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Long conduction time plasma opening switch experiments at Sandia National Labs.

Conference ·
OSTI ID:10151141
;  [1];  [2];  [3]
  1. Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (United States)
  2. New Mexico Univ., Albuquerque, NM (United States)
  3. General Technology Corp., Albuquerque, NM (United States)
+ Show Author Affiliations
Sandia National Labs has undertaken an ambitious program to reduce the size and cost of large pulsed power drivers. The program basis is inductive energy storage and Plasma Opening Switches (POS). Inductive energy storage has well known advantages, including increased efficiency and reduced stress on the vacuum interface. The Sandia approach is to retain the reliable and efficient Marx generator and the temporal pulse compression of the water dielectric capacitor. A triggered closing switch, developed at Sandia, transfers the capacitor charge into the energy storage inductor. This approach has several advantages, including relaxed requirements on Marx jitter and inductance, and must faster current risetime in the energy storage inductor. The POS itself is the key to the Sandia program. The switch design uses an auxiliary magnetic field to inject the plasma and hold it in place during conduction. After opening begins, the self magnetic field of the power pulse pushes on the plasma to increase the opened gap. We use magnetic pressure because we desire POS gaps of several cm. Erosion POS devices typically open much less than that. Improved opening allows more efficient energy transfer to loads.
Research Organization:
Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
DOE Contract Number:
AC04-76DP00789
OSTI ID:
10151141
Report Number(s):
SAND--92-0080C; CONF-920515--4; ON: DE92015003
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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Related Subjects

42 ENGINEERING
426000
COMPONENTS
ELECTRON DEVICES AND CIRCUITS
DESIGN
ELECTRIC CURRENTS
MAGNETIC FIELDS
PLASMA SWITCHES
PULSE GENERATORS
PULSE RISE TIME
PULSES
TESTING
TIME RESOLUTION