2016 IEEE Power Modulator and High Voltage Conference

Effects of Thyratron Aging on Klystron RF Pulse Stability

6 Jul 2016, 13:30

1h 30m

Twin Peaks (Palace Hotel San Francisco)

Poster Presentation Repetitive Pulsed Power Systems, Repetitive Pulsed Magnetics, Accelerators, Beams, High Power Microwaves, and High Power Pulse Antennas Poster 1-A

Speaker

Paolo Delgiusto

Description

The FERMI Free Electron Laser facility is based on a 1,5 GeV S Band linear accelerator. The facility operates for more than 6500 hours/year. The RF klystron modulators consist of high voltage pulse generators based on thyratron switched pulse forming networks and step up transformer technology. High output voltage stability from the modulators is required to meet the demanding specifications of RF amplitude and phase stability. An analysis of the klystron voltage stability measurement versus the RF amplitude and phase variations has been performed to evaluate the main possible contributions . Degradation of the behavior of the thyratron switch as the operating time of the tube approaches end of life has demonstrated to be one of the major reason of stability worsening with the increasing of the accumulated operation time of the plants