockington, SJ, Davis, JS, Adams, CS, Case, A, Cassibry, JT, Dunn, JP, Gilmore, MA, Lynn, AG, Messer, SJ and Witherspoon, FD (2012) Experimental characterization of railgun-driven supersonic plasma jets motivated by high energy density physics applications. Physics of Plasmas 19, 123514.Google Scholar
Jaitly, NC, White, R, Cassany, B, Eyl, P, de Cervens, DR and Mexmain, JM (2005) Long life rotating ARC gap coaxial switch for MEGAAMP, kilo-Coulomb, high action switching of multi-MJ capacitor banks. IEEE International Pulsed Power Conference 2005, 643–646.Google Scholar
Kharlov, AV (2010) Arc motion and electrode erosion in high-current rail spark gaps. IEEE Transactions on Plasma Science 38, 2474–2478.Google Scholar
Kharlov, AV, Kovalchuk, BM, Kumpyak, EV and Tsoy, NV (2017) Investigation of a two-electrode gas switch with electrodynamical acceleration of spark channel in oscillatory regime of discharge. Journal of Instrumentation 12, T10009.Google Scholar
Kondrat'ev, AA and Matveenko, YI (2002) Plasma acceleration efficiency in a pulsed electrodynamic accelerator. Plasma Physics Reports 28, 40–45.Google Scholar
Kore, SD, Date, PP and Kulkarni, SV (2007) Effect of process parameters on electromagnetic impact welding of aluminum sheets. International Journal of Impact Engineering 34, 1327–1341.Google Scholar
Kovalchuk, BM, Kim, AA, Kharlov, AV, Kumpyak, EV, Tsoy, NV, Visir, VA, Smorudov, GV, Kiselev, VN, Chupin, VV, Bayol, F, Frescaline, L, Cubaynes, F, Drouilly, C, Eyl, P, Cassany, B, Courtois, L, Patelli, P, Mexmain, J-M and De Cervens, DR (2008 a) Capacitor bank module for a multimegajoule energy storage. IEEE Transactions on Plasma Science 36, 2651–2657.Google Scholar
Kovalchuk, BM, Kim, AA, Kharlov, AV, Kumpyak, EV, Tsoy, NV, Vizir, VV and Zorin, VB (2008 b) Three-electrode gas switches with electrodynamical acceleration of a discharge channel. Review of Scientific Instruments 79, 053504.Google Scholar
Kovalchuk, BM, Kharlov, AV, Kumpyak, EV and Tsoy, NV (2015) Two-electrode gas switch with electrodynamical acceleration of a discharge channel. Review of Scientific Instruments 86, 123504.Google Scholar
Liu, S, Huang, Y, Guo, H, Lin, T, Huang, D and Yang, L (2018) Current sheet characteristics of a parallel-plate electromagnetic plasma accelerator operated in gas-prefilled mode. Physics of Plasmas 25, 053506.Google Scholar
Miller, GH, Moses, EI and Wuest, CR (2004) The national ignition facility: Enabling fusion ignition for the 21st century. Nuclear Fusion 44, S228–S238.Google Scholar
Mishra, S, Sharma, SK, Kumar, S, Sagara, K, Meena, M and Shyama, A (2017) 40 kJ magnetic pulse welding system for expansion welding of aluminium 6061 tube. Journal of Materials Processing Technology 240, 168–175.Google Scholar
Psyk, V, Risch, D, Kinsey, BL, Tekkaya, AE and Kleiner, M (2011) Electromagnetic forming—A review. Journal of Materials Processing Technology 211, 787–829.Google Scholar
Rim, GH and Cho, CH (2000) Design and testing of a rotary arc gap switch for pulsed power. IEEE Transactions on Plasma Science 28, 1491–1496.Google Scholar
Smithells, CJ (2004) Metals Reference Book, 8th Edn. Amsterdam-Elsevier: Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann.Google Scholar
Thoma, C, Welch, DR and Hughesa, TP (2009) Ballistic and snowplow regimes in JxB plasma acceleration. Physics of Plasmas 16, 032103.Google Scholar
Tsukima, M, Abe, J and Koga, H (2014) Temperature analysis on contact surface after high-current diffuse vacuum arc. IEEJ Transactions on Power and Energy 134, 930–935.Google Scholar
Wang, LJ, Jia, SL, Yang, DG, Liu, K, Su, GL and Shi, ZQ (2009) Modelling and simulation of anode activity in high-current vacuum arc. Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics 42, 145203.Google Scholar
Weast, RC (1988) CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, 69th Edn. Florida: CRC Press.Google Scholar
Zherlitsyn, S, Wustmann, B, Herrmannsdörfer, T and Wosnitza, J (2012) Status of the pulsed-magnet-development program at the dresden high magnetic field laboratory. IEEE Transactions on Applied Superconductivity 22, 4300603.Google Scholar
Zhukov, BG, Reznikov, BI, Kurakin, RO and Rozov, SI (2007) Influence of the gas density on the motion of a free plasma piston in the railgun channel. Technical Physics 52, 865–871.Google Scholar