A proposal of lumped circuit model for simulating a radial magnetic field type vacuum switch

Summary form only given, as follows. Vacuum switches, widely used in a pulsed power system, could use the magnetic force to prevent the electrode damage. A radial magnetic field (RMF) type switch restrains a main electrode from aging phenomena due to high temperature and high density arc by rotating an arc, which is driven by a Lorenz force. In this paper, we present the energy loss characteristics of RMF type switches which are made of CuCr (75/25 wt%) electrode. The time-dependent dynamic arc resistance of a high-current pulsed discharge in a high vacuum, which occurs in RMF type switches, was obtained by solving the circuit equation using the measured values of the arc voltage and current. Also we observed arc movement and spots of the electrode surface using a high speed camera. Based on these results, we proposed a lumped circuit model for simulating a RMF type vacuum switch, which was simulated with PSPICE. This simulation was compared with experimental results.