Multimodule System for Fast-Rising High-Voltage Pulse Formation Based on Explosive Current Opening Switches

Matching devices in the form of electro-exploded current opening switches (EEOSs) or explosive current opening switches (EOSs) are used for transforming current pulses of magnetocumulative generators (MCGs) into voltage pulses of hundreds of kilovolts at high-impedance loads. Current pulse sharpening is accompanied by significant losses of the stored energy. Using EOSs are more preferable to EEOSs from the point of view of the energy losses since it does not lead to efficiency decrease in the MCG operation. This paper considers magnetocumulative multimodule systems consisting of several synchronously operating and serially connected small helical MCGs. Each generator is equipped with an explosive current opening switch. The voltages generated at each opening switch are summarized into the load. Fast operation of MCGs allows using very thin foils in the opening switches and obtaining the short voltage pulse front. Results of the works on creating high-voltage devices based on helical MCGs of a 60-mm diameter and disk EOSs of a 200-mm diameter are presented in this paper. In the experiment, the device consisting of two modules provides a voltage pulse of 370 kV with a rise time of ~170 ns into a load of 29 Ω and an inductance of 0.5 μH. Maximum power in the load is ~ 4.3 GW, and the emitted energy is ~1.1 kJ. The four-module device forms the pulse with the characteristic current rise time of ~100 ns in the similar load at twice smaller current.