Design and experimental performance of a pulsed power transformer for liner implosion experiments

Abstract

A pulse power transformer has been designed and tested for pulsed power driven Z-pinch experiments. The transformer has reduced the output impedance of a pulsed power machine ‘‘Reiden IV’’ from 2 to 0.02 Ω. The parasitic inductance at the water/vacuum insulator is minimized by the transformer because of the lower output voltage. Therefore, it is possible to improve liner implosion efficiency. When the liner is impedance matched with the transformer, the efficiency is estimated to be ∼10% according to 0-D calculations of the equation of motion and the circuit equation. In experiments, a high current pulse (∼1 MA) was obtained. This value is twice as high as obtained when no transformer is used. Of key importance in the design of the transformer is the geometry of the secondary coil.