RADIATION-PROCESSED HIGH-ENERGY-DENSITY CAPACITOR DEVELOPMENT

THE AVAILABILITY OF ENERGY STORAGE CAPACITORS WITH HIGH ENERGY DENSITIES (>>1 KJ/KG) IS CRITICAL FOR MANY PULSED POWER APPLICATIONS. CONVENTIONAL CAPACITOR DESIGNS, AS WELL AS THOSE CURRENTLY BEING DEVELOPED, USE LAMINATED ASSEMBLIES WHICH ARE IMPREGNATED WITH LIQUIED DIELECTRICS. HOWEVER, SINCE THE DIELECTRIC STRENGTH OF LIQUIED IS GENERALLY MUCH LESS THAN FOR SOLIDS, THE MAXIMUM OOPERATING ELECTRIC FIELD IS LIMITED BY THE IMPREGNANT. THIS, IN TURN, LIMITS THE ENERGY DENSITY THAT IS ATTAINABLE. THE OBJECTIVE OF THE PHASE I PROJECT IS TO DETERMINE THE TECHNICAL FEASIBILITY OF IMPREGNATING HIGH ENERGY DENSITY CAPACITORS WITH LIQUID MONOMERS WHICH ARE THEN POLYMERIZED (SOLIDIFIED) BY WXPOSURE TO ELECTRON OR X-RAY RADIATION AT DOSES OF 1-10 MEGARADS. THE USE OF ELASTIC, RADIATION-CURED, POLYMER IMPREGNANTS IS EXPECTED TO OFFER MANY ADVANTAGES OVER OTHER POSSIBLE SOLID IMPREGNATION APPROACHES. THER PROPOSED PHASE I TASKS ARE TO: (1) SCREEN AND SELECT CANDIDATE LIQUIED MONOMERS; (2) CONSTRUCT AN EXPERIMENTAL SYSTEM FOR PROCESSING AND TESTING SMALL ( CM2) SAMPLE CAPACITOR SECTIONS AND (3) DEMONSTRATE THAT DIELECTRIC STRENGTHS (>10 KV/MIL), DIELECTRIC CONSTANTS (K>5) AND OTHER PROPERTIES OF RADIATION-CURED DIELECTRIC MATERIALS CAN BE ACHIEVED WHICH ARE SUITABLE FOR ADVANCED CAPACITOR APPLICATIONS. THE PARTICIPATION OF A HIGHLY QUALIFIED POLYMER CHEMIST, A MAJOR CAPACITOR MANUFACTURER AND THREE MATERIAL MANUFACTURERS WILL HELP TO INSURE THAT PHASE I IS SUCCESSFUL AND THAT IF FORMS A FIRM FOUNDATION FOR DEVELOPMENT OF PROTOTYPE CAPACITOR UNITS IN PHASE II.