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This paper has introduced two important indexes, turn-off surge voltage (TSV) on power switch and peak positive pole potential (PPPP) of storage batteries, which can be used to evaluate switching transient process of high-voltage energy storage system. Research on them is of great significance to power switch choice and high-voltage isolation design in engineering applications. Power switch response process at the turning off moment and transient process in freewheel stage have been analyzed by the established small-signal model of single power switch; then, a power switch test platform for hybrid energy storage system was built to verify it. Taking pulsed-power supply charging device with a novel inductor of low resistance and high inductance as a research object, this paper has analyzed dynamic process of the TSV and the PPPP at the turning off moment through establishing state space model of the whole system. Comparison shows that the numerical curves match the simulated curves well. Finally, the exactness of the employed model has been further verified in two pulse capacitor charging experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the effect of stray capacitances in bipolar (negative and/or positive) pulses generated by the two different topologies of the solid-state Marx modulators. According to the analysis, the stray capacitances influence the energy transfer from the Marx modulator capacitors to the load affecting the bipolar (negative and/or positive) pulse rise time. This paper deals with the structure design to reduce the influence of the stray capacitance and to improve the pulse rise time of these bipolar solid-state Marx modulators. A four-stage laboratory prototype of the two topologies has been assembled using 1200-V insulated gate bipolar transistors and diodes, operating with 1000-V dc input voltage and 1-kHz frequency, producing 4-kV bipolar pulses, with 5- \mu \texts pulse duration and 120-ns rise time, into a resistive load. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The multigap gas switch has been widely used in liner transformer drivers (LTDs), but there is still room for improvement on its self-breakdown and triggering characteristics. In this paper, based on the circuit model of the six-gap gas switch, the gap voltage distribution during the charging and triggering process is analyzed, and the optimization on self-breakdown and triggering characteristics by mounting resistors and capacitors in parallel with switch gaps are theoretically and experimentally investigated. The results indicate that compared with the original switch, when the self-breakdown voltage is about ±90 kV, the standard deviation is reduced from 7.5 to less than 3 kV; for a charging voltage of ±80 kV and by operating at 60% working coefficient, when the negative trigger voltage is 75 kV, the jitter of the switch is reduced from 6.1 to 1.4 ns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Explosive and electroexploded opening switches (EEOSs) are used for current sharpening of magnetocumulative generators (MCGs). The EEOSs are well studied both in calculations and experimentally; the explosive opening switches (EOSs) have been studied mostly experimentally. Calculation and theoretical studies of the explosive current opening switches have been carried out by means of phenomenological model building or in 2-D gas-dynamic approximation. The mentioned approaches have some limits, and they do not allow completely revealing the complicated pattern of physical phenomena taking place during the opening switch operation. Whereas it is necessary to optimize the EOSs, it is almost impossible to solve this problem completely at expensive full-scale explosive experiments. The 2-D numerical magnetohydrodynamic simulation of the processes is very close to the reality. This paper compares calculation and experimental data on the circuit breaking of the MCG using the explosive current opening switch with the ribbed barrier. Investigation results of the electric circuit parameters, opening switch construction, and linear density of the breaking current dependence on the load current pulse characteristics are presented. Possible reasons of differences in calculation and experimental results are shown; ways of improvement of the calculation model and opening switch optimization are outlined. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper describes a high-frequency pulsed-power generator for various industrial applications such as water treatment, food and medical apparatus for sterilization, or polluted gas treatment. The system is made of silicon-controlled rectifier as a main trigger switch, capacitors, two-stage magnetic pulse compression stages, and a linear transformer to generate a maximum of 120-kV, 5-kA pulse. The parameters obtained through the development are: output voltage: 120 kV (maximum), pulse repetition ration: 300 pulse per second, pulsewidth: 0.25~\mu \texts , and mean power: 30 kW. The designed pulsed-power generator is confirmed to be used effectively for many high-voltage pulsed-power applications related to environmental industry by simulation and experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The opening switch is one of the critical technologies in the development of inductive pulsed-power supply. The power requirement is very high when the opening switch is desired to commutate a large current. This paper presents a zero-current opening circuit for inductive pulsed-power supply based on a high-temperature superconducting pulsed-power transformer. First, there are two types of current flowing through the opening switch, one comes from the secondary side of the pulse transformer, and the other one comes from superconducting energy storage inductance. The orientation of the two current is opposite. Then, when the current flowing through the opening switch closes to zero, the switch is opened and this restrains the over-voltage pulse of the opening switch. The simulation results indicate that this zero-current opening circuit is feasible and has potential applications for high-energy systems in the future electromagnetic launcher. