Low-Voltage Turn-On Characteristics of RSD for Muzzle Arc Extinguishing of Electromagnetic Guns

In this article, the low voltage turn-on characteristics of reversely switched dynistor (RSD) is analyzed for the first time for the current transfer application to solve the problem of muzzle arc resulting from high current in electromagnetic guns. Experimental results show that RSD can switch on faster than thyristor at low voltages (≤100 V), and the peak current of RSD is higher than that of thyristor within 200
$\mu \text{s}$
. It is found to be feasible that magnetic switch (MS) that is traditionally used in high-voltage power circuits based on RSD could be removed on this operation condition, which is also beneficial to the current transfer process. The influence of triggering circuit on the switching characteristics of RSD is discussed by both experiments and simulations. It is shown that only when the local turn-on occurs can the triggering voltage have an impact on the turn-on speed of RSD.