Arc Current, Voltage, and Resistance in a High Energy, Gas Filled Spark Gap.

摘要

A spark gap was designed and constructed to measure its time dependent arc resistance. The arc current was measured and the resistance calculated using the current waveform and the circuit parameters. Operating parameters were: Unipolar pulses, breakdown voltage 35 kV, peak current 30 kA, total energy per shot 1 kJ. The energy dissipated in the arc was found to be 5 % to 10 % of the total energy. Arc resistance vs. time curves were obtained for the electrode materials Stainless Steel, Copper-Tungsten, and Graphite; for the gases air, Nitrogen, and SF6; and the gas pressures 1, 2, and 3 atm. Statistical analysis was performed on the resultant data. Essential results are: Within the statistical and measurement errors, the resistance is independent of the electrode material. For each gas, the resistance, R, is proportional to pd (p-pressure, d-gap distance).