skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Klystron Gun Arcing and Modulator Protection

Technical Report ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/826921· OSTI ID:826921

The demand for 500 kV and 265 amperes peak to power an X-Band klystron brings up protection issues for klystron faults and the energy dumped into the arc from the modulator. This situation is made worse when more than one klystron will be driven from a single modulator, such as the existing schemes for running two and eight klystrons. High power pulsed klystrons have traditionally be powered by line type modulators which match the driving impedance with the load impedance and therefore current limit at twice the operating current. Multiple klystrons have the added problems of a lower modulator source impedance and added stray capacitance, which converts into appreciable energy at high voltages like 500kV. SLAC has measured the energy dumped into klystron arcs in a single and dual klystron configuration at the 400 to 450 kV level and found interesting characteristics in the arc formation. The author will present measured data from klystron arcs powered from line-type modulators in several configurations. The questions arise as to how the newly designed solid-state modulators, running multiple tubes, will react to a klystron arc and how much energy will be dumped into the arc.

Research Organization:
SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (US)
DOE Contract Number:
AC03-76SF00515
OSTI ID:
826921
Report Number(s):
SLAC-PUB-10435; TRN: US0404693
Resource Relation:
Other Information: PBD: 4 May 2004
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English