EP0454678A1 - Commutateur a decharge lumineuse - Google Patents

Commutateur a decharge lumineuse

Info

Publication number
EP0454678A1
EP0454678A1 EP19890912425 EP89912425A EP0454678A1 EP 0454678 A1 EP0454678 A1 EP 0454678A1 EP 19890912425 EP19890912425 EP 19890912425 EP 89912425 A EP89912425 A EP 89912425A EP 0454678 A1 EP0454678 A1 EP 0454678A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
gas
cathode
discharge switch
gas discharge
switch according
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Ceased
Application number
EP19890912425
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
Inventor
David Walter Branston
Robert SEEBÖCK
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Siemens AG
Original Assignee
Siemens AG
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Siemens AG filed Critical Siemens AG
Publication of EP0454678A1 publication Critical patent/EP0454678A1/fr
Ceased legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01J—ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS
    • H01J17/00—Gas-filled discharge tubes with solid cathode
    • H01J17/38—Cold-cathode tubes
    • H01J17/40—Cold-cathode tubes with one cathode and one anode, e.g. glow tubes, tuning-indicator glow tubes, voltage-stabiliser tubes, voltage-indicator tubes
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01J—ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS
    • H01J17/00—Gas-filled discharge tubes with solid cathode
    • H01J17/02—Details
    • H01J17/22—Means for obtaining or maintaining the desired pressure within the tube
    • H01J17/26—Means for producing, introducing, or replenishing gas or vapour during operation of the tube

