MHD modeling of the performance of an explosive opening switch

A computational model of explosive opening switches, in which the conductor is broken by a ribbed barrier or by dielectric jets, is presented. The setup and results of TIM-2D hydrodynamic simulations with elastoplasticity, magnetic diffusion and electric circuit effects are discussed. The numerical simulations were done in Lagrange variables on unstructured grids. The results of the MHD opening switch simulations are compared with experiment.