tion of Liquid-Metal Jets as the Conductor in a ated, Exploding-Fuse Opening Switc
A repetitive, high-power opening switch technique for use in pulsed power applications using inductive energy storage is presented, along with data which demonstrate performance characteristics. This technique uses jets of a liquid conductor to replace the solid metal fuses in exploding-fuse opening-switch designs. High-power switching characteristics such as interrupt current, holdoff voltage, and resistance change are presented, along with information on how these characteristics change as jet length and circuit parameters are varied. A simulated load is used to demonstrate that exploding liquid-metal jets are feasible replacements for solid-fuse conductors in realistic applications. Likewise, the switching facility has been rep-rated in a two-pulse scenario to show its primary advantage over solid-fuse switches. The use of a highspeed camera to monitor the expansion of the mercury column upon vaporization is also described. Radial expansion velocities have been extracted from the images and are correlated with the electrical data.
The Voltage across a Fuse during the Current Interruption Process
Results of experiments with fusing wires are discussed and explained theoretically. Multiple arcing is observed; it is explained in a thermodynamic model. Also, the possible absence of multiple arcing at high currents is explained. There, evaporation of superheated fuse material causes the fast increase of the fuse resistance. This evaporation explains the experimentally observed behavior of the fuse resistance as a function of fuse diameter, whereas the concept of multiple arcing fails to do so. Results from experiments confirm energy balance equations, both for fuses in air and for fuses embedded in fine-grained sand. The energy balance equation for the latter case is shown to be equivalent to Mayr's equation.
Effects of reservoir volume on performance of pulse tube cooler.
A pulse tube cooler has the advantages of long-life and low-vibration over conventional cryocoolers such as G-M and Stirling coolers because of the absence of moving parts at low temperature. On the other hand, the combination of a reservoir and orifice is indispensable to optimize the performance of pulse tube coolers. In order to make the pulse tube cooler compact for practical applications, the volume of reservoir should be minimized. This paper analyzes the effects of the reservoir volume on the thermodynamic performance of various components in a simple orifice and a double-inlet pulse tube cooler by combining a linearized model with a thermodynamic analysis. Expressions of entropy production for those components are presented. The results show that the reservoir volume has a significant influence on the entropy production in the various components when the reservoir to pulse tube volume ratio is smaller than about 5. The ratio is important to determine the minimum reservoir volume for a pulse tube cooler. Optimum settings for a double-inlet pulse tube cooler are also discussed.