Calculational Design Of A Very High-Field Explosive Magnetic Flux Compression Generator

Design issues and calculations of a very high-field explosive magnetic flux compression generator (CN-III) are presented. Experimental results of the third generator test in the series are given in a companion paper.
¹
The goal of the test series was to explore the physics and limits of very high-field and high-current explosive pulsed power generation. Tradeoffs between managing skin losses and extracting a significant fraction of the armature kinetic energy were tested in the series and are discussed. In the third test, the compressed magnetic field strength was designed to actually stop the armature before all of the inductance in the generator could be wiped out. A field strength in excess of 1 megaguass is required for this purpose. The goal of the test series has been accomplished by designing, calculating, fabricating and testing the CN-III. Results of one-dimensional, "quasi two-dimensional", and full two-dimensional MHD calculations for the CN-III are presented. A coaxial cylindrical geometry was chosen for the generator to facilitate meaningful comparisons between calculations and experiments. Implications for design limits of high-current, high-field, high-power, explosive magnetic flux compression generators are discussed.