Definitions

  • the invention relates to a gas discharge switch with a low-pressure gas discharge path, which is provided with an anode and at least one main cathode and is arranged in an ionizable working gas and which is assigned a control device for a glow discharge which contains a cathode.
  • the infinitely large plate capacitor and its ignition characteristic are generally used for comparison.
  • the practical embodiment of such discharge paths has electrodes with finite dimensions.
  • Low-pressure gas discharge lines are known to be suitable as switches for high currents, for example from about 50 kA to 2 MA, and high voltages up to about 100 kV.
  • These gas discharge switches operate with a pressure of the working gas, preferably hydrogen, of less than 1 Torr with an electrode spacing of less than 1 cm with a voltage above 10 kV in the left branch of the Paschen curve. Since these switches can only switch a current on, but cannot switch it off again, they are particularly suitable for discharging large capacitors, for example at a voltage of 10 to 100 kV and currents up to 10 MA, in which several switches are then generally connected in parallel.
  • the discharge switch contains an anode and a main cathode, which are arranged coaxially to one another and are separated from one another at the edge by an annular insulator (Proc. IEE, Vol. 111, No. 1, January 196h, pages 203 to 213).
  • Such gas discharge switches can also be controlled by a pulsed low pressure gas discharge.
  • the main discharge is initiated by a hollow cathode discharge and ignited by injection of charge carriers.
  • a control device is provided which contains a cage provided with holes which surrounds the cathode rear chamber. The discharge path is separated by the cage from the area of a pre-ionization discharge, which is a glow discharge.
  • Various auxiliary electrodes for shielding and potential control can be placed between the cage and the area of the glow discharge provided (Sei. Instr. 19 (1986), The ⁇ nst. of Physi-cs * , Great Britain, pages 466 to 470). itr
  • the gas discharge system can be provided with a gas storage for the working gas, which can consist of a metal suitable as storage material, for example titanium, zirconium, tantalum, palladium or also lanthanum. Also suitable as storage material are intermetallic cubic Laves phases which consist of a compound of iron hydride with one of the rare earths, for example erbium Er or dysprosium Dy. This storage material absorbs gas " - " in an atmosphere enriched with the gas, which is stored in the grid. In a vacuum or in the working gas gas discharge switch, the working gas releases again when heated.
  • a gas store with automatic pressure control can also be provided.
  • a known embodiment of such a gas store consists of two generators, one of which serves as a store and the other as a getter.
  • the generator emits Qas when heated, for example by a heating coil, and the storage tank absorbs gas if too much gas is released and this leads to an increase in pressure.
  • the distance between the storage metal and the generator casing is not chosen to be greater than the mean free path of the working gas, ti.h. for hydrogen at most about 0.4 mm (Sov. Phys. Tech ⁇ Ph ⁇ s. - Vol. 21, No. 4, April 1976, pages 487 to 489).
  • the invention has for its object to provide a gas discharge switch with a low pressure gas discharge path and integrated To simplify and improve the glow discharge path as a trigger part, in particular the pressure control for the working gas is to be simplified.
  • the energy of the glow discharge is provided as a manipulated variable for regulating the pressure of the working gas, which can preferably consist of hydrogen.
  • the gas storage device can be integrated in the cathode of the glow discharge.
  • This cathode can preferably consist of a stack of ring disks which are thermally conductively connected to one another and consist of a material serving as a storage for the working gas. The distance between the plates is then preferably chosen to be less than the mean free path of the working gas.
  • Storage material in powder form can also be provided, which is attached to the cathode in a heat-conducting connection.
  • Another inexpensive option is to design the storage in the form of a paste or a sintered body containing the storage material.
  • FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a section through a gas discharge switch with automatic pressure control of the working gas.
  • FIG. 2 shows a preferred embodiment of the gas discharge switch and
  • FIG. 3 shows a special embodiment of the gas store.
  • a gas discharge switch there are two electrodes 2 and 3, of which the electrode 2, for example, as the main cathode and the electrode 3 as the anode. is switched and each form a rotational body, arranged coaxially to one another.
  • the axis of rotation indicated by dash-dotted lines is designated by 4.
  • the electrodes 2 and? are provided with coaxial bores 5 and 6, on which a discharge path 10 is formed.
  • the electrodes 2 and 3 are made of electrically conductive material, for example stainless steel, and can preferably also be used on the discharge path 10 with inserts 8 and 9 made of a high-melting point. Metal, for example tungsten or molybdenum, or also from their alloys.
  • the diameter of the bores 5 and 6 is preferably chosen to be smaller than the distance between the electrodes 2 ** and 3.
  • the electrical power supplies to the main cathode 2 and the anode 3 are denoted in the figure by 12 and 13 respectively.
  • the main cathode 2 will be at zero potential and a positive potential of approximately 20 kV, for example, will be applied to the anode.
  • the power supply lines 12 and 13 are passed through a housing 14, which can preferably consist of ceramic, in a vacuum-tight manner.
  • the housing 16 is provided with openings 22 and 23, which are shielded by a hollow cylindrical trigger electrode. These trigger electrode 24 is connected to an S t expensive-connection provided 26, which is vacuum-tight manner by the housing 14 hin ⁇ performed.
  • the housing 14 also contains a structural unit 30 comprising a cathode 31 for a glow discharge and a gas reservoir 32 for the working gas, preferably hydrogen or deuterium or a gas mixture containing these gases.
  • the cathode 31 for a glow discharge forms a discharge space 28 for the glow discharge with the cylindrical side wall of the housing 14 and the housing 16 for the cathode rear space.
  • the gas storage 32 can consist, for example, of a stack of sheets 34 made of storage material, which are connected to the cathode 28 with good thermal conductivity via spacers 36.
  • the distance between the plates 34, which can be made of titanium or zircon, for example, is preferably at most as large as the mean free path of the working gas, ie about 0.3 to 0.4 mm for hydrogen as the working gas.
  • a glow discharge is set which burns abnormally and obstructively in the discharge space 28.
  • an anomalous glow discharge the available surface of the cathode 31 is completely covered by the discharge. Since the arc voltage of the discharge depends on the quotient of the current density j and the square of the gas pressure p, a reduction in the gas pressure p leads to an increase in the arc voltage.
  • the distance between the anode 3 and the cathode 31 is not sufficient for undisturbed formation of the negative glow light; in extreme cases, the anode 3 dips into the cathodic drop space.
  • the firing voltage of the discharge increases as the degree of disability increases.
  • the degree of disability can be estimated from the rule known for a normal glow discharge that the product of the length of the cathodic dark space d and the gas pressure p is constant. If the distance between the anode 3 and the cathode 31 is reduced until it is substantially smaller than 2xd, the discharge is hindered and the internal voltage increases. If the pressure is increased in the case of a glow discharge that is already burning with hindrance, the burning voltage is reduced accordingly. In a gas discharge switch with a low-pressure gas discharge path, the internal voltage of the glow discharge is thus influenced by the pressure. If the pressure drops, the burning voltage increases and vice versa.
  • An increase in the operating voltage also means a corresponding increase in the power consumed by the cathode 31 a corresponding rise in temperature.
  • the structural unit 30 comprising the cathode 31 and the gas reservoir 32, if the temperature of the cathode 31 rises, hydrogen 32 is released from the reservoir 32 and the original decrease in pressure is compensated.
  • a negative voltage is applied to the cathode 31 " , which can be, for example, -2.5 kY '.
  • a trigger voltage is provided for the trigger electrode 24, which, for example, +50 V and -50 V>
  • the cathode 31 can expediently be provided with a coating, not shown in the figure, which consists of a metal with a low sputtering yield, for example of molybdenum or nickel.
  • a structural unit 30 is provided from a hollow cylindrical " cathode " and a gas storage device, which consists of a stack of rings ⁇ shaped sheets 35 made of material, which are arranged by spacers 37 made of electrically and thermally conductive material, in particular storage material, to form a stack which partially surrounds the discharge space 28.
  • the distance a between the storage sheets 35 and their spacing b of the inner wall of the housing 14 is chosen such that it is not substantially larger, preferably smaller, than the mean free path length of the charge carriers of the working gas.
  • a gas pressure p of, for example, 20 Pa
  • the mean free path length X of hydrogen is approximately 0. 3 mm.
  • annular storage plates 35 with the adjacent spacer 37 according to FIG. 2 from a single piece.
  • annular disk-shaped storage plates 35 consist of storage material and be attached to the outer lateral surface of a hollow cylindrical cathode 31, which then preferably consists of a material with a low sputter yield.
  • the storage material can consist of a paste which is applied, for example, to the outer circumferential surface of an annular cylindrical cathode.
  • the storage material 40 according to FIG. 3 in powder form between the hollow cylindrical cathode 31 and a container 39 made of gas-permeable material, which, for example, consists of a metallic grid or net or can consist of porous ceramic.
  • the storage material 40 consists of a sintered body which is connected to the cathode 31 with good thermal conductivity
  • a special container 39 is not required.
  • the inner surface of the ring-cylindrical sintered body made of the storage material 40 can preferably serve as the cathode 31.

