HPG operating experience at CEM-UT

The Center for Electromechanics at the University of Texas at Austin (CEM-UT) has developed iron-core homopolar generators (HPGs) as inexpensive, high energy density pulsed power supplies since 1973. Three generations of these machines have been built and tested - each new generation demonstrates higher energy and power densities. Until 1985, all three HPGs were operated in the CEM-UT laboratory for a variety of pulsed power experiments. Because of our recent move into a new facility, all the machines were disassembled, inspected and rebuilt. The original machine, a disk type, 10-MJ HPG was last rebuilt in May 1981. The second machine, the compact HPG (CHPG) has had its performance limits investigated with a cryogenic coaxial inductor as a load and the machine has been used as a power supply for opening switch experiments. The final machine, the HPG system tester, is now used as a full scale, high speed bearing and brush test facility. A summary of our operating experience with these machines is presented. Funding for the CHPG and HPG system tester was provided by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and the U.S. Army Research and Development Center. Funding for the 10-MJ HPG has come from numerous industrial contracts.