Transients in Large Tandem Accelerators

The stored energy in dc accelerators capable of reaching terminal potentials of 30 or 40 MV is more than an order of magnitude greater than in existing machines. To analyze the concentration of electrical fields under surge conditions the accelerator has been modeled by lumped constant networks. The analysis shows that in structures similar to the present ones the voltage distribution during a surge is very uneven and micro-discharges in the tube can initiate complete accelerator collapse.