Optimization of the gas SF/sub 6/-N/sub 2/ mixture composition in a high-power nanosecond bipolar voltage generator

Nanosecond bipolar high-voltage pulse generators using an array of spark gaps in compressed gases show a decrease in efficiency with increasing load current. To increase the efficiency, it has been proposed to use mixtures of gases of high and low electric strength. A numerical simulation performed for a mixture of SF/sub 6/ and N/sub 2/ using the numerical simulation has shown the possibility to optimize the generator operation. To determine the gas mixture parameters, such as alp, n/p, and V/sub d/, the Boltzmann equation was solved. The spark gap switching was described in terms of the Rompe-Weitzel model. It has been predicted that the efficiency of the generator operation with an SF/sub 6/-N/sub 2/ mixture can be increased by a factor of 1.5 as compared to that with N/sub 2/.