Power conditioning system for a electromagnetic launcher

A power conditioning system for a electromagnetic (EM) launcher is described that uses both low-voltage (100 V) and high-voltage (3000 V) capacitive storage and semiconductor opening/closing switches. The operating voltage is 3 kV with 500 kA peak current available for the load. The energy per pulse delivered to the EM launcher is 600 kJ per pulse for a three-round burst with 20 s downtime between bursts. Weight and volume estimates are given for the various components of the system that are available today or would be available in a 1-3 yr time frame having a low-to-medium risk development effort. Midterm (3-5 yr) and far-term (5-10 yr) weight/volume projections are given for the components. A system that weighs less 1.0 ton and has a volume of about 60 ft³ is considered feasible. This includes rough estimates of the peripheral equipment such as safety, diagnostic, and cooling equipment, as well as cable, pipes, and connectors