Modifications of the Kirkcudbright capacitor bank system for ETC operations

The 29-module, 32 MJ capacitor bank at the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA) Electromagnetic Launch Facility, in Kirkcudbright, Scotland, is presently being modified to enhance its capabilities in driving electrothermal (ET) and electrothermal chemical (ETC) gun loads. The primary changes are: (i) installation of equipment allowing capacitor banks to be connected in series pairs, for higher-voltage operation; (ii) removable inserts for the module pulse-shaping inductors to reduce inductance by approximately a factor of two for some of the modules; and (iii) a set of high-energy inductors and associated buswork to allow insertion of a range of additional inductances in series with some modules. The modifications will allow a wide range of pulse shapes and durations to be delivered to ETC gun loads. This paper summarizes the designs for each of the modifications to the bank, along with predicted performance of the system.