Plasma puff initiation of high Coulomb transfer switches. Annual progress report, 1 October 1989-30 September 1990

The plasma-puff triggering mechanism based on a hypocycloidal pinch geometry was investigated to determine the optimal operating conditions for the azimuthally uniform surface flashover which initiates plasma-puff under wide range of fill gas pressure of Ar, He and N2. The optimal fill gas pressure for the azimuthally uniform plasma-puff was about 120 mTorr and 450 Torr for He and N2, and between 120 mTorr and 5 Torr for Ar. The inverse pinch switch was triggered with the plasma-puff and the switching capability under various electrical parameters and working gas pressures of Ar, He and N2 was determined. It was also shown that the azimuthally uniform switching discharges were dependent on the type of fill gas and its fill pressure. A new concept of plasma-focus driven plasma-puff was also discussed in comparison with the hypocycloidal pinch plasma-puff triggering. The main discharge of inverse pinch switch with plasma-focus driven plasma-puff trigger is found to be more azimuthally uniform than that with hypocycloidal pinch plasma-puff trigger in a gas pressure region between 80 mTorr and 1 Torr.