1994•AIP conference proceedingsRequires access
The MAGPIE Generator
I. H. Mitchell, J. M. Bayley, J. P. Chittenden, P. Choi, J. Worley, A. E. Dangor, M. G. Haines, M. G. Haines, Andrew Knight
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Abstract
The construction of MAGPIE, a terawatt pulsed power facility, has been completed at Imperial College, London. The generator consists of four 2.4MV, 86kJ Marx banks each feeding a 5Ω coaxial pulse forming line. The pulse forming lines are connected, via four trigatron switches, to a vertical coaxial transfer line and hence to the load. The generator is specifically designed to drive high impedance loads, enabling radiative collapse experiments to be carried out in cryogenic Hydrogen fibres. This requires the capability to deliver 1.5MA into a 100nH load in 150ns. A review of the project to date is given. This includes the design philosophy behind the generator, emphasising its unique aspects, and an outline of the tests which have been carried out to optimise its performance. Results from the first stage in the commissioning of the generator are also presented. This involved the firing of the complete generator, charged to 60% of maximum voltage, into a 150nH load. Currents of approximately 700kA have been achieved with an average of 7ns first to last for the four trigatron switches.