Landscapes

  • Gas-Filled Discharge Tubes (AREA)
  • Lasers (AREA)

Abstract

Un commutateur à décharge lumineuse comprend une section de décharge lumineuse à basse pression agencée dans un gaz ionisable de travail et pourvue d'une anode et d'au moins une cathode principale. Le commutateur comprend un agencement de commande de la décharge lumineuse avec une cathode. Un réservoir à réglage automatique de la pression est prévu pour le gaz de travail. L'énergie de la décharge lumineuse sert de valeur de réglage de la pression du gaz de travail. Le fait que la cathode (31) de décharge lumineuse et que le réservoir de gaz (32) forment un seul module (30) permet de maintenir la pression du gaz de travail, de préférence de l'hydrogène, au moins approximativement constante pendant de longues durées dans le système fermé de ce commutateur dit à pseudo-étincelle.
EP19890912425 1989-02-10 1989-10-17 Commutateur a decharge lumineuse Ceased EP0454678A1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
DE19893904031 DE3904031A1 (de) 1989-02-10 1989-02-10 Gasentladungsschalter
DE3904031 1989-02-10

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0454678A1 true EP0454678A1 (fr) 1991-11-06

Family

ID=6373836

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP19890912425 Ceased EP0454678A1 (fr) 1989-02-10 1989-10-17 Commutateur a decharge lumineuse

Country Status (4)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0454678A1 (fr)
JP (1) JPH04503280A (fr)
DE (1) DE3904031A1 (fr)
WO (1) WO1990009673A1 (fr)

Families Citing this family (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0520592B1 (fr) * 1991-06-27 1995-08-23 Siemens Aktiengesellschaft Système d'emmagasinage d'hydrogène pour interrupteur à plasma
DE4226076A1 (de) * 1992-08-06 1994-02-10 Siemens Ag Elektrodenanordnung für Gasentladungsschalter
DE4226077A1 (de) * 1992-08-06 1994-02-10 Siemens Ag Werkstoff für Elektroden von Gasentladungsschaltern

Family Cites Families (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB868448A (en) * 1959-03-13 1961-05-17 Thomson Houston Comp Francaise Improvements relating to hydrogen filled electric discharge tubes
US3123739A (en) * 1960-08-16 1964-03-03 bergan
DE3721529A1 (de) * 1987-06-30 1989-01-12 Christiansen Jens Triggerung und isolation von pseudofunkenschaltern
ATE108946T1 (de) * 1988-04-11 1994-08-15 Siemens Ag Gasentladungschalter.

Non-Patent Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Title
See references of WO9009673A1 *

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
WO1990009673A1 (fr) 1990-08-23
DE3904031A1 (de) 1990-08-16
JPH04503280A (ja) 1992-06-11

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