A 2.8 MV, 600 kA pulsed power driver constructed at the University of Missouri-Columbia

Summary form only given. The University of Missouri has completed construction of a new facility for pulsed power experimentation. The pulsed driver is driven by a Marx bank consisting of 32, 100 kV, 3.1 muF capacitors. The Marx bank can store 450 kJ and is switched into any combination of one or up to four, parallel, 7 nF intermediate storage capacitors. The intermediate storage capacitors are switched with a high voltage spark gap switch into a resistive load. The driver is capable of delivering 2.8 MV at 600 kA to a 4 ohm load. Simulations indicate that the driver is capable of producing 1 MA through a load with lower impedance. Initial uses for the facility include experimentation on switch jitter and arc spectroscopy on a spark gap switch. The test results are also used in the characterization of the machine. Simulations of the driver capabilities are presented along with details of the initial results.