Scaling of Pulsed Power-Driven Hydrodynamics Experiments With Capacitors and Flux Compressors

Pulsed power hydrodynamics experiments typically involve multi-megajoule capacitor banks or magnetic-flux compression generators imploding thin-walled cylinders of solid-density metal by the electromagnetic force associated with axial currents in excess of 10 MA. Much of this activity operates with technology developed for other applications (e.g., soft X-ray generation), which can be significantly larger than actually required for the scientific objectives of such experiments. This is particularly true if imaging diagnostics (e.g., proton radiography) with greater spatial and temporal resolution become available, permitting implosion experiments of smaller scale size. This paper develops scaling relationships for liner implosions driven capacitively (direct or transformer coupled) or by magnetic-flux compression generators and indicates a substantial reduction in system energy with reduced scale size. A set of five dimensionless parameters describes all three circuit arrangements in a unified framework