The Atlas power-flow system-a status report

Atlas is a high-energy, pulsed-power facility under development to study materials properties and hydrodynamics under extreme conditions. Atlas will implode heavy liner loads (m /spl sim/ 45 gm) with a peak current of 27-32 MA delivered in 4 /spl mu/s, and it is energized by 96, 240-kV Marx generators storing a total of 23 MJ. The power-flow system transports current from the Marx generators to the load. It includes a load protection switch to protect the load in case of a prefire; 24 oil-insulated, vertically oriented, radially converging, triplate transmission lines; a transition region that couples the transmission lines to the power-flow channel; and a radially converging, dielectric-insulated, horizontal and conical, power-flow channel. Proposed experiments, the design of the power-flow system, test results, and status are presented.