A NEW ROTATING SPARK GAP DESIGN

Standard spark gaps have lower time limits of gap recovery when testin g with high repetition rate impulses and in high-current high-voltage multiple impulse testing. More important, they are not suitable for th e generation of opposite-polarity successive impulses using convention al capacitive-type generation techniques. In this article, an improved design incorporating two rotating spark gaps is described. The new sp ark gap was used to test ZnO surge arresters with two successive impul ses of currents up to 5 kA and voltages up to 50 kV. Time intervals as low as 10 ms were achieved between the two impulses. Both similar and opposite polarity tests were carried out successfully. (C) 1997 Ameri can Institute of Physics.