Parallel operation of sealed-off pseudospark switches onto common load

Considerable scientific activity has been recently generated in the field of experiments on implosion of liners, plasma focus, plasma-erosion opening switches and the like. In the simplest case, experimental installation comprises a low-inductance capacitor bank charged up to a voltage, a switching device, a transmitting line and a load. Typical current for the middle-rate installations amounts to several hundreds of kiloamperes, at voltage Vo of several tens of kilovolts, and current pulse duration from 1 to 2 /spl mu/s. Most of the above installations operate in a single-pulse mode. However, some technological applications require the facilities in a pulse repetition mode with a pulse repetition rate of 1 Hz and more. In this connection, the problem of switching device for such facilities emerges. The high-pressure spark gaps are of limited utility for this problem since they fail to operate in the pulse repetition mode and have a low lifetime. Currently, a new type of low-pressure switching device with a cold cathode, a so called pseudospark switch, is under intensive investigation. This switch offers a possibility to commutate current of about 100 kA for the devices in ceramic-metal sealed-off design. This report presents some data on parallel operation of the sealed-off switches onto a common low resistance load. Virtually, the experimental conditions are chosen to model the switch operating modes for the above described applications.