Development of 150 kJ compact pulsed power system for ETC accelerator

Abstract

This paper describes a 150 kJ compact pulsed power system (CPPS) for electrothermal chemical (ETC) accelerator on a vehicle. The CPPS provides pulsed electrical energy into a capillary plasma injector which generates plasma of tens of thousands K in temperature and has a nonlinear resistance value depending on the current. The design requirements of the CPPS are as follows: the maximum power of 200 MW, the pulse width of about 500 µs, the volume of no more than 0.5 m3, the efficiency of energy transfer over 80 %, and the repetition rate of 4∼5 times per minute. The 150 kJ CPPS is composed of four 37.5 kJ capacitor bank modules in parallel to make a trapezoid pulse shape and satisfy the design requirements. Each module is designed to achieve a high reliability, safety, efficiency and density considering the condition of worst operations. The test results using one and two modules in the conditions of normal and worst operation are presented.