Pulsed power is the science and technology of accumulating
energy
Energy () is the physical quantity, quantitative physical property, property that is transferred to a physical body, body or to a physical system, recognizable in the performance of Work (thermodynamics), work and in the form of heat and l ...
over a relatively long period of time and releasing it instantly, thus increasing the instantaneous power. They can be used in some applications such as
food processing
Food processing is the transformation of agricultural products into food, or of one form of food into other forms. Food processing takes many forms, from grinding grain into raw flour, home cooking, and complex industrial methods used in the mak ...
,
water treatment
Water treatment is any process that improves the quality of water to make it appropriate for a specific end-use. The end use may be drinking, industrial water supply, irrigation, river flow maintenance, water recreation or many other uses, ...
, weapons, and medical applications.
Overview
Energy is typically stored as
electric potential energy
Electric potential energy is a potential energy (measured in joules) that results from conservative Coulomb forces and is associated with the configuration of a particular set of point charges within a defined system. An ''object'' may be sa ...
within
capacitor
In electrical engineering, a capacitor is a device that stores electrical energy by accumulating electric charges on two closely spaced surfaces that are insulated from each other. The capacitor was originally known as the condenser, a term st ...
s, or in the case of explosive pulsed power, as chemical energy. The stored energy is released over a very short time scale resulting in a large amount of power being delivered to a
load which can be used to study
high energy density physics
High-energy-density physics (HEDP) is a subfield of physics intersecting condensed matter physics, nuclear physics, astrophysics and plasma physics. It has been defined as the physics of matter and radiation at energy densities in excess of about ...
phenomena such as
inertial confinement fusion
Inertial confinement fusion (ICF) is a fusion energy process that initiates nuclear fusion reactions by compressing and heating targets filled with fuel. The targets are small pellets, typically containing deuterium (2H) and tritium (3H).
Typical ...
using a
Z-pinch
In fusion power research, the Z-pinch (zeta pinch) is a type of plasma confinement system that uses an electric current in the plasma to generate a magnetic field that compresses it (see pinch). These systems were originally referred to simpl ...
, and
plasma physics
Plasma () is a state of matter characterized by the presence of a significant portion of charged particles in any combination of ions or electrons. It is the most abundant form of ordinary matter in the universe, mostly in stars (including th ...
or to create
electromagnetic radiation
In physics, electromagnetic radiation (EMR) is a self-propagating wave of the electromagnetic field that carries momentum and radiant energy through space. It encompasses a broad spectrum, classified by frequency or its inverse, wavelength ...
.
Some electrically driven pulsed power accelerators make use of
pulse-forming lines to compress the current pulse before reaching the load, as is often the case when
Marx generators are used as the prime power source. Other circuit architectures such as
linear transformer drivers or impedance-matched Marx generators typically do not require any pulse compression.
Maximum power records
Single pulse energies as high as 100 MJ, power as high as a "few hundred terawatts" with voltages between 10 kV and 50 MV, and currents between 1 kA and 10 MA, have been achieved at least as of 2006.
"Pulsed Power Systems" Bluhm, Hansjoachim, 2006
/ref>
Usage
Railgun
A railgun or rail gun, sometimes referred to as a rail cannon, is a linear motor device, typically designed as a ranged weapon, that uses Electromagnet, electromagnetic force to launch high-velocity Projectile, projectiles. The projectile norma ...
is one of the example usage of pulsed power and it is still at research stage due to its complexity.
See also
*
* "kicker"
*
* (EMP)
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*; "Z machine"
Manufacturers
ABB Pulsed Power
– Manufacturer of semiconductor-based replacements for thyratrons
References
{{Reflist
Power (physics)