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper proposes a flyback-circuit-based design of a trigger circuit for a high-power gas switch. By incorporating a flyback circuit in a high-power gas switch, it is possible to generate a high step-up ratio and high-voltage pulse by using a transformer. Furthermore, simple trigger circuit having the minimum possible number of components (transformer and switch) can be realized. When an inductor is used as an energy storage element, energy is stored as a current source, and thus, the element can operate reliably when low impedance exists between the trigger node of the switch after triggering. According to the fundamental operating principle of a flyback circuit, the proposed trigger circuit is designed considering the maximum trigger voltage and energy required for a high-power gas switch. To verify the proposed design procedure and feasibility of the trigger circuit, a compact trigger circuit (7.5 kV, 1.3 mJ/pulse) is simulated using the PSpice program and implemented. Based on this compact circuit, a trigger circuit (20 kV, 100 mJ/pulse) for a triggered vacuum switch (TVS) is developed, and the tests with an actual TVS (3.3 kJ) are carried out. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The series configuration of fast semiconductor switches seems to be the key component in the high-voltage and fast rising time pulse generation. In this approach, two important issues must be considered. The first is to provide a safe operating condition for the switches in transient intervals. The second is to design a gate drive system with the capability of driving a large number of discrete devices simultaneously. The aim of this paper is to obviate these two requirements. First, different factors affecting the unbalanced voltage sharing between the series switches are discussed. In this investigation, the switch-to-ground parasitic capacitance effect has been recognized as the major effect on the unbalanced voltage sharing in the transient interval. Two schemes for abating this effect are proposed. To solve the unbalanced voltage distribution, the structure with a snubber circuit in the clamp mode operation is suggested. This scheme can be used for any number of switches without destructively affecting their behavior. In addition, the output pulse with a fast rising time could be obtained by the proposed gate drive system. In order to evaluate the operation of the proposed structure, a stacked switch with the voltage capability of 36 kV is tested experimentally. The characteristics of the obtained pulse are the fast rising time (69.5 ns) with the dV/dt of 460 kv/ \mu \texts and the wide range of the pulsewidth adjusting to 0.5–15 \mu \texts . In addition, the voltage variance of the switches level in the series structure is about 10%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on the study of physical processes in a high-current vacuum arc shunted by semiconductor elements. The switching dynamics between a vacuum circuit breaker (VCB) and an assembly of several semiconductor elements connected in parallel to the VCB is investigated. The breaking capacity of a VCB-thyristor system is analyzed. It is found that at the instant of current switching, the arc can operate at a rather low voltage of 8–10 V. It is shown that there exists a certain limiting mode close to the conditions for current switching. In this mode, at least two cathode spots are observed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The quench protection switch (QPS) is an indispensable component ensuring the safety of the magnet coils of a superconducting Tokamak when a quench happens. In this paper, the second commutation process of a QPS based on artificial current zero is investigated. In this process, the current, which has already transferred from the bypass switch to the main circuit breaker, is forced to commutate from the vacuum circuit breaker (VCB) to the discharge resistor by the countercurrent. An LC oscillating circuit is applied to generate oscillating current to simulate the direct current near its peak which is about 20 kA. The countercurrent with frequencies of 500 and 1000 Hz is provided by a commutation branch. The equivalence of the experimental interrupting process compared with the practical situation is analyzed. Two kinds of vacuum interrupters of the VCB are used in experiments. One kind is equipped with contacts generating transverse magnetic field, and axial magnetic field contacts are used in another one. The experimental results indicate that the initial process of the vacuum arc before injecting the countercurrent has crucial impacts on the interruption performance. The countercurrent with the frequency of 500 Hz is easier to interrupt the current than the case of 1000 Hz. