Speaker
Michael Osemann
(Ampegon-PPT GmbH)
Description
As a manufacturer for industrial, medical and scientific pulsed power applications
we are frequently confronted with testing new, custom designed power
modulators, i.e. pulse generators. In their purposed applications these modulators
are often intended to be used on extremely expensive RF tubes like Klystrons.
Therefore, it became necessary for us as well as for our customers to develop
corresponding dummy loads to avoid testing modulators on these expensive
devices directly.
In order to test the modulators in accordance with the actual operating
parameters (Upeak< 150kV; Ipeak< 150A; PAV< 160kW), the dummy loads need
to fulfill the same requirements as the intended Klystrons. Although the Klystron’s
perveance is not linear and furthermore depends on the applied voltage, it is
sufficient to use resistive loads as a dummy. However, such a replacement load
requires an appropriate high voltage, cooling and safety design. Our basic idea
was to create a modular dummy solution which can be matched easily to
certain load specifications. Each module was designed as a 40kW average power,
water cooled high voltage resistive load, based on commonly used standard power
resistors. Depending on the specific application up to four modules can be
connected in parallel or series. For protection against high voltage the full dummy
was put into a surrounding grounded cage which also contains a manifold for
deionized water distribution.
At first those kind of high power dummy loads were used for factory and site
acceptance tests. By time those dummies also became attractive for our
customers to drive long term tests on new modulator principles or to test new
purchased modulators on site.
Primary author
Michael Osemann
(Ampegon-PPT GmbH)
