The influence of circuit parameters and contact materials on the reignition of high-frequency vacuum arcs

The extinction or reignition of high-frequency (HF) transients plays an important role in the generation of voltage surges. Investigations with currents of several hundred amperes peak and current frequencies from 100 kHz up to 1 MHz were made to examine the reignition behavior of short vacuum gaps using different contact materials. The experiments were carried out in an UHV test chamber connected to an L-C test circuit with voltages in the 10-kV range. Data on the statistical distribution of reignition voltages and their dependence on the parameters as well as on different TRV conditions are presented.<
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