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Supercritical fluid (SCF), characterized by high pressure and high density, combines the advantages of gas and liquid: high ability of mass transfer and high heat transfer. SCF has a high potential as an electrical switching medium owing to its high breakdown strength and fast dielectric recovery capability after electrical breakdown. One other significant characteristic of SCF as insulating medium is its low impact to the environment, hence it is proposed as an ideal substitute for SF6—an extreme greenhouse gas in power system circuit breakers. In this paper, the thermodynamic characteristics of SCF are introduced by the review of references. An experimental analysis of electrical breakdown phenomena of a supercritical (SC) plasma switch with pressure up to 180 bar is presented, focusing on the breakdown voltage variation as a function of the fluid pressure, gap width of the electrodes, and fluid flow rate through the gap. A thermodynamic model for recovery rate analysis of a gas insulated switch is proposed and its feasibility is discussed. The model is used to predict the recovery rate of an SC switch. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The meat grinder is a basic circuit for inductive pulsed-power supply (IPPS). Based on meat grinder, the Institute of Advanced Technology proposed a circuit called the slow transfer of energy through capacitive hybrid (STRETCH) meat grinder, in which an Integrated Gate Commutated Thyristors (IGCT) is selected as the main switch. Tsinghua University proposed the STRETCH meat grinder with inverse current commutation with semiconductor devices (ICCOS) in which the main switch is replaced by a thyristor and the ICCOS subcircuit is introduced to turn off the main switch. To reduce the opening switch voltage and increase the current turning-off capacity for IPPS, this paper presents a novel circuit topology named the meat grinder with self-charged capacitor and thyristors (SECTs). The key idea of the SECT topology is to turn off the primary current by the energy transfer capacitor, which is precharged. The meat grinder with SECT has larger capacity than the STRETCH meat grinder because it replaces the IGCT with a thyristor and is simpler than the STRETCH meat grinder with ICCOS because it only needs one capacitor. The suggested circuit is more suitable for IPPS module with high energy density. Simulation and experiment have been carried out to validate the circuit. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The objective of this paper is to investigate an influence of high-frequency high-voltage impulse conditioning on the back-to-back capacitor bank switching performance of vacuum interrupters (VIs). Nine identical 7.2-kV VIs were tested by 80 CO operations after the proposed conditioning. Test inrush currents were set to 0-, 2-, and 5-kA peak. The experimental results showed that this conditioning technology could make an impact on both prestrike and restrike characteristics of VIs. The complementary cumulative distribution function (CCDF) of the prestrike gap d\textrm {pre} followed complementary Weibull distribution. In contrast to VIs without conditioning, three typical prestrike gaps, i.e., CCDF 10% prestrike gap d\overline {10} , CCDF 50% prestrike gap d\overline {50} , and CCDF 90% prestrike gap d\overline {90}\vphantom {\sum RRR} , decreased by 39%, 19%, and 4% at most, respectively. Besides, the scattering of d\textrm {pre} decreased by 52% at most. Furthermore, the conditioning technology had an influence on the feature of restrike waveform through variation of field emission current. It could also reduce the restrike probability by 22.5% at most and made the entire restrikes occur between $0.5T$ and $5T$ during recovery voltage period ( $T=20$ ms). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-performance trigger generators with high amplitude, fast rise time, low jitter are essential for large-scaled pulsed-power systems. Most of the trigger generators are also tiny multistage pulsed-power systems with complicated structures. In this paper, a high-performance trigger generator was proposed by combining the advantages of low-jitter semiconductor switch and high-power gas switch. An avalanche transistor Marx circuit was developed. It was used to trigger a two-stage Marx generator based on trigatron switch. The output characteristics of the Marx circuit based on avalanche transistors and the two-stage Marx generator were studied. The experimental results show that a subnanosecond jitter, nanosecond rise time, high-voltage trigger generator can be achieved by triggering trigatron switch with an avalanche transistor circuit. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this paper, a mesoband pulse radiator fed by a spark gap switch is designed, and its radiation characteristics are analyzed. Initially, a modified equivalent circuit model of spark gap switch is proposed to enable detailed explanation and fast design. Then, dual resonant characteristic due to the higher order mode of a mesoband pulse radiator is newly analyzed by changing the dipole length and radius. According to the analyzed results, the variation of the dipole length affects not only the radiating power, but also the operating frequency and bandwidth. The measured 3-dB bandwidth of the designed pulse radiator is about 57% (\lambda=1.15~m), meeting the need for a mesoband condition. The radiated electric field at 4 m from the radiator has a peak of 7.19 kV/m. