Modelling magnetically insulated transmission line systems using flow impedance

Many pulsed power systems are large and complex. As a result, simulations of these systems can be difficult, expensive, and unwieldy. This paper describes a model that accurately describes most systems, and can be run in a few minutes on a modem personal computer. The model assumes that the system can be approximated by coaxial magnetically insulated transmission lines whose impedance varies with position along the line. The effects of distributed electron charge and current are included. The transmission lines are described in terms of Telegrapher equations derived for this more complex situation. There are two equations in the magnetic and electric voltages, and a third involving the electron charge and current. The voltages are related to the line charge and current by flow impedance. The model describes all fields at the surface of the electrodes, and therefore the currents and charges on those electrodes. The model can be used for design and for data analysis. It will be compared to two-dimensional, time-dependent particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations.