Argon z-pinch implosions on Phoenix
- Naval Research Lab., Washington, DC (United States)
- Naval Surface Warfare Center, Silver Spring, MD (United States); and others
Upgrades to the Phoenix front end have resulted in a three-fold increase in Argon K-shell x-ray yields. Lack of a transit time isolator between the center conductor and ground necessitated powering the gas-puff hardware with batteries and supplying control via fiber optic cables. A simple gas flow model was developed to optimize the valve/nozzle design. The gas-puff valve and nozzle were modified to produce a 250-{micro}s density rise time. This short rise-time allowed firing on the gas plateau which improved reproducibility. Front end power flow was improved by opening the MITL from 8 to 10-mm and by increasing the dog-leg at the nozzle to obstruct UV light. The highest yield shots were achieved with a 4-cm long load using a 3.5-cm mean diameter nozzle with a mean inward tilt of 13.75 degrees. X-ray pulse widths ranged between 7--15 ns and x-ray pinhole photos suggest uniform assembly on axis. Results and documentation of the Phoenix upgrades are presented.
- OSTI ID:
- 178275
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-950612-; ISBN 0-7803-2669-5; TRN: 96:006740
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 22. international conference on plasma science, Madison, WI (United States), 5-8 Jun 1995; Other Information: PBD: 1995; Related Information: Is Part Of IEEE conference record -- abstracts: 1995 IEEE international conference on plasma science; PB: 312 p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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