HIGH POWER LOW IMPEDANCE LIGHT WEIGHT TRANSMISSION LINES

THE DEVELOPMENT OF HIGH POWER, LOW IMPEDANCE, LIGHTWEIGHT ENERGY STORAGE TRANSMISSION LINES FOR PULSE-POWER APPLICATIONS IS CRUCIAL FORSMALLER, LIGHTWEIGHT, SPACE-BASED, PULSE-POWER SYSTEMS. DEVELOPMENT OF HIGH DIELECTRIC ENERGY STORAGE LINE TECHNOLOGY WOULD GREATLY REDUCETHE SIZE, WEIGHT, AND COMPLEXITY OF PULSE POWER SYSTEMS UTILIZING THESE TYPES OF COMPONENTS. EFFICIENT TRANSPORT OF 400KV, 100KA FOR APPROXIMATELY 150 NANOSECONDS PULSE HAVE BEEN ACHIEVED. THE FEASIBILITY IS BEING INVESTIGATED OF USING LUCITE/POLYCARBONATE AS LIGHTWEIGHT CHARGED DIELECTRIC LINES UP TO 600KV FOR AN APPROXIMATELY 2 OHM TRANSMISSION LINE. HIGH VOLTAGE STANDOFF, FIELD GRADING OF THE CONDUCTORS, AND QUALITY OF MATERIAL ARE BEING EXAMINED FOR THEIR POTENTIAL TO WITHSTAND 1 MV PULSES. THE INTEGRITY AND INITIAL BOND STRENGTH OF CONDUCTIVE COATINGS ARE BEING ANALYZED TO ENSURE THAT ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION AND IONIZATION SPACE DOES NOT DEGRADE THE DIELECTRICS. LIMITED THEORETICAL EVALUATIONS ARE BEING UNDERTAKEN OF OTHER MATERIALS AND TECHNOLOGIES OF SOLID DIELECTRICS. ISSUES OF REPAIR, CLEANING, MAINTENANCE, AND REUSE OF COMPONENTS IN PULSE GENERATORS ARE BEING INVESTIGATED.