The ranchito helical magnetic flux compression generator

The Ranchito helical flux compression generator (HFCG) was designed at Los Alamos in the mid 1990s by Max Fowler. The intent was to supply a few megamperes as the initial current for a fast high current FCG in situations where large capacitor banks were not available. A complete characterization of Ranchito has never been published. However, a recent experiment was conducted that provides data suitable for publication. In the test a Ranchito generator was used to feed current into a simulated plate generator. In the test, we supplied 17.24 kA initial current to the 125 μH Ranchito from a capacitor bank, and a 2.75 MA current was subsequently delivered to a load of 287 nH. Full details of the generator design and experimental results are presented in the paper. Our analysis makes use of an inductance (L(t)) curve taken from paper copies in Max Fowler’s original notes, and follows the approach used by Fowler and Caird¹ to characterize the MK-IX HFCG. A complete working model of Ranchito results, although newer computer codes may now provide a better approach. The data presented are useful for comparing results from newer models.