Long conduction time plasma opening switch experiments at Sandia National Labs.
- Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (United States)
- New Mexico Univ., Albuquerque, NM (United States)
- General Technology Corp., Albuquerque, NM (United States)
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
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 9. international conference on high power particle beams,Washington, DC (United States),25-29 May 1992; Other Information: PBD: [1992]
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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