Concerning microsecond megaampere-current plasma opening switches

2001 
The operation mechanism of a microsecond megaampere-current plasma opening switch is considered. The magnetic field penetrates into the plasma via near-electrode diffusion. The increase in the degree of plasma magnetization due to electron heating results in an increase in plasma resistivity and current break. The problem of calculating a plasma opening switch is mathematically formulated. The problem reduces to simultaneously solving one-fluid two-temperature MHD equations with allowance for the Hall current and two-dimensional electric circuit equations. To analyze the solution obtained, one-dimensional equations are derived based on the assumption that the size of the electrode region in which the plasma is strongly magnetized is much smaller that the plasma column length. In this approximation, the operating modes of a plasma opening switch are studied numerically. On long time scales (≥2–3 µs), the operation is limited by plasma ejection from the interelectrode gap. On short time scales (≤1 µs), the dominant process is the penetration of the magnetic field with the current velocity. The results of the calculations are compared with the available experimental data. The developed concept and numerical procedure are used to optimize the scheme for an explosion experiment on breaking megaampere currents under conditions similar to those in the EMIR complex.
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