Testing of a 100 kV, 100 Hz rep-rate gas switch

A two-electrode gas switch with a self-breakdown voltage of 100 kV was operated at a pulse-repetition rate of 100 Hz with bursts up to 10 seconds in duration. The output of a pulse transformer provided the (1 - cos wt) waveform which charged the switch in about one-half millisecond. The switch discharged with a peak current of about 10 kA and a total charge transfer of about 10 mC into a damped LC circuit. A continuous purge of air through the interelectrode spacing enabled the switch to recover its breakdown voltage between discharges. Flow rates up to 35 SCFM were employed. This paper discusses the dependence of switch jitter and waveform reproducibility on air-flow rate