Two stage opening switch techniques for generation of high inductive voltages

The use of an opening switch or fuse as means of further reducing the rate of current interruption by the primary opening switch has been demonstrated to be practical in generating high voltage pulses in inductive storage systems. The characteristics of two-stage switching have been investigated for a variety of storage systems with either explosively actuated switches or fuses as the primary opening element and wire or foil fuses (in sand or water) as secondary pulse steepening elements. The duration of the output pulses generated in these experiments ranges from 0.25 to 10 μsec. Peak voltages (currents) associated with these pulses are 1.1 MV (3 kA) and 0.30 MV (40 kA), respectively. Electric stress levels for explosively actuated switches commutated through a fuse have reached 16 KV/cm with a recovery time of less than 60 μsec. Fuses were found to withstand the same stress level