Modeling and Experimental Studies of a Multi-Gap Gas Switch for Linear Transformer Drivers

This work is presenting the modeling of and the experimental studies performed on multi-gap gas switch (MGS) designed for linear transformer drivers (LTD). The MGS employs corona discharge in dry air for voltage grading across its six gaps, and therefore, achieves compactness and environmentally friendliness. Circuit modeling of the MGS was performed, followed by analysis and tests on corona current and voltage grading, showing a good self-break property of the switch. Trigger properties of the MGS were subsequently analyzed and experimentally investigated. The modeling and analysis were verified by evaluation experiments. The MGS was fired for 10020 shots in a typical LTD brick with a charging voltage of ±90 kV, which is 60% of the self-break voltage of the MGS when pressurized with 3.13 ata dry air, and a peak discharging current of 23.7 kA. The standard deviation of the time-delays between the trigger voltage and the discharging current is 3.3 ns for all the shots, during which only one pre-fire of the MGS occurred.