Design of compact feed-through for 500 kV high voltage cable

This paper presents the design and electrical simulations of a high voltage feed-through working at 500 kV into atmospheric pressure or primary vacuum. Operational needs and technical considerations have been taken into account to design this component. The high pulsed voltage (500 kV - 50 ns), the limited size (maximum diameter: 100 mm), the possibility to work into a primary vacuum (10^-2 mbar) and our given cable (Z = 56 Ω) have been the input data. The impedance matching of the feed-through has been specially optimized to avoid voltage reflection and drastic deformation of the voltage and current shape. Many tests into DC voltage (60 kV) and pulsed voltage (500 kV) have been performed to optimize it. For some applications into a primary vacuum, it can be possible to pressurize the feed-through to avoid surface flashover. Today, this robust connector is frequently used for many applications, especially for flash radiography.