High power spark gap switch program

A program is presently underway into the investigation and final development of a spark gap switch capable of operating at repetition rates of 50 to 250 pulses/sec (pps) at voltages of several hundred kilovolts and 5 megawatts average power. Results of an Aero Propulsion Laboratory program on High Power Spark Gap Switch Development led to the present study, which is a coordinated effort between the Gas Dynamics Laboratories of the University of Michigan, Naval Surface Weapons Center and Maxwell Laboratories, Inc. Theoretical investigations into the nature of dynamic nonstationary arcs under transverse gas flow conditions between electrodes are discussed. Future plans for experimental studies of arc properties include time resolved temperature measurements using a unique optical scanning system at the University of Michigan. An optimized high power spark gap switch will be designed and fabricated by Maxwell Laboratories and tested at their switch test facility.