Experimental Realization of an Eight-Stage XRAM Generator Based on ICCOS Semiconductor Opening Switches, Fed by a Magnetodynamic Storage System

Inductive energy storage systems reach energy densities being one order of magnitude higher than those of capacitive storages. Hence, pulsed power supplies for electric weapon or defense systems can be much more compact with inductive storages instead of capacitive ones. There is, however, one hurdle to be cleared: Inductive storage systems need opening switches instead of closing switches, being much more difficult to realize. Using our recently developed ICCOS counter-current thyristor high-power opening switch being capable of interrupting currents up to 28 kA, we report the experimental realization of an eight-stage XRAM generator fed by the world´s most compact magnetodynamic storage system (MDS; energy density 60 MJ/m³, power output 1.2 MW with 4 kA during 5 s), being able to multiply the MDS´ current output by eight to 32 kA. Experimental data show a pretty perfect concordance between simulation and experiment so that XRAM generators with much more than eight stages and higher energies should easily be feasible.