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Since bipolar high-voltage pulses is more effective in the treatment of air purification, water treatment, and other applications than unipolar pulses, a newly developed bipolar high-voltage rectangular pulse adder is proposed with a new control strategy. The structure of the all solid state pulse adder based on the half-bridge structure has been improved by changing the driving signal of the MOSFETS in the main circuit to obtain high-voltage rectangular narrow pulses. Magnetic ring transformers with a common primary winding and rectifiers were employed to charge capacitors under a high frequency. Improved phase shift control strategy is proposed, which makes it possible to generate unipolar or bipolar pulses with or without chopping off over resistive and capacitive loads. The bias voltage in the pulse removed and the size of magnetic cores is reduced. A nine-stage laboratory prototype is assembled. Experimental results show that unipolar and bipolar rectangular pulses with an amplitude of 4 kV, frequency of 12 kHz, pulsewidth of 600 ns– $4~\mu \text{s}$ , and rise time of 80 ns are obtained over different loads. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Switching time jitter is an important property to consider when selecting closing switches for pulsed-power systems. The corona-stabilized switch (CSS) is identified as an interest for low-jitter systems, in particular for systems where a high-repetition rate is required. In this paper, a commercial CSS is studied and its operating conditions are determined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the circuit model capable of dealing with magnetizing characteristics of the magnetic cores and switch prefire is established for linear transformer driver (LTD) cavities in PSPICE. Through simulation, the effects of switch prefire on other components in LTD and its output current pulse have been analyzed associated with the variation of energy loss in magnetic cores. Simulation results indicate that a switch prefire in one cavity would produce oscillations added to the charge voltage of the other switches in this cavity and cavities adjacent immediately. The magnitudes of such oscillations have an intimate relation with the magnetic core loss equivalent resistance. The loss equivalent resistances in the range from 4 to 6 \Omega have produced moderate voltage oscillations. Experiments on the 300-kA LTD cavity developed by the Northwest Institute of Nuclear Technology proved that such oscillations added to the charge voltage of other switches are likely to increase the breakdown probability of them. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

It is difficult to design a standard gate driver for optimal switching control of a static induction thyristor (SI-Thy) because of its unique internal structure and the direct commutation switching characteristic between the gate and cathode terminals during the transient turn-on and turn-off switching phases. Therefore, it is important to develop a simple and effective gate driver for achieving optimal fast turn-on and stable switching operations in an SI-Thy under hard-switching conditions. To achieve faster turn-on switching time with shorter gate delay time, impedance matching between the SI-Thy and the turn-on driving circuit component in the gate driver can be realized with additional circuit modification through this paper. To ensure higher stabilities in the turn-off switching phase, forced commutation techniques and additional auxiliary circuits in the gate driver have been devised to suppress the latchup and to eliminate potential ringing possibility. We have demonstrated that our designed and tested gate driver for realizing optimal switching characteristics of an SI-Thy is effective, particularly in the gate driving circuits for various pulsed-power switching applications. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

With inherent strengths in energy density and power density, the inductive pulsed power supplies (IPPS) have become an attractive option for the power supplies in electromagnetic launch systems. The meat grinder circuits, including the slow transfer of energy through capacitive hybrid (STRETCH) meat grinder circuit, the STRETCH meat grinder with inverse current commutation with semiconductor devices circuit, and the meat grinder with self-charged capacitor and thyristors circuit, constitute one major branch among the IPPS circuits. This paper summarizes the fundamental research work and contributions of the meat grinder circuits from the perspectives of circuit improvements, performance analysis, inductor design, module collaboration, and efficiency promotion. The future directions of single IPPS module are higher energy level, larger energy density, and higher efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this paper, measurement results of the arc erosion limitation in low voltage (LV) switches are presented. The reduction of the arc erosion in the analyzed electromechanical switches was achieved through an application of the hybrid switching in the tested alternative current circuit during interruption of the inductive current. The presented method is based on a commutation of the current during its interruption into a semiconductor branch that is connected in parallel to the operated switch. Thus, this approach is able to limit the electric arc energy efficiently, and as a consequence the arc erosion