Influence of a Shock Wave on the Electric Field Strength Distribution in a Gas Blast Interrupter

Investigations with three nozzle geometries for the determination of the electric field strength distribution were performed with the aid of ablation protected probes. The main difference in the nozzles was the occurrence of shock waves and their position in the downstream flow field. Three different sections of the flow field are found characterized by the transient increase of the electric field near current zero.