Experimental and Theoretical Studies on the Effect of Electrode Area on Static Performance of Gas Switches

Based on the self-breakdown experiments of gas switches, the relationship between the electrode area and the switch static performance has been studied. In the experiments, the structure of the switch is fixed, but the disc electrodes of the switch are replaceable to change the electrode area. Diameters of the electrodes are, respectively, 30, 35, 40, and 45 mm. The gas pressure, gas type, and discharge circuit are constant. As the electrode diameter has grown, distribution curve of the self-breakdown voltage has been regularly changed and both average and deviation of the voltage decreased. In order to describe the experimental results, a semiempirical model based on mathematics has been proposed. The calculated self-breakdown voltage distribution curves agree well with those in experiments.