of the electrical contacts is also significantly reduced. For this reason, the application of the hybrid switching has a positive influence on a lifespan and a reliability of the operated switch. In order to evaluate the influence of the hybrid switching application on an effectiveness of the limitation of the arc erosion in the analyzed LV switches, 50 000 current interruptions were conducted in the tested circuit by each of four analyzed switches. Researches were performed for two standalone switches during a standard current interruption, as well as, for two switches with applied the hybrid switching system. In order to compare the arc erosion of the contact surfaces in both considered cases, scanning electron microscope method coupled with energy dispersion spectroscopy was applied. Moreover, photos of the electric contact surfaces are presented. Additionally, frames registered by high-speed camera during current interruption are presented for both considered approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A nonlinear simulation model of switched reluctance linear launcher drive based on MATLAB platform is presented in this paper. It consists of a three-phase 6/4 structure simple side switched reluctance linear motor, a three-phase asymmetric bridge power converter, and a closed-loop velocity controller, which is integrated with the magnetization curves of the switched reluctance linear motor obtained by the two-dimension finite-element electromagnetic field calculation, the nonlinear electrical network model of the power converter, and the excitation/commutation/velocity control algorithms. Those include mover relative position calculation module, controller module, power converter module, phase winding modules, and velocity calculation module. The simulated phase current waveforms and velocity curves agree well with the tested phase current waveforms and velocity curves experimentally. It is shown that the proposed nonlinear simulation model of the three-phase 6/4 structure switched reluctance linear launcher system is valid. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Initial experimental results of nanosecond-range multiple-pulse synchronization controlled by magnetic switches on a communal magnetic core were presented in detail in this paper. Magnetic switches on a communal core are designed, and different experiments for the multiple-pulse synchronization tests are also put forward. The central principle is that the communal magnetic core compels the multiple magnetic switches saturating at the same time. In the single driving circuit mode, a high-voltage capacitor was employed to discharge to two branches of loads and magnetic switches based on a communal magnetic core, and the average synchronization accuracy of the two magnetic switches was measured at 1.6 ns under 10 shots, with jitter at 0.6 ns. Synchronization accuracies of multiple magnetic switches were also compared under the cases of a communal core and separate cores. Two high-voltage cable lines with the same length were also used as pulse forming lines to discharge to two branches of load resistors and magnetic switches on a communal core, respectively. When a single driving circuit was used for charging, experimental results showed that the average synchronization accuracy of the two magnetic switches was about 2.7 ns under 10 shots, with jitter at about 3.3 ns. Potential applications of the communal-core synchronization technology are also put forward. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The characteristics of gas discharge are closely related to the features of high-voltage pulses, especially to the rising and falling time of pulse. A parameterized pulse control method based on improved Marx generator is proposed to obtain parameterized nanosecond high-voltage pulses to match different discharge circumstances. Different parameters of nanosecond pulses are realized in real time by parametrical modulating timing sequences of switches in an improved Marx generator. Experimental results indicate that the ability of generating pulses is with 0–20 kV amplitude, 0–1 ms width (flat top), 50–500 ns or faster rising/falling time, below 5% overshoot, and a maximum 5 kHz repetitive frequency at 20 kV on a matched 0–100 pF capacitance load. The shape of pulse waveform including triangular, rectangular, or the combination of the two kinds of pulse waveform can be achieved. The discharge characteristics in the dielectric barrier discharge device driven by the parameterized pulse, especially changing the rising time of pulse, are investigated. The uniform discharge is observed, and the discharge intensity is doubled while reducing the rising time of pulse from 500 to 50 ns, and the intensity of the N2 spectrum increased to 2.5 times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metal–oxide–silicon (MOS)-gate-structure-based power semiconductors, such as MOS field-effect transistors, insulated-gate bipolar transistors, and MOS controlled thyristors, are widely used as high-voltage switch and power modulator components in pulsed-power applications. The power semiconductors are generally connected in series and in parallel in order to increase their maximum switching voltage and current, respectively. It is important to suppress overvoltage or switching stress on power semiconductors connected in series and parallel during an extremely short switching time and at fast operating frequency. Generally, gate drive control techniques