Development of a Long Life Triggered Spark Gap

In a wide variety of high voltage applications, a triggered spark gap is a critical component for the switching of capacitive energy. Whether it is for the purpose of equipment protection or as a series switch, the destructive nature of this application renders the spark gap a limited lifetime device. System parameters such as stored energy, peak current, and charge transfer can all play a significant role in limiting the lifetime of the spark gap; however, these parameters are often fixed for a specific application, thus setting a limit to the attainable life of the spark gap. The following paper discusses experimental results of a study to increase the operation lifetime of a gas filled sealed trigatron spark gap. Parameters such as electrode spacing, gas pressure, gas mixture, and electrode conditioning were examined to quantify improvements in the lifetime of the spark gap. Testing was performed at 45.5 kV with 10 kJ of stored energy discharged at a rate of 300 discharges per day. Conclusions are made as to the effect each design parameter has on extending the lifetime of the spark gap