Zou Wenkang

Initial Performance of the Primary Test Stand

The primary test stand (PTS) is a multiterawatt facility with a current of 8-10 MA and rise time of 90 ns, which is being built for Z-pinch studies at the Institute of Fluid Physics, China Academy of Engineering Physics. The PTS consists of 24 modules that are connected in parallel. Each module is based on the Marx generator and water pulse forming line as well as laser-triggered spark gap switch working at 5-MV level. The nominal total stored energy of the PTS is 7.2 MJ. All the Marx generators and laser-triggered spark gap switches had been tested at full voltage level before the PTS was assembled. The design and installation of the PTS are described. In this paper, the most recent results of the PTS commissioning will be introduced.

Overview of Pulsed Power Research at CAEP

Pulsed power research for military and civil applications has been conducted at the China Academy of Engineering Physics (CAEP) for more than 50 years. The pulsed power research activities include development of pulsed power components, such as different kinds of high-voltage switches, series of pulsed power sources and pulsed X-ray machines, high-current accelerators for Z-pinch and flash X-ray radiography, as well as medical application and electromagnetic launch. The most recent progress of pulsed power research at CAEP will be presented.

Effects of Electron Flow Current Density on Flow Impedance of Magnetically Insulated Transmission Lines

In modern pulsed power systems, magnetically insulated transmission lines (MITLs) are used to couple power between the driver and the load. The circuit parameters of MITLs are well understood by employing the concept of flow impedance derived from Maxwells equations and pressure balance across the flow. However, the electron density in an MITL is always taken as constant in the application of flow impedance. Thus effects of electron flow current density (product of electron density and drift velocity) in an MITL are neglected. We calculate the flow impedances of an MITL and compare them under three classical MITL theories, in which the electron density profile and electron flow current density are different from each other. It is found that the assumption of constant electron density profile in the calculation of the flow impedance is not always valid. The electron density profile and the electron flow current density have significant effects on flow impedance of the MITL. The details of the electron flow current density and its effects on the operation impedance of the MITL should be addressed more explicitly by experiments and theories in the future.