and methods for the suppression of high voltage are required. To suppress overvoltage and switching stress, this paper proposes a simple and effective active clamping method rather than the use of a snubber circuit with free switching condition modulation. Based on comparative switching experiments, the active clamping method is expected to suppress switching stress and overvoltage while load and switching conditions are changed without modification of the high-side auxiliary circuit for pulsed-power applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When small currents are interrupted by a vacuum switch, it is well known that the chopping current and the associated overvoltage are observed. Many investigations on the current-chopping phenomena in alternating-current (ac) circuits have been carried out, but there are no data available on inverter circuits in spite of their recent wide application to synchronous motor systems. In this paper, chopping-current levels and the overvoltages in an inverter circuit under a simple three-level pulsewidth-modulated control are investigated. As a result, the mean chopping-current level is three to four times higher than that in an ac circuit. In particular, high chopping currents occur only when the timing of the current interruption by the vacuum switch synchronizes with that of the inverter's switching, which we call “double chopping.” High chopping current due to double chopping might be harmful since the high overvoltage proportional to the chopping-current level could damage the insulation of electric equipment. However, we experimentally confirmed that a typical surge suppressor could reduce overvoltage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a novel crowbar system of 10/350-\mu\s pulse current. The crowbar pulse current system includes a crowbar pulse current waveform forming circuit, a controlling unit, and a measuring unit. The crowbar pulse current circuit consists of a main air triggered switch, a triggered vacuum switch (TVS) which is used as the crowbar switch, and two trigger signal generators. A kind of TVS is designed and fabricated. Its triggering characteristics are tested, and experimental results show that, compared with other reported similar switches, the TVS has excellent characteristics such as wide operating voltage scope from 1.3 to 120 kV, short discharging delay time with maximum delay time at 400 ns, and its jitter at \pm10 ns. Based on the TVS, the crowbar 10/350- \mu\s pulse current circuit and its controlling circuit are designed. With a 36-\mu\F storage capacitor C and a 6-\mu\H waveform forming inductance L, a 10/350- \mu\s pulse current waveform with a maximum of 150 kA can be generated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The operation of transistorized Marx-bank circuits (MBCs) is analyzed, and physics-based modeling is used to understand the anomalous switching behavior of the first stage single trigger avalanche transistors of MBCs at high-current-injection conditions. The role of a voltage trigger pulse having variable rise time when applied to the base terminal is investigated to model the underlying physics of the anomalous switching behavior. Experimental observations related to ultrafast anomalous switching mechanisms of trigger transistor, i.e., either primary breakdown or current mode secondary breakdown, for faster and slower base drives are presented. This demonstrates the importance of the dynamic avalanche process and reverse saturation current on the switching mechanism under high-speed base-trigger ramps for different avalanche BJTs from various manufacturers and different lots. The agreement between 2-D TCAD device simulation results and the experimental observations shows the validity of the proposed theory when the base width and mobile carrier recombination rate are used as parameters in the device simulation setup. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recent availability of fast high-power semiconductor switches makes the transformer coupled LC inversion generator (TCLCG) topology a very promising candidate for the realization of reliable, multi-kHz repetition rate pulse generators with an output voltage in the range of 200 kV and more. Usage of 1:1 transformers instead of closing switches in each generator stage reduces the total number of switches inside the TCLCG to only one, independent of the numbers of stages. Thus, problem of synchronization as in Marx-generators or classical LC inversion generators can be omitted. In principle, capacitors are initially charged to the charging voltage, whereas the odd-numbered of each stage are charged with the opposite polarity to the even-numbered capacitors. Fast voltage inversion of the even-numbered capacitors leads to efficient voltage multiplication provided the semiconductor switching module will be sufficiently fast to minimize switching losses. For initial investigations, a special asymmetrically compensated three-stage test TCLCG was designed and set up. Three high-voltage semiconductor switching modules were experimentally tested in detail; two 20-kV high-voltage switching modules consisting of a series arrangement of 15 Si-based insulated gate bipolar transistors or 15 SiC-based MOSFETs, with in each case 1700-V breakdown voltage, and a fast experimental 10-kV thyristor switching module with kilo ampere current carrying capability. The achievable output signal rise time and generator efficiency for different electrical loads (resistive, capacitive, or inductive) are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Two solid-state bipolar Marx modulators are analyzed and compared regarding hold-off semiconductor voltages and open-fault tolerance capability. Normal and abnormal operating conditions are considered, such as switch synchronization mismatches, failures, and open faults. Ten-stage laboratory prototypes of two bipolar Marx modulators have been assembled using 1200-V insulated gate bipolar transistors and matching diodes, to operate at 500-V dc input voltage. Outputs are 4-kV bipolar pulses, 1% duty ratio, into resistive loads, and 1-kHz frequency. Lack of synchronization and open-fault tests confirm that only topologies with redundant switches can operate without semiconductors being subjected to double hold-off voltages while presenting current paths to clear faults. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper describes the construction and experimental tests of a 12-kV high-voltage high-action generator based on reverse-switching dynistor (RSD) assembly. The main RSD unit consists of seven 76-mm-diameter dynistor pieces connected in series with a blocking voltage of about 2.4 kV, a magnetic switch based on a 1K101 amorphous alloy core, the trigger system based on a saturable transformer, and a 16-mm RSD assembly; the trigger current could reach 2 kA in amplitude with 1-\mu\s duration under 10 kV. The working voltage rate of this RSD unit is about 8–12 kV. Experiment on a 2.2-mF capacitor test bed under 12 kV working voltage, the switch current amplitude reached 150 kA with 300-\mu\s duration; the transferred charge is about 26.5 C and the action is 2.94 \MA^2\s, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For semiconductor-based pulsed power generators, short turn-ON and turn-OFF times of the employed switching elements are especially in hard switching condition of advantage. In order to enhance switching speeds for standard devices under hard switching conditions, we propose a capacitively coupled gate-boosting circuit with gate-drive voltages of up to 80 V. A low inductance test circuit has been set up to evaluate different switching elements under varying driving conditions. Beside single pulse operation, the setup allows for burst mode and continuous repetitive switching. The flexible design of the setup allows for testing metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) as well as insulated-gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs). Exemplary, we show results for a SiC MOSFET and a standard IGBT. By applying 80 V gate-drive voltage, the current rise rate of the SiC MOSFET could be increased by a factor of 3.5 up to 2.6 kA/ \mu \texts . For standard IGBT devices, we achieved an eightfold increase in current rise rate up to 4.2 kA/ \mu \texts . We verified a reproducible pulse shape for over \textrm 10^\textrm 8 pulses. In addition, the gate-drive circuit is able to drive the device in 3-MHz burst mode at 250 A peak collector current. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The results of comparative studies of two compact generators of nanosecond high-voltage pulses are presented. Both generators include an opening switch in the form of a block of drift step-recovery diodes (DSRDs) and a closing switch in the form of a block of shock-ionized dynistors (SIDs). The generators are designed according to two different schemes, but they have similar parameters of the output pulses on a load of $50~\Omega $ : the amplitude of the output voltage is ~ 30 kV, its rise time is ~ 3 ns, and the output energy is ~ 0.4 J. It is shown that it is possible to increase the output voltage and output energy of the generators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As inductive energy-storage technology presents—at the same power-output capability—energy densities that are one order of magnitude higher than those of capacitive storage, its use is very interesting for pulsed-power applications. An additional advantage is the capability of inductors to generate any voltage required for discharge. In other words, if a high-voltage discharge is necessary, the inductors can still be charged at a low voltage—in contrast to capacitors. An XRAM generator is an inductive energy-storage device capable of multiplying the charging current by its number of stages. The obstacle to be overcome when operating XRAM generators is the need for opening switches capable of interrupting the charging current. Here, an improved version of a countercurrent-commutation circuit developed at and patented for the ISL allows charging currents of at least 28 kA per XRAM stage to be switched off safely. A 20-stage XRAM generator could thus deliver 20\times 28\ \kA = 560\ \kA to a low-impedance load, e.g., a railgun. We report on the design and first tests of a 20-stage countercurrent switched toroidal XRAM generator demonstrator model, designed for charging currents of up to 3 kA, i.e., 60 kA in the load. The compact demonstrator has a circular ground plate with a diameter of 100 cm, and the height of the installation is 25 cm. The toroidal-coil arrangement provides a very good containment of the magnetic field and, consequently, a high efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 4-MV self-triggered switch based on ultraviolet (UV) illumination technology is designed and tested under approximate 800-ns rise time pulse voltage. The switch is composed of five sections in series, and each section comprises an