Optimizing power conditioning components for a Flux Compression Generator using a non-explosive testing system

This paper discusses a non-explosive pulsed power device used to reproduce the output waveforms of a Flux Compression Generator (FCG) driving a High Power Microwave (HPM) source. This system optimizes the power conditioning components of a HPM source while reducing the time and resources inherent to explosively driven FCG schemes. An energy storage inductor, fuse opening switch, and a peaking gap make up the power conditioning system. This system couples large voltage pulses (~300 kV), suited for HPM sources, to the load by disrupting the energy storage inductor current (~40 kA). This paper will show that an optimal fuse length was experimentally searched for by varying the calculated fuse wire base length by ±5, 10, and 15%. Various geometric fuse designs were examined to achieve a 45% reduction in the physical fuse length at constant wire length with acceptable performance losses. This paper will also show that the distance between the electrodes of a peaking gap can be optimized to more efficiently switch in the load. Finally results will be shown that depict the amount of microwave power produced by a vircator before fuse and peaking gap optimization.