400 kA inductive voltage adder-inductive energy storage pulsed power generator ASO-X

A novel pulsed power generator using the inductive voltage adder technology was put into operation in Kumamoto University. This machine, named “ASO-X”, is an inductive voltage adder-inductive energy storage pulsed power system. The maximum output voltage and current of ASO-X are 180 kV and 400 kA respectively at the short circuit load with 1.3 μs of current quarter period. To increase the voltage, power and decrease the rise time of the load current, the plasma opening switch is used at the output of ASO-X. Eight plasma guns, serve for the plasma source of the opening switch in the scheme of with the single triggered gap switch. This system provides very fast current rise rate of 3.6×10¹² A/s at over 1 μs of conduction time of the plasma opening switch