High voltage, low inductance hydrogen thyratron study program

The second phase of a multi-phase program of research and development to gain the information necessary to fabricate a high voltage, low inductance hydrogen thyratron switch has now been completed. The thyratron is to be capable of switching tens of kiloamperes within tens of nanoseconds at voltage levels as high as 250 kV. To achieve low inductance, the thyratron is operated within a close-fitting coaxial current return. Both the tube and the return are made physically short, and the tube is designed such that the discharge is constrained to flow principally at the outer reaches of the device. A technique has been developed for modelling various types of box grids and then using computer-generated field plots to aid in the specifics of grid design. This model has been used to generate a comprehensive set of theoretical relations that are useful to determine the anode dissipation to be expected. Experimental results are described and discussed. Included are the ceramic test results, holdoff vs. time on charge and gas pressure, stage voltage addition, operation at high pulse repetition rates, current rise time as a function of gas pressure, and the triggering characteristics of multi-stage, box-grid tubes. Finally, the design of an intermediate experimental tube is discussed at length. This tube is expected to have an inductance less than 50 nH and to operate at 150 kV. Its design is based on both the theoretical and experimental results obtained during this phase of the research program. The overall conclusion is that a hydrogen thyratron capable of achieving the program's objectives is a feasible proposition.