On the Mechanism of Pulsed Breakdown in Gaseous Spark Gaps

Results of numerical simulations of discharge development in a gaseous spark gap have been reported for different applied voltage parameters and gas pressures and types. Temporal and spatial variations of gas discharge parameters, dynamics of charge generation processes and the electrical field have been investigated in detail. For this purpose, continuity equation for electron and ion and Poisson’s equation have been solved with appropriate boundary conditions at the electrodes. Simulation results indicate that the pulsed dielectric withstand of the switch is strongly dependent on the gas pressure and parameters of the applied voltage. It has been shown that at pressures of about 100 mbar, the delay of the breakdown of the switch can be minimized.

کلیدواژه ها:

Pulsed breakdown ، gas discharge mechanism ، spark gap ، pulsed power switches