A high impedance mega-ampere generator for fiber z-pinch experiments
- 1 April 1996
- journal article
- Published by AIP Publishing in Review of Scientific Instruments
- Vol. 67 (4), 1533-1541
- https://doi.org/10.1063/1.1146884
Abstract
At Imperial College a mega‐ampere generator for plasma implosion experiments has been designed, built, and commissioned. With a final line impedance of 1.25 Ω this terawatt class generator has been designed primarily to drive a maximum current of 1.8 MA with a rise time of 150 ns into high inductancez‐pinch loads of interest to radiative collapse studies. This article describes the design and tests of the generator which has a novel configuration of lines and a new design of a magnetically insulated transmission line (MITL). In summary, the generator consists of four Marx generators each of the Hermes III type (2.4 MV, 84 kJ), each connected to 5 Ω pulse forming lines and trigatron gas switches. The power is fed into the matched 1.25 Ω vertical transfer line which feeds a diode stack and a short conical MITL in vacuum which concentrates the power into the z‐pinch load. At 80% charge a current rising to 1.4 MA in 150 ns has been measured in a 15 nH inductive short. Similar results are obtained when using a plasma load.This publication has 13 references indexed in Scilit:
- The effect of lower hybrid instabilities on plasma confinement in fiber Z pinchesPhysics of Plasmas, 1995
- Terawatt fiber pinch experimentsJournal of Applied Physics, 1991
- Observations of soft x-ray production in the speed 2 plasma focusJournal of Applied Physics, 1991
- Processes terminating radiative collapse in a hydrogen fiber Z pinchPhysics of Fluids B: Plasma Physics, 1990
- Further investigations of radiative collapse in a Z-pinchPlasma Physics and Controlled Fusion, 1989
- An analytic model of radiative collapse of a Z-pinchPlasma Physics and Controlled Fusion, 1989
- Diagnosing high-reliability, low-jitter Marx generatorsReview of Scientific Instruments, 1987
- Neutron and energetic ion production in exploded polyethylene fibersJournal of Applied Physics, 1977
- Equilibrium Characteristics of a Pinched Gas Discharge Cooled by Bremsstrahlung RadiationProceedings of the Physical Society. Section B, 1957
- The controlled tripping of high-voltage impulse generatorsJournal of Scientific Instruments, 1951