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Test wire for high voltage power supply crowbar system

Conference ·
OSTI ID:527536

The klystron microwave amplifier tubes used in the Low Energy Demonstration Accelerator (LEDA) and to be used in the Accelerator Production of Tritium (APT) plant have a strict upper limit on the amount of energy which can be safely dissipated within the klystron`s vacuum envelope during a high voltage arc. One way to prevent damage from occurring to the klystron microwave amplifier tube is through the use of a crowbar circuit which diverts the energy stored in the power supply filter capacitors from the tube arc. The crowbar circuit must be extremely reliable. To test the crowbar circuit, a wire that is designed to fuse when it absorbs a predetermined amount of energy is switched between the high voltage output terminals. The energy required to fuse the wire was investigated for a variety of circuits that simulated the power supply circuit. Techniques for calculating wire length and energy are presented along with verifying experimental data.

Research Organization:
Los Alamos National Lab., NM (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
DOE Contract Number:
W-7405-ENG-36
OSTI ID:
527536
Report Number(s):
LA-UR--97-2585; CONF-9706113--19; ON: DE97008748
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English