Abstract
A test facility has been constructed to test high power ignitrons using an electrolytic bank. The goal of this project, which was named Hercules (High Energy Research Concerning the Ultimate Lifetime of Experimental Switches), was to test the lifetime and switching characteristics of high power ignitrons for Lawrence Livermore`s laser upgrade program. The main tubes of interest that have been tested were the NL-9000A from Richardson Electronics, and the BK-1002 from English Electric Valve (EEV). Both tubes have stainless steel, cup style anodes. Both tubes were connected in series for the tests. Required test parameters were Ipeak = 300 kA, and Qtransfer = 200 C. During the tests, the BK-1002 tube failed due to ignitor shorting. The average forward voltage drop across the EEV tube was almost twice than the drop across the NL-9000A. After the tube failure, the BK-1002 was replaced by a NL-1057 to continue testing of the NL-9000A.
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