High power vacuum discharge device having a pair of interleaved multivaned arcing electrodes

Claim 1

A VACUUM GAP DISCHARGE DEVICE COMPRISING: (A) AN HERMETICALLY SEALED ENVELOPE EVACUATED TO A PRESSURE OF 10-5 MM. OF HG OR LESS AND INCLUDING A PORTION FABRICATED FROM A HIGH VOLTAGE DIELECTRIC; (B) A FIRST PRIMARY ARC ELECTRODE ASSEMBLY SUPPORTED WITHIN SAID ENVELOPE AND INCLUDING A FIRST PLURALITY OF THIN SUBSTANTIALLY PLANAR VANES PROJECTING THEREFROM AND BEING SUBSTANTIALLY PERPENDICULAR TO A TRANSVERSE PLANE THROUGH SAID ENVELOPE; (C) A SECOND PRIMARY ARC-ELECTRODE ASSEMBLY SUPPORTED WITHIN SAID ENVELOPE AND INCLUDING A SECOND PLURALITY OF THIN SUBSTANTIALLY PLANAR VANES PROJECTING THEREFROM AND BEING SUBSTANTIALLY PERPENDICULAR TO SAID TRANSVERSE PLANE THROUGH SAID ENVELOPE; (D) THE VANES OF SAID FIRST PRIMARY ARC-ELECTRODE ASSEMBLY AND THE VANES OF SAID SECOND PRIMARY ARCELECTRODE ASSEMBLY BEING INTERLEAVED ALTERNATELY BETWEEN ONE ANOTHER SO AS TO DEFINE A PLURALITY OF ELECTRICALLY-PARALLEL GAPS BETWEEN SAID FIRST AND SECOND PRIMARY ARC-ELECTRODE ASSEMBLIES TO CAUSE ELECTRICAL BREAKDOWN BETWEEN SAID PRIMARY ARC-ELECTRODE ASSEMBLIES TO OCCUR SIMULTANEOUSLY AT A MULTIPLICITY OF POINTS WHEREBY THE FORMATION OF HIGH CURRENT DENSITY ANODE SPOTS IS AVOIDED; (E) MEANS FOR CONNECTING SAID PRIMARY ARC-ELECTRODE ASSEMBLIES IN CIRCUIT WITH A HIGH POWER ELECTRIC LINE; AND (F) MEANS FOR PRODUCING AT A PRESELECTED TIME A COPIOUS QUANTITY OF ELECTRON-ION PLASMA WITHIN SAID ELECTRICALLY-PARALLEL GAPS TO ESTABLISH A PLURALITY OF ELECTRICALLY-PARALLEL CURRENT ARCS WITHIN SAID ENVELOPE WHEREBY SAID DEVICE CARRYS A HIGH POWER LOAD WITHOUT DESTRUCTIVE MELTING OF SAID ELECTRODES.