Voltage recovery characteristics of spark gap using repetitive pulse power system

Fast recovery switches are never ending demand in pulse power applications. This study uses a two-pulse method to determine the voltage recovery times of gas spark gap switch with argon gas. First pulse is applied to the spark gap to over-volt the gap and initiate the breakdown (FPBDV) and second pulse is used to determine the recovery voltage of the gap (SPBDV). A double pulse generator capable of generating 40 kV peak pulses with a repetition rate of 100 kHz was developed. Recovery Experiments has been conducted for 2mm and 3mm gap length between 0-2 bar pressure range with argon gas as dielectric medium. A sparkgap chamber of which electrodes are of rogowsky profile type, made up of Stainless steel material and thickness of 15mm are used in the recovery study. Pressure has significant effect on the recovery of the spark gap. It is observed that time taken for complete recovery without gas flow techniques is around 1s.