Electrical insulation system for the shell-vacuum vessel and poloidal field gap in the ZTH machine

The electrical insulation systems for the ZTH machine have many unusual design problems. The poloidal field gap insulation must be capable of conforming to poloidal and toroidal contours, provide a 25-kV hold off, and sufficiently adhere to the epoxy back-fill between the overlapping conductors. The shell-vacuum vessel system will use stretchable and flexible insulation along with protective hats, boots, and sleeves. The system must be able to withstand a 12.5-kV pulse and must be thermally insulated to limit the effects of the 300°C vacuum vessel during operation and bakeout. The methodology required to provide the electrical protection, the testing data, and the material characteristics are presented