Electrical and Computer Engineering ETDs

Publication Date

Spring 4-28-2021

Abstract

The design and development of high voltage, multi-pulse transmission line generators is of high interest for linear accelerator and other pulse power applications. Los Alamos National Laboratory and L3 Applied Technologies are in development and testing of a multi-pulse series pulse forming water transmission line system dubbed the Series Pulse-Line Integrated Test Stand (SPLITS). The system consists of up to four water lines in series charged by a Marx bank of total capacitance and voltage of 39nF and -600kV, respectively, to produce multiple 120ns, -300kV pulses on a matched resistive load of 5.5 . There is a need for a predictive model of SPLITS which encapsulates the reflections due to mismatched impedances and the time-varying nature of a spark gap switch. The research describe in this thesis develops a circuit simulation for SPLITS along with a physical, parameterized spark gap switch model. Along with the simulation, a detailed analysis of the output pulses of this circuit is performed to understand and optimize the pulse parameters, such as risetime and percentage flattop, required for linear accelerator applications. The resultant data is compared to experimental data taken from SPLITS. Additionally, this thesis develops an analytical solution to the charging circuit of the water line to characterize the response of the system.

Keywords

Transmission Line, Spark Gap, Multi-Pulse, SPICE Circuit, Braginskii Resistance

Document Type

Thesis

Language

English

Degree Name

Electrical Engineering

Level of Degree

Masters

Department Name

Electrical and Computer Engineering

First Committee Member (Chair)

Salvador Portillo

Second Committee Member

Edl Schamiloglu

Third Committee Member

Gregory Dale

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