A Meatgrinder circuit for energizing resistive and varying inductive loads (EM guns)

Abstract

Inductive storage and transfer circuits energizing resistive or varying inductive loads at constant current are highly inefficient. These circuits suffer from current decay in the load or a substantial amount of energy left in the storage inductor. Previously, physical Meatgrinder circuit embodiments have been shown to provide highly efficient inductive energy storage and transfer to inductive loads, Recently, new Meatgrinder circuits have been synthesized to transfer energy to resistive and varying inductive loads at constant current and high efficiency. This paper describes and analyzes a physical embodiment which transfers 200 MJ at a constant current of 1.25 MA to an EM gun of varying inductance. The energy transfer efficiency to the accelerator is 44%.