On the resistance modeling of the fuse opening switches after onset of explosion

Date

2002-12

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

Abstract

The energy output of a magnetic flux compression generator (MFCG) is fed into the vircator load to generate high power microwave through the pulsed power conditioning system, which has adopted the exploding wires as a opening switches. To find out the governing mechanisms on the behavior of the fuse opening switches, the optimal circuit parameters for maximum efficiency subject to compactness, experimental and theoretical approaches has been conducted. Physical transformation occurring during the explosion of the wires are divided in two processes such that A) Heating processes: [

  1. Heating to the melfing process, 2) Melting, 3) Heating of the fluid metal in the linear regime, 4) Further heating to the boiling point and beyond, and 5)Onset of the vaporization wave.] B) Heating-Cooling processes: [1) Transit of the wave and core heating, and 2) Current interruption (plausible) and C) Cooling processes: [1) vapor expansion, 2)) Thermal wave propagation, and 2) Shock wave propagation]. The nonideal plasma produced in the expanding exploding wire column are analyzed over the very wide ranges of plasma parameter such as temperature and density. For the weakly and moderate plasmas the Coulomb logarithm has been modified and extended its applicability in the Spitzer conductivity based on the binary collision models. In the early stages the plasma states have been described using density function theory and the various conductivity models, including Ziman theory and incipient Rydberg state model, have been adopted with modification as wide-range versions. Stressing on the resistance variation after onset of explosions as Shockwaves and/or thermal waves propagate the obtained resistance data as a function of wire parameters and energy injected can be used to investigate the interaction with the vircator load, which can be represented as various equivalent circuit possibly assumed for emulating the impedance characteristics of a nonlinear component.

Description

Keywords

Pulse generators, Electric switchgear, Exploding wire phenomena, Plasma waves -- Conductivity, Magnetic flux compression, Thomas-Fermi theory

Citation