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Research on topics requiring high magnetic fields and high currents have been pursued using high explosive pulsed power (HEPP) techniques since the 1950s at Los Alamos National Laboratory. We have developed many sophisticated HEPr systems through the years, and most of them depend on technology available from the nuclear weapons program. Through the 1980s and 1990s, our budgets would sustain parallel efforts in zpinch research using both HEPr and capacitor banks. In recent years, many changes have occurred that are driven by concerns such as safety, security, and environment, as well as reduced budgets and downsizing of the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) complex due to the end of the cold war era. In this paper, we review the teclmiques developed to date, and adaptations that are driven by changes in budgets and our changing complex. One new Ranchero-based solid liner z-pinch experimental design is also presented. Explosives that are cast to shape instead of being machined, and initiation systems that depend on arrays of slapper detonators are important new tools. Some materials that are seen as hazardous to the environment are avoided in designs. The process continues to allow a wide range of research however, and there are few, if any, experiments that we have done in the past that could not be perform today. The HErr firing facility at Los Alamos continues to have a 2000 lb. high explosive limit, and our 2.4 MJ capacitor bank remains a mainstay of the effort. Modem diagnostic and data analysis capabilities allow fewer personnel to achieve better results, and in the broad sense we continue to have a robust capability.
Critical components for pulsed power conditioning systems will be reviewed. Particular emphasis will be placed on those components requiring significant development efforts. Capacitors, for example, are one of the weakest elements in high-power pulsed systems, especially when operation at high-repetition frequencies for extended periods of time are necessary. Switches are by far the weakest active components of pulse power systems. In particular, opening switches are essentially nonexistent for most applications. Insulaton in all systems and components requires development and improvement. Efforts under way in technology base development of pulse power components will be discussed.
Atlas is a facility being designed at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) to perform high energy-density experiments in support of weapon-physics and basic-research programs. It is designed to be an international user facility, providing experimental opportunities to researchers from national laboratories and academic institutions. For hydrodynamic experiments, it will be capable of achieving pressures exceeding 20-Mbar in a several cm3 volume. With the development of a suitable opening switch, it will also be capable of producing soft x-rays. The 36-MJ capacitor bank will consist of 240-kV Marx modules arranged around a central target chamber. The Marx modules will be discharged through vertical triplate transmission lines to a parallel plate collector inside the target chamber. The capacitor bank is designed to deliver a peak current of 45 to 50 MA with a 4- to 5-[mu]s risetime. The Marx modules are designed to be reconfigured to a 480-kV configuration for opening switch development. Predicted performance with a typical load is presented. Descriptions of the major subsystems are also presented.
While the basic operating principles of Helical Magnetic Flux Compression Generators are easy to understand, the details of their construction and performance limits have been described only in government reports, many of them classified. Conferences in the field of flux compression are also dominated by contributions from government (US and foreign) laboratories. And the government-sponsored research has usually been concerned with very large generators with explosive charges that require elaborate facilities and safety arrangements. This book emphasizes research into small generators (less than 500 grams of high explosives) and explains in detail the physical fundamentals, construction details, and parameter-variation effects related to them.
The laser division at Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory is designing a CO2 laser fusion experiment with the goal of delivering 100 kJ to the target in a one nanosecond pulse. The laser will be pumped by an electron beam-controlled discharge. The pumping power supply will be a number of parallel Marx generators, with an output voltage of 500 kV, and a total energy storage of about 5 MJ. The electron gun is a ''cold cathode'' triode, also operating at about 500 kV. Preliminary design considerations for the pulsed power systems are presented. Some pulse forming network designs are discussed with calculated waveforms shown.
High explosive pulsed power (HEPP) is a specialized subset among pulsed power endeavors which takes advantage of the very high energy density available in both magnetic fields and high explosives (HE). To introduce basic concepts, the author divides HEPP components into generators (magnetic field (B) or current (I)) and switches. Magnetic field and current generators start with magnetic field trapped in a conducting volume. Magnetic flux can be expressed as either LI or BA, where L and A (inductance and cross sectional area) are both geometry dependent circuit properties. In a purely inductive circuit, flux is conserved, so L1I1=L2I2 or B1A1=B2A2. In the technique, HE is used to propel circuit elements that perform work against the trapped magnetic field as L or A is reduced, yielding increased I or B. Throughout this paper, the author uses the term flux compression generator (FCG) for these devices, although the reader will find a variety of acronyms in the literature. A good primer on FCG's is by Fowler et al. HE is also used to provide opening and closing switches for HEPP circuits. Closing switches do not require great sophistication, and they don't discuss them here. Opening switches typically use the energy of HE to rapidly reduce the current carrying cross section of a particular circuit element, and often require sophisticated detonation systems to match the contour of that element (e. g. cylindrical). This may either cause a direct increase in resistance or create the circumstance in which the remainder of the material fuses due to ohmic effects. Many good papers on explosive-driven opening switches can be found in previous Megagauss conference proceedings, and these are also a good source for information regarding HEPP endeavors outside the US, which is beyond the scope of this paper.
Examines the foundation of pulse power technology in detail to optimize the technology in modern engineering settings Pulsed power technologies could be an answer to many cutting-edge applications. The challenge is in how to develop this high-power/high-energy technology to fit current market demands of low-energy consuming applications. This book provides a comprehensive look at pulsed power technology and shows how it can be improved upon for the world of today and tomorrow. Foundations of Pulsed Power Technology focuses on the design and construction of the building blocks as well as their optimum assembly for synergetic high performance of the overall pulsed power system. Filled with numerous design examples throughout, the book offers chapter coverage on various subjects such as: Marx generators and Marx-like circuits; pulse transformers; pulse-forming lines; closing switches; opening switches; multi-gigawatt to multi-terawatt systems; energy storage in capacitor banks; electrical breakdown in gases; electrical breakdown in solids, liquids and vacuum; pulsed voltage and current measurements; electromagnetic interference and noise suppression; and EM topology for interference control. In addition, the book: Acts as a reference for practicing engineers as well as a teaching text Features relevant design equations derived from the fundamental concepts in a single reference Contains lucid presentations of the mechanisms of electrical breakdown in gaseous, liquid, solid and vacuum dielectrics Provides extensive illustrations and references Foundations of Pulsed Power Technology will be an invaluable companion for professionals working in the fields of relativistic electron beams, intense bursts of light and heavy ions, flash X-ray systems, pulsed high magnetic fields, ultra-wide band electromagnetics, nuclear electromagnetic pulse simulation, high density fusion plasma, and high energy- rate metal forming techniques.