Influence of Circuit Parameters on Discharge Characteristics and Shock-Wave in Underwater Electric Wire Explosion

An experimental study on the underwater electrical wire explosion under microsecond-scale discharge was carried out. The electrophysical and shock-wave (SW) parameters of the circuit were measured under different stored energy and inserted inductance components. Specifically, the resistive load voltage, circuit current and SW pressure waveform were obtained, and the electric power and deposited energy of the load were calculated. Also, the peak pressure, full width at half maximum (thickness), and impulse of the SW were compared. The results showed that as the stored energy increased, the discharge mode would change. For a fixed wire load, increasing the stored energy would enhance the subsequent plasma expansion and produce a stronger SW. Furthermore, adding the inductance components could decrease the amplitude of current, voltage and electric power, affecting the strength of shape of the main SW. For the 1.3 μH inserted inductor, the peak of SW pressure would increase by about 8.7%, while for the 10.7 μH case, the peak would drop by about 5.1%. The phenomenon might be related to the stored energy of the circuit inductance. There should be an optimal matching relationship between the SW strength and the loop inductance.