The generation of high-power electromagnetic waves is one of the major applications in the field of high-intensity pulsed power. The conventional structure of a pulsed power generator contains a primary energy source and a load, separated by a power-amplification system. The latter performs a time-compression of the slow input energy pulse and delivers a high-intensity power output to the...
Initially this paper will outline a theoretical study, using commercially available software CST, into the use of off-the-shelf V-dot sensors made from N and SMA type adaptors and connectors. A complex issue arising from the distortion of the signal measured within a pulse forming line when the sensor is mounted close to a spark gap will be clarified.
Other issues relating to calibration of...
Abstract
Capacitors for pulse power applications have been custom-designed to maximize specific energy while operating with specific circuit requirements such as charge voltage, peak current, voltage reversal, series inductance and resistance, charge time, hold time at peak voltage, and pulse repetition rate. In addition, these capacitor designs had to meet application-specific constraints...
Spark gap switch resistance and inductance are important parameters in pulsed power systems. However, the variation of switch resistance can be a difficult parameter to measure in very high voltage environments where the arc resistance is a small fraction of the total impedance. To improve our ability to model spark gap switches, we built a coaxial geometry system and tested switches with a...
In 2014 the Saturn accelerator located at Sandia National Laboratories was brought back online after nearly a year of inactivity. The Saturn accelerator is made up of 36 individual pulsed power lines which consist of a 2.7-MV Marx generator, intermediate storage capacitor, 3-MV rim fire gas switch, pulse forming and transmission line. Each component has an individual diagnostic that measures...
The Cygnus Dual Beam Radiographic Facility consists of two identical radiographic sources each with a dose rating of 4-rad at 1 m, and a 1-mm diameter spot size. The development of the rod pinch diode was responsible for the ability to meet these criteria¹. The rod pinch diode in a Cygnus machine uses a 0.75-mm diameter, tapered tip, tungsten anode rod extended through a 9-mm diameter,...
A dual-module Aerogel Cherenkov Detector for Cygnus (ACD/C) was used to measure the X-ray energy spectrum from Cygnus – an intense flash X-ray source operated at the Nevada National Security Site. The ACD/C employs an array of SiO2 aerogels & solids (i.e., quartz) at different densities (50 – 2500 mg/cc) and hence varying Cherenkov energy thresholds (2.8 MeV X-ray energy for aerogel with 50...
