PBFA Z: A 60-TW/5-MJ Z-pinch driver

Journal Article · Mon May 05 00:00:00 EDT 1997 · AIP Conference Proceedings

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.53835· OSTI ID:21172290

Spielman, R B; Deeney, C; Chandler, G A; Douglas, M R; Fehl, D L; Matzen, M K; McDaniel, D H; Nash, T J; Porter, J L; Sanford, T W. L.; Seamen, J F; Stygar, W A; Struve, K W; Breeze, S P; McGurn, J S; Torres, J A; Zagar, D M; Gilliland, T L; Jobe, D O; McKenney, J L ^[1]

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1. Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87185 (United States)

PBFA Z, a new 60-TW/5-MJ electrical accelerator located at Sandia National Laboratories, is now the world's most powerful z-pinch driver. PBFA Z stores 11.4 MJ in its 36 Marx generators, couples 5 MJ into a 60-TW/105-ns FWHM pulse to the 120-m{omega} water transmission lines, and delivers 3.0 MJ and 50 TW of electrical energy to the z-pinch load. Depending on load parameters, we attain peak load currents of 16-20 MA with a current rise time of {approx}105 ns with wire-array z-pinch loads. We have extended the x-ray performance of tungsten wire-array z pinches from earlier Saturn experiments. Using a 2-cm-radius, 2-cm-long tungsten wire array with 240, 7.5-{mu}m diameter wires (4.1-mg mass), we achieved an x-ray power of 210 TW and an x-ray energy of 1.9 MJ. Preliminary spectral measurements suggest a mostly optically-thick, Planckian-like radiator below 1000 eV. Data indicate {approx}100 kJ of x rays radiated above 1000 eV. An intense z-pinch x-ray source with an overall coupling efficiency greater than 15% has been demonstrated.

• OSTI ID: 21172290
• Journal Information: AIP Conference Proceedings, Vol. 409, Issue 1; Conference: 4. international conference on dense z-pinches, Vancouver, BC (Canada), 28-31 May 1997; Other Information: DOI: 10.1063/1.53835; (c) 1997 American Institute of Physics; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0094-243X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
ELECTRIC CURRENTS
EV RANGE
IMPACT FUSION DRIVERS
LINEAR Z PINCH DEVICES
LONGITUDINAL PINCH
MARX GENERATORS
PARTICLE BEAM FUSION ACCELERATOR
PEAK LOAD
PERFORMANCE
PULSES
RADIATORS
SANDIA NATIONAL LABORATORIES
TERAWATT POWER RANGE
TUNGSTEN
X RADIATION
X-RAY SOURCES