Bipolar high-repetition-rate high-voltage nanosecond pulser

The pulser designed is mainly used for producing corona plasma in waste water treatment system. Also its application in study of dielectric electrical properties will be discussed. The pulser consists of a variable dc power source for high-voltage supply, two graded capacitors for energy storage, and the rotating spark gap switch. The key part is the multielectrode rotating spark gap switch (MER-SGS), which can ensure wider range modulation of pulse repetition rate, longer pulse width, shorter pulse rise time, remarkable electrical field distortion, and greatly favors recovery of the gap insulation strength, insulation design, the life of the switch, etc. The voltage of the output pulses switched by the MER-SGS is in the order of 3-50 kV with pulse rise time of less than 10 ns and pulse repetition rate of 1-3 kHz. An energy of 1.25-125 J per pulse and an average power of up to 10-50 kW are attainable. The highest pulse repetition rate is determined by the driver motor revolution and the electrode number of MER-SGS. Even higher voltage and energy can be switched by adjusting the gas pressure or employing N₂ as the insulation gas or enlarging the size of MER-SGS to guarantee enough insulation level.