Lifetime prediction of field-distortion gas switch

Gas spark switch is one of the key parts in pulsed power devices. Lifetime prediction of gas switch has a great influence on determining the maintenance cycle of gas switch and pulsed power system, and on preventing accidents. The self-breakdown voltage and trigger jitter were used to describe the performance of the gas switch. The lifetime of the gas switch was predicted on the basis of a definition of switch failure ratio and an established lifetime calculation model. The experiment of the triggered discharge with different charge quantities and current peaks was carried out. The results indicate that the lifetime of the switch can be divided into stable stage and failure stage. The model can be used to predict the maximum switch shots, which is defined as the switch lifetime.