Heating of High-Density Hydrogen by High- Current Arc Radiation

The investigation results of high-density hydrogen heating by high-current electric arc are presented at initial pressure from 5 MPa to 160 MPa with current amplitude up to 1.6 MA and current rate of rise 109-1011 A/s. When changing the initial pressure and current rate of rise, channel temperature varies from several electronvolts to hundreds electronvolts. Arc channel radius is several millimeters. But the radius of the discharge chamber greater than the radius of the arc channel on approximately order of magnitude. High efficiency of gas heating is caused by radiation absorption of hydrogen surrounding the arc. Current channel consist from vapor of the initiating wire. At current rate of rise of 109 A/s and relatively small current amplitude gas heating occurs due to radiation absorption in the band transparency of hydrogen by the wire vapours with photon energies less than 13.6 eV. At current rate of rise of 1011 A/s gas heating is due to hydrogen absorption of soft X-rays from discharge channel.

Authors:

• A. V. Budin
• Ph. G. Rutberg
• M. E. Pinchuk
• A. A. Bogomaz
• V. Yu. Svetova

Keywords:

• High-density hydrogen heating by high-current electric arc.

References:

[1] Ph. G. Rutberg, A. A. Bogomaz, A. V. Budin, V. A. Kolikov,
A. G. Kuprin, and A. A. Pozubenkov, "Experimental study of hydrogen
heating in powerful electric discharge launcher," J. Prop. Power,
vol. 13, no 5, pp. 659-664, May 1997. W.-K. Chen, Linear Networks
and Systems (Book style). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 1993, pp. 123-
135.
[2] Ph. Rutberg, "Physics and Technology of High-Current Discharges in
Dense Gas Media and Flows," Nova Science Publishers Inc., New
York, 2009.
[3] A. A. Bogomaz, A. V. Budin, S. Yu. Losev, M. E. Pinchuk
A. A. Pozubenkov, F. G. Rutberg, and A. F. Savvateev, "Attainment of
the Pease-Braginskii current in an ultra-high discharge," Plasma Phys.
Rep., vol. 34, no. 5, pp. 366-375, May 2008 [Fizika Plazmy, vol. 34,
no. 5, pp. 404-413, 2008].
[4] Ph. G. Rutberg, A. A. Bogomaz, M. E. Pinchuk, A. V. Budin,
A. G. Leks and A. A. Pozubekov, "High-current discharge channel
contraction in high density gas," Physics of Plasmas, vol. 18, no. 12,
pp. 122702-(1-9), December 2011; DOI: 10.1063/1.3662053/.
[5] A. V. Budin, A. F. Savvateev and Ph. G. Rutberg, "A two-stage
launcheraccelerator working on hydrogen," Instrum. Exp. Techn.,
vol. 47, no. 4, April 2004, pp. 534-538 [Prib. Tekhn. Eksp., vol. 47, no.
4, pp. 125-129, 2004].
[6] A. V. Budin, S. Yu. Losev, M. E. Pinchuk, Ph. G. Rutberg and
A. F. Savvateev, "An Experimental Stand for Studying a High-Current
Discharge in a Dense Gas," Instrum. Exp. Techn., vol. 49, no. 4,
pp. 549-552, April 2006 [Prib. Tekhn. Eksp., vol. 49, no. 4, pp. 106-
109, 2006].
[7] P. Yu. Emelin, B. E. Fridman, and Ph. G. Rutberg, "E7-25 capacitor
energy storage," Instrum. Exp. Tech., vol. 36, no. 5, Sept.-Oct. 1993,
pp. 730-733 [Prib. Tekhn. Eksp., vol. 36, no. 5, pp. 109-115, 1993].
[8] K. N. Koshelev and N. R. Pereira, "Plasma points and radiative collapse
in vacuum sparks," J. Appl. Phys., vol. 69, pp. R21-R44, 15 May 1991.
[9] Ya. B. Zel'dovich and Yu. P. Raizer, "Elements of Gas Dynamics and
the Classical Theory of Shock Waves", Nauka, Moskow, 1966;
Academic, New York, 1968.
[10] Burtsev, V. A., Kalinin, N. V., and Luzhinskii, A. V., "Elektricheskii
vzryv provodnikov i ego primenenie v elektrofizicheskikh ustanovkakh"
(Electric Explosion of Conductors and Its Use in Electrophysical
Facilities), Moscow: Energoatomizdat, 1990 (in Russian).
[11] Zamyshlyaev, B. V., Stupitskii, E. L., Guz-, A. G. and Zhukov, V. N.,
"Sostav i termodinamicheskie funktsii plazmy" (The Composition and
Thermodynamic Functions of Plasma), Moscow: Energoatomizdat,
1984 (in Russian).