Stacked, Parallel-Plate Solid-Dielectric Blumlein Lines for Compact Pulsed Power

Summary form only given. The stacked Blumlein line is a concept that has been touted as a highly compact pulsed power system because of its combination of the functions of energy storage, voltage scaling, and pulse shaping into a single sub-system. In reality, the voltage reversal and transients induced by the operation of the stacked lines and the switch jitter require significant derating of the dielectric strength. Consequently, the system must be operated much below the intrinsic dielectric energy density, compromising efforts to design a compact pulsed power system. Nevertheless, composite dielectrics have renewed interest in stacked Blumlein lines for compact pulsed power. This paper discusses the limitations on the energy density of stacked Blumlein lines as well as efforts to develop stacked Blumlein lines using a ceramic loaded polymer composite dielectric. Experiments have been conducted to evaluate electrically triggered spark-gap switches for use in testing stacked lines. Additionally, small capacitors have been fabricated using the same composite dielectric used for the Blumlein lines. The capacitors have been tested to evaluate the material and thereby inform testing of multiple-stage Blumlein lines.