Electrical Design and Operation of the Phelix Pulsed Power System

Abstract

The Precision High Energy-Density Liner Implosion Experiment (PHELIX) is a pulsed power driver capable of delivering multimegampere currents to cylindrical loads. The PHELIX hardware includes novel design features to provide a high-energy conversion efficiency of approximately 10-MA output current per megajoule of stored energy. This is achieved by a rail-gap switched low-inductance Marx design (resistively damped) driving a multifilar air-core pulse transformer. The Marx output cables form the toroidal transformer that is an integral part of the disc line and removable load cassette assembly. The transformer and disc line uses conformal insulation methods and does not require replacement; after each shot, the transformer is completely reusable. Load cassettes can be easily exchanged to facilitate experimental variation. PHELIX is selfcontained within its own transport container and Faraday cage that can be moved from the maintenance building to the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center 800-MeV proton accelerator facility to perform multipulse proton radiography. This paper details the electrical and mechanical design of the Marx and multifilar transformer assemblies as well as presenting the operational performance achieved to date.