Underwater electrical explosion experiments of cylindrical or conical wire arrays accompanied by the generation of fast (up to ∼4500 m/s) water jets are presented. In these experiments, a pulse generator with a stored energy of up to ∼5.7 kJ, current amplitude of up to ∼340 kA, and rise time of ∼0.85 μs was used to electrically explode copper and aluminum wire arrays underwater. Streak and fast framing shadow imaging was used to extract the space–time resolved velocity of the ejected jet from the array while it propagates in air. The jet generation occurs due to high pressure and density of water formed in the vicinity of the array axis by the imploding shockwave. It was shown that the velocity of the jet ejected from the array depends on the array geometry and the thickness of the water layer above the array. The results suggest that ≥50% of the energy deposited into the array is transferred to the kinetic energy of this jet and the axial waterflow.
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June 2021
Research Article|
June 09 2021
Generation of supersonic jets from underwater electrical explosions of wire arrays

D. Maler
;
D. Maler
a)
1
Physics Department
, Technion, Haifa 32000, Israel
a)Author to whom correspondence should be addressed: [email protected]
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S. Efimov;
S. Efimov
1
Physics Department
, Technion, Haifa 32000, Israel
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A. Rososhek
;
A. Rososhek
1
Physics Department
, Technion, Haifa 32000, Israel
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S. N. Bland
;
S. N. Bland
2
Plasma Physics Group, Imperial College London
, London SW7 2BW, United Kingdom
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Ya. E. Krasik
Ya. E. Krasik
1
Physics Department
, Technion, Haifa 32000, Israel
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D. Maler
1,a)
S. Efimov
1
A. Rososhek
1
S. N. Bland
2
Ya. E. Krasik
1
1
Physics Department
, Technion, Haifa 32000, Israel
2
Plasma Physics Group, Imperial College London
, London SW7 2BW, United Kingdom
a)Author to whom correspondence should be addressed: [email protected]
Phys. Plasmas 28, 063509 (2021)
Article history
Received:
March 16 2021
Accepted:
May 10 2021
Connected Content
A companion article has been published:
Underwater electrical wire explosions can destroy steel plate
Citation
D. Maler, S. Efimov, A. Rososhek, S. N. Bland, Ya. E. Krasik; Generation of supersonic jets from underwater electrical explosions of wire arrays. Phys. Plasmas 1 June 2021; 28 (6): 063509. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0050430
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