title: An explosively driven high-power microwave pulsed power system.
abstract: The increased popularity of high power microwave systems and the various sources to drive them is the motivation behind the work to be presented. A stand-alone, self-contained explosively driven high power microwave pulsed power system has been designed, built, and tested at Texas Tech University's Center for Pulsed Power and Power Electronics. The system integrates four different sub-units that are composed of a battery driven prime power source utilizing capacitive energy storage, a dual stage helical flux compression generator as the main energy amplification device, an integrated power conditioning system with inductive energy storage including a fast opening electro-explosive switch, and a triode reflex geometry virtual cathode oscillator as the microwave radiating source. This system has displayed a measured electrical source power level of over 5 GW and peak radiated microwaves of about 200 MW. It is contained within a 15 cm diameter housing and measures 2 m in length, giving a housing volume of slightly less than 39 l. The system and its sub-components have been extensively studied, both as integrated and individual units, to further expand on components behavior and operation physics. This report will serve as a detailed design overview of each of the four subcomponents and provide detailed analysis of the overall system performance and benchmarks.
authors.affiliation: Center for Pulsed Power and Power Electronics, Department of Electrical Engineering, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas 79409, USA.
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Elsayed
authors.forename: A A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Neuber
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Dickens
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Walter
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kristiansen
authors.forename: L L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Altgilbers