Rep-Rate Jitter and Electrode Erosion of a High Pressure Flowing Oil Switch

A repetition rate switch has been developed at the University of Missouri for long service life applications at moderate energy levels. The switch was designed to study the effects of pressure, flow and charge voltage upon the breakdown performance of a synthetic avionics dielectric coolant known as poly-alpha olefin. Experimental results at pressures from 3.45 to 10.34 MPa (500 to 1,500 psig), and flow rates from 18.96 to 41.58 Lmiddotm^-1 (5 to 11 gpm), indicate the range of parameters chosen for examination does not limit the switch breakdown performance at a repetition rate of 15 pps. The electrodes were examined at 10⁶ shots in order to estimate an electrode lifetime. The material removed, although significant, was not found to limit the performance of the switch over its test lifetime and with gap-spacing adjustments the switch was found to perform similarly to the performance observed early in the electrode lifetime. The electrodes are expected to last for more than 10⁷ shots