The Z pulsed power driver at Sandia National Laboratories is used for a wide range of high energy density physics experiments in areas such as inertial confinement fusion, radiation effects, and dynamic material properties. Experimental demands are pushing for the highest energy attainable with more reliability and precision in timing and pulse compression. A previous version of the...
Propylene carbonate (PC) is a promising dielectric for the compact pulsed power sources because of its large permittivity, high dielectric strength and broad operating temperature range. By adding nano-particle suspensions homogeneously to the dielectric liquid, the insulating properties of the dielectric liquid can largely be enhanced in the electrical engineering application. In this paper,...
An Exploding Foil Initiator (EFI) is one method used to detonate secondary high-explosives without the use of sensitive, primary high-explosives.
We are developing a new, high-energy EFI system (also known as an E-gun) to replace and enhance an existing E-gun that is near its end of life. The existing E-gun stores 48 kJ at 40 kV and has been used at currents up to 1 MA. The new system will...
Thyristors of tablet design with diameters of silicon wafers of 40 to 56 mm and an operating vol-tage of 2 to 2.4 kV DC were triggered by an external overvoltage pulse applied across the thyris-tor main electrodes. In experiments a voltage rise rate across the thyristor was changed from 1 to 6 kV/ns. Under such conditions the thyristor closing process occurred due to initiation and...
For discrete semiconductor switches with smaller ratings stacked for high-voltage high-current applications, there is the need to ensure reliable gate synchronization of all the switches in the stack. The delay of switching of separate stages must be minimized by reducing the effects of stray inductances in the switch operation. This paper describes the design of a HV switch for high-voltage,...
A 50 kV solid-state switch has been developed using ThinpakTM Current Controlled SolidTRON® (CCS) thyristors from Silicon Power Corporation. A switch comprises thirty-six, series-connected thyristors and an internally powered, optically initiated trigger circuit. The trigger circuit drives the common primary winding of sixteen trigger transformer; each transformer has two output windings...
The high energy density (HED) capacitor is the energy storage component in capacitive pulsed power systems. There is an obvious voltage decay phenomena when the capacitor is disconnected with the charge source, and the higher the energy density is, the faster the voltage decay. And the voltage maintaining performance (VMP) of capacitor is of special interests especially in the occasion that...
A comprehensive picture of the relationship between optical fluence $(30-30,000~\mu J/cm^2)$, optical wavelength $(295-375~nm)$, electrical bias $(8-64~kV/cm)$, and photocurrent efficiency (defined as the ratio of electrons extracted to electrons generated) in SiC photoconductive semiconductor switches (PCSSs) is presented. The behavior of SiC PCSSs including high electric field stress...
Pulsed Power Technologies involved some electrical loads which required a fast rising (ns) input high current pulses. Pulse conditioning of slow rising (µs) high current pulse is very essential in this regard. A compact and an efficient solution based on metal fuses is modeled and experimentally verified the modal validity. Metal fuses referred as Electrically Exploding Fuses (EEF) consist of...
