Long Distance Exploding Wires

Electrical arcs are usually created with the breakdown of air, requiring an average electric field (AEF) of at least 100 kV/m in long spark gaps. This thesis explores a novel method of creating long electrical arcs using exploding wires (EWs). Arcs up to 60 m long have been produced with AEFs of jus...

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Main Author: Sinton, Rowan Peter William
Language:en
Published: University of Canterbury. Electrical and Computer Engineering 2012
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/10092/6586
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spelling ndltd-canterbury.ac.nz-oai-ir.canterbury.ac.nz-10092-65862015-03-30T15:29:25ZLong Distance Exploding WiresSinton, Rowan Peter Williamexploding wireplasmarestrikearcsElectrical arcs are usually created with the breakdown of air, requiring an average electric field (AEF) of at least 100 kV/m in long spark gaps. This thesis explores a novel method of creating long electrical arcs using exploding wires (EWs). Arcs up to 60 m long have been produced with AEFs of just 4.5 kV/m. Extensive observations of the EW process are presented, which demonstrate that the arcs, which are a type of ‘restrike', form via the seldom-reported ‘plasma bead' restrike mechanism. Beads of plasma appear to form at sites of wire fragmentation, and can expand and coalesce into a continuous plasma column. There are strict conditions under which the plasma beads, and hence restrike channels, are produced. A restrike prediction model has been developed to provide a reliable method of producing restrike. The model was derived from the improved understanding of the restrike mechanism, and uses the wire's length and the energy supply voltage and characteristics as inputs. Capability diagrams are then constructed, which allow researchers to easily design experiments that will produce restrike. Extensive descriptions are provided of the experimental environments that were designed and constructed to facilitate long distance EW experiments. Experiments have been performed inside a high voltage laboratory, in the laboratory's outdoor compound, off the laboratory's earth grid and completely off-site. The off-site location allowed vertical experiments, suspended by a weather balloon, to be performed. This led to a theory on artificially triggered lightning, which is one of many exciting future applications that are suggested. It is also predicted that other research groups will be able to create arcs of several hundred metres long.University of Canterbury. Electrical and Computer Engineering2012-05-10T00:07:54Z2012-05-10T00:07:54Z2011Electronic thesis or dissertationTexthttp://hdl.handle.net/10092/6586enNZCUCopyright Rowan Peter William Sintonhttp://library.canterbury.ac.nz/thesis/etheses_copyright.shtml
collection NDLTD
language en
sources NDLTD
topic exploding wire
plasma
restrike
arcs
spellingShingle exploding wire
plasma
restrike
arcs
Sinton, Rowan Peter William
Long Distance Exploding Wires
description Electrical arcs are usually created with the breakdown of air, requiring an average electric field (AEF) of at least 100 kV/m in long spark gaps. This thesis explores a novel method of creating long electrical arcs using exploding wires (EWs). Arcs up to 60 m long have been produced with AEFs of just 4.5 kV/m. Extensive observations of the EW process are presented, which demonstrate that the arcs, which are a type of ‘restrike', form via the seldom-reported ‘plasma bead' restrike mechanism. Beads of plasma appear to form at sites of wire fragmentation, and can expand and coalesce into a continuous plasma column. There are strict conditions under which the plasma beads, and hence restrike channels, are produced. A restrike prediction model has been developed to provide a reliable method of producing restrike. The model was derived from the improved understanding of the restrike mechanism, and uses the wire's length and the energy supply voltage and characteristics as inputs. Capability diagrams are then constructed, which allow researchers to easily design experiments that will produce restrike. Extensive descriptions are provided of the experimental environments that were designed and constructed to facilitate long distance EW experiments. Experiments have been performed inside a high voltage laboratory, in the laboratory's outdoor compound, off the laboratory's earth grid and completely off-site. The off-site location allowed vertical experiments, suspended by a weather balloon, to be performed. This led to a theory on artificially triggered lightning, which is one of many exciting future applications that are suggested. It is also predicted that other research groups will be able to create arcs of several hundred metres long.
author Sinton, Rowan Peter William
author_facet Sinton, Rowan Peter William
author_sort Sinton, Rowan Peter William
title Long Distance Exploding Wires
title_short Long Distance Exploding Wires
title_full Long Distance Exploding Wires
title_fullStr Long Distance Exploding Wires
title_full_unstemmed Long Distance Exploding Wires
title_sort long distance exploding wires
publisher University of Canterbury. Electrical and Computer Engineering
publishDate 2012
url http://hdl.handle.net/10092/6586
work_keys_str_mv AT sintonrowanpeterwilliam longdistanceexplodingwires
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