Limin Wang’s research while affiliated with Northwest Institute Of Textile Science And Technology and other places

Vacuum surface flashover switch is a promising technique scheme of high repetitive frequency fast-closing switch applied to dielectric wall accelerator. In this paper, the switch is experimentally investigated, and a nanosecond pulse with 2.02-ns effective rise time is obtained. For a cylinder-fused quartz dielectric, the breakdown field of the switch is near 55 kV/cm, and the value for the frustoconical-shaped dielectric exceeds 120 kV/cm with a lifetime up to 69,000 discharges. The repetitive frequency ability of the switch is better than 100 Hz, and the breakdown voltage increases slightly with higher frequency.

The application of a resonant magnetic field to suppress the multipactor at the vacuum/dielectric interface of a high-power microwave window was theoretically proposed by Chang et al. [Appl. Phys. Lett. 96, 111502 (2010)] and the proof-of-principle was experimentally demonstrated by Chang et al. [Appl. Phys. Lett. 97, 141501 (2010)]. However, for transmitting gigawatt power, conventional large-scale magnets have the significant drawback of a nonuniform and heterogeneous B-field, which enhances the multipactor rather than suppresses it. The Halbach-like magnets for generating the transverse homogeneous B-field in a large scale are studied for suppressing the multipactor; the underlying physics in the particle-in-cell simulation was simulated, and the window breakdown threshold was significantly enhanced at multi-gigawatt.

A long-pulse generator TPG700L based on a Tesla transformer and a series pulse forming network (PFN) is constructed to generate intense electron beams for the purpose of high power microwave (HPM) generation. The TPG700L mainly consists of a 12-stage PFN, a built-in Tesla transformer in a pulse forming line, a three-electrode gas switch, a transmission line with a trigger, and a load. The Tesla transformer and the compact PFN are the key technologies for the development of the TPG700L. This generator can output electrical pulses with a width as long as 200 ns at a level of 8 GW and a repetition rate of 50 Hz. When used to drive a relative backward wave oscillator for HPM generation, the electrical pulse width is about 100 ns on a voltage level of 520 kV. Factors affecting the pulse waveform of the TPG700L are also discussed. At present, the TPG700L performs well for long-pulse HPM generation in our laboratory.

On a nanosecond time scale, solid insulators abnormally fail in bulk rather than on surface, which is termed as the “worm-hole” effect. By using a generator with adjustable output pulse width and dozens of organic glass (PMMA) and polystyrene (PS) samples, experiments to verify this effect are conducted. The results show that under short pulses of 10 ns, all the samples fail due to bulk breakdown, whereas when the pulse width is tuned to a long pulse of 7 μs, the samples fail as a result of surface flashover. The experimental results are interpreted by analyzing the conditions for the bulk breakdown and the surface flashover. It is found that under short pulses, the flashover threshold would be as high as the bulk breakdown strength (EBD) and the flashover time delay (td) would be longer than the pulse width (τ), both of which make the dielectrics' cumulative breakdown occur easily; whereas under long pulses, that Ef is much lower than EBD and td is smaller than τ is advantageous to the occurrence of the surface flashover. In addition, a general principle on solid insulation design under short pulse condition is proposed based on the experimental results and the theoretical analysis.

An approach for producing a long pulse up to 100 ns is presented. The generator based on this approach consists of a Tesla transformer and a set of pulse-forming networks (PFNs). The Tesla transformer is used to charge pulse-forming lines (PFLs) and PFNs which are in parallel. When the voltage increases to a certain value, the main switch will close, and the PFLs and PFNs will discharge rapidly to the load. Therefore, a high-voltage long pulse is formed on the load. The amplitude of this pulse is dependent only on the charging voltage and the matching state between the load and the PFL (PFN). The pulsewidth is determined by the transmission time of the PFL and PFN. The rise time is determined by the working state of the main switch and the impedance of the PFL and is independent of the parameters of the PFN. The PFN is multistage and assembled in series. The single-stage PFN is formed with ceramic capacitors placed between two unclosed annular plates. The total series impedance is equal to the sum of every single-stage PFN's impedance. A nine-stage PFN is used in the generator, and the total impedance is 40 Omega. Experimental results show that a high voltage of an amplitude of 300 kV, current of 6.9 kA, and duration of 110 ns is obtained at a repetition rate of 10 Hz, with a rise time of approximately 7 ns.

Provided with the advantages of long life time and high-repetition frequency, the pulsed power generator based on the Semiconductor Open Switch (SOS) has a promised prospect in the civil application. Compact repetitive Pulse E-field Generator is developed for the research of bio-effect. The generator is comprised of two parts: the pulse generator SPG50 and the parallel-plate transmission lines. The pulse generator is based on SOS and designed to deliver high voltage pulses to transmission lines. The pulsed E-field which is formed in transmission lines could be used for bio-effect. The generator can be operated on two modes; a Emax=104kV/m,FWHM=89ns,trise=40ns,repetition frequency 100Hz; b Emax=86kV/m, FWHM=15ns, trise