A high PRF pulsed power experimental facility

Abstract

An experimental facility has been developed to test and evaluate the performance of a range of pulsed power components for repetitive applications. The facility is capable of operating at pulse repetition frequencies (PRFs) up to 10 kHz and allows both DC (up to 80 kV) and pulse charged (up to 300 kV) conditions to be evaluated. The system is comprised of three separate sections: the primary power source; the intermediate charging circuit; and a pulse forming network (PFN). The performance of a particular component in any one of the three sections may be monitored using diagnostics which include RC dividers, current probes and D-dot voltage probes. The system is described in detail along with a number of experimental results from repetitive testing.