A linear transformer driver (LTD) within
physics and
energy, is an annular
parallel connection of switches and
capacitors. The driver is designed to deliver rapid high
power pulses. The LTD was invented at the
Institute of High Current Electronics (IHCE) in
Tomsk
Tomsk ( rus, Томск, p=tomsk, sty, Түң-тора) is a city and the administrative center of Tomsk Oblast in Russia, located on the Tom River. Population:
Founded in 1604, Tomsk is one of the oldest cities in Siberia. The city is a not ...
, Russia. The LTD is capable of producing high current pulses, up to 1 mega amps (10
6 ampere
The ampere (, ; symbol: A), often shortened to amp,SI supports only the use of symbols and deprecates the use of abbreviations for units. is the unit of electric current in the International System of Units (SI). One ampere is equal to elect ...
), with a
risetime of less than 100 ns. This is an improvement over
Marx generator based
pulsed power devices which require pulse compression to achieve such fast risetimes. It is being considered as a driver for
z-pinch based
inertial confinement fusion.
LTDs at Sandia National Laboratories
Sandia National Laboratory is currently investigating a z-pinch as a possible ignition source for inertial confinement fusion. On its "
Z machine", Sandia can achieve dense, high temperature plasmas by firing fast, 100-nanosecond current pulses exceeding 20 million amps through hundreds of tungsten wires with diameters on the order of tens of micrometres. The LTD is currently being investigated as a driver for the next generation of high power accelerators.
Sandia's roadmap includes another future Z machine version called ZN (Z Neutron) to test higher yields in fusion power and automation systems. ZN is planned to give between 20 and 30 MJ of hydrogen fusion power with a shot per hour thanks to LTDs replacing the current Marx generators. After 8 to 10 years of operation, ZN would become a transmutation pilot plant capable of a fusion shot every 100 seconds.
The next step planned would be the Z-IFE (Z-inertial fusion energy) test facility, the first true z-pinch driven prototype fusion power plant. It is suggested it would integrate Sandia's latest designs using LTDs. Sandia labs recently proposed a conceptual 1 petawatt (10
15 watts) LTD Z-pinch power plant, where the electric discharge would reach 70 million amperes.
[W.A. Stygar ''et al.'']
Architecture of petawatt-class z-pinch accelerators
(October 2007).
See also
References
External links
Development and tests of fast 1-MA linear transformer driver stages* http://www.sandia.gov/news/resources/releases/2007/rapid-fire-pulse.html
* http://www-ners.engin.umich.edu/labs/plasma/Research/ZPinch.html
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