UV-illuminating gap (UV gap) and a main gap. The voltage charged on the UV gap is obtained by a resistance–capacitance coupling circuit, which enhances synchronization with the main gap voltage. The gap distance of the 4-MV switch is determined according to the performance of the same type of switch under a shorter pulse (about 300 ns), while the characteristics of the gap under 800-ns pulse voltage is still unclear. The experimental results show that low jitter breakdown of the switch can be realized effectively when two UV gaps are functioning. The breakdown jitter percentage achieves less than 1.55% within the range of 1.0–3.2 MV. When the working scope is narrowed down to 1.4–2.1 MV, the breakdown jitter is less than 1%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents a comprehensive methodology for designing a fully protected efficient semiconductor switch stack for electromagnetic launchers (EMLs), using commercially available thyristors and diodes by developing behavioral (Verilog-A) models of the switches accounting for their nonidealities. The appropriate values of protection components are obtained through SPICE simulations. Using ABB thyristors and diodes, a design-example of a 400-kJ pulse-forming network (PFN) with rated peak voltage and peak current of 11 kV and 135 kA, respectively, is presented. The simulated peaks of dv/dt and di/dt of the main switch are found to be well within the maximum permissible limits, 40% and 10% respectively, for a turn-on timing skew of 1 μs between the thyristors. The addition of the protection components reduces the efficiency (η) of the PFN by 3.5%, thus indicating that proper designing of the protection components does not decrease the efficiency of the PFN significantly. The second example of a 100-kJ PFN using off-the-shelf Infineon switches is also presented to clarify the proposed methodology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The technology of switched-mode power supplies (SMPSs) has been employed to design and build a much simpler and portable high-voltage pulsed-power supply (HVPPS) as an efficient pulse drive unit for very small plasma focus devices (PFDs). The HVPPS is designed in such a way that it is able to charge a low-energy capacitor bank (84 nF, 7 kV, 2.1 J), from 4 to 7 kV at a repetitive discharge mode of 5 Hz. All control processes are carried out via a laptop through a graphical interface, written in C# language. The experimental runs were carried out in argon at 4-mbar gas pressure and the 7-kV maximum charging voltage level of the HVPPS. The results of diagnostics at a repetitive discharge mode of 5 Hz successfully confirmed the accurate performance of the SMPS and the spark gap switch for driving a very small PFD. The rise time of 10%–90% of the charging voltage, at each single-shot trace was obtained to be 110 ms. This consequence demonstrated that the control and sampling circuits were being implemented as well. After discharging, the pinching evidence was genuinely observed in the capacitor bank voltage trace. The quarter period of the discharge traces was observed to be 100 ns, which leads to a total system inductance of about 48 nH. The measured inductance was low enough to be compatible with successful performance of the very low energy PFD, leading to fast and high magnitude discharge pulses to assist the pinching evidence. This HVPPS could emerge as one of the very low cost, compact, light weight, and highly efficient power supplies used for driving the very small PFDs so far. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Sustain power consumed by unlighted lines in displayed image in each subfield is totally wasted. To improve the power efficiency, multiple sustain voltages applied to lighted and unlighted lines separately are proposed, which can reduce invalid power by decreasing the sustain voltage in unlighted lines. Different sustain voltages are used to testify the proposed method. The instance circuit operation mode is analyzed. The experimental results show that power saving efficiency can be improved by 4.5% when 10-min-long standard video supplied by the International Electrotechnical Commission displays in 50-in plasma display panel. The proposed method is easy implemented and the additional cost is very low compared with conventional circuit. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

High-power and high-current test technology has many requirements for a discharging switch, such as high hold-off voltage, wide operating voltage scope, short discharging delay time and jitter, strong charge transfer ability, and long lifetime. A high-voltage and high-current triggered vacuum switch (TVS) with a surface flashover trigger device has been designed, and the trigger device is made from a material whose relative dielectric constant \varepsilonr is around 2500. The experimental circuits are set up, and the experiments are performed. The experimental results showed that the TVS can be used at a maximum voltage of up to 120 kV, the minimum operation voltage is 1.3 kV, the maximum discharging delay time is less than 400 ns, and the minimum discharging delay time and jitter reach to 100 and \pm10 ns, respectively. The maximum current switched is about 180 kA, and the maximum transfer charge per shot is larger than 2.5 C. The switch can satisfy the main demands of crowbar circuit applications and can be used on high-voltage and high-current application situations. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]