A coaxial-output capacitor-loaded annular pulse forming line

Area of Science:

• Electrical Engineering
• Pulsed Power Systems
• Electromagnetics

Background:

• Traditional Tesla pulse generators often suffer from pulse waveform distortion and flat-top fluctuations.
• Improving the quality of quasi-square pulses is crucial for applications requiring precise energy delivery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a capacitor-loaded annular pulse forming line (PFL) to enhance quasi-square pulse generation.
• To reduce the flat-top fluctuation amplitude and improve the waveform quality of pulses from Tesla pulse generators.

Main Methods:

• Design of a single module with three parallel involute dual-plate pulse forming networks (PFNs).
• Utilizing shielding electrodes to minimize electromagnetic coupling between multi-stage modules.
• Employing transient field-circuit co-simulation for structural optimization and impedance matching.

Main Results:

• The annular PFL exhibits improved high-frequency response due to increased upper cut-off frequency.
• Series connection of modules significantly reduces inter-module inductance, minimizing pulse distortion.
• The optimized mixed PFL generates 43 ns quasi-square pulses with <8% flat-top fluctuation and ~5 ns rise time.

Conclusions:

• The capacitor-loaded annular PFL effectively enhances quasi-square pulse quality in Tesla PFNs.
• The design achieves superior pulse fidelity through reduced inductance and electromagnetic interference.
• This advancement is critical for high-performance pulsed power applications.