Plasma-ring, fast-opening switch

The authors discuss a fast-opening switch concept based on magnetically confined plasma rings, PROS (for Plasma Ring Opening Switch). In PROS, the plasma ring, confined by Bθ /sub and B/poloidal /sub fields of a compact torus, provide a low mass, localized conduction path between coaxial electrodes. To operate the switch, driver current is passed across the electrodes through the ring, storing inductive energy in external inductance and between the electrodes on the driver side of the ring. The ring is accelerated away from the driver by the field of the driver current and passes over a load gap transferring the current to the load. The authors distinguish two configurations in PROS, straight PROS where the electrodes are coaxial cylinders, and cone PROS with conical electrodes. In straight PROS ring acceleration takes place during the inductive store period as in foil switches, but with the localized ring providing the current path. Increased performance is predicted for the cone PROS (see figure) which employs compression of the ring in the cone during the inductive store period. Here, the B/θ /sub field of the driver forces the ring towards the apex of the cone but the force is in near balance with the opposing component of the radial equilibrium force of the ring along the cone. As a result, the ring undergoes a slow, quasistatic compression limited only by resistive decay of the ring field. Slow compression allows inductive storage with low-power drivers (homopoloar, magneto cumulative generators, high C-low V capacitor banks, etc.). Near the apex of the cone, near peak compression, the ring is allowed to enter a straight coaxial section where, because of low-mass, it rapidly accelerates to high velocity and crosses the load gap