Development of XRAM generators as inductive power sources for very high current pulses

For all-electric mobile systems, inductive pulsed power generators represent a very attractive alternative to capacitive generators. This is due to their high energy density, low charging voltage, short charging time and to the fact that they can easily be combined with modern high-power (lithium-ion) batteries. In particular, storage coils embedded in a so-called XRAM circuitry can be used to produce a current pulse, the amplitude of which is a multiple of the charging current supplied by the batteries. In this contribution we summarize the development of XRAM generators at ISL up to now and present some unpublished results. Special emphasis is laid on semiconductor-based opening switches and coils with high energy density. Both are core elements of XRAM generators and have to be designed for very high currents (several tens of kiloamperes).