Preoptimization of large calibre plasmaburners with a full scale experimental simulator

In order to investigate the electrical behaviour of a high power gas discharge within a volume equal to those of the plasmaburner of a large calibre electrothermal gun experimental investigations with a firing simulator were performed. After giving the initial design parameters which are defined by those of the large calibre ET-gun, the paper presents the mechanical set-up of the large calibre firing simulator. 25 firing experiments with different initial parameters were performed. The results of three characteristic experiments are presented. By the discussion of these results the influence of the initial parameters on the electrical behaviour of the gas discharge within the plasmaburner is shown. A similiar behaviour can be expected when firing the large calibre ET-Gun with the pre-optimized initial parameters obtained from the experiments with the simulator.