Design of the individual Marx modules for the Atlas machine 36 megajoule, 25 megampere capacitor bank

This paper presents the preliminary electrical and mechanical design of the Atlas pulsed power machine's 1.8 megajoule, 600 kV Marx generator modules. The modules are implemented with plastic cased capacitors similar to those developed for the Defense Nuclear Agency (DNA) ACE II and ACE IV machines. The double-ended electrode capacitor style has been dubbed "FASTCAP". Electrodes are provided for mounting railgaps on one side and flat plate transmission line damping resistors on the other. This provides for an extremely low circuit inductance. A series array of ten capacitors, each rated at 60 kV, 33.5 /spl mu/F, and 60 kJ, with their five triggered railgaps, form a Marx generator submodule. Three Marx submodules are nested into a large G-10 fiberglass rack to form a complete Marx module. The module support rack has individual capacitor shelves that ease assembly and replacement. The Marx generator's design also facilitates construction, testing and verification of a modules performance prior to installation. Modules will be repaired or maintained in a separate test bay without affecting machine operation schedules. Railgap maintenance will become part of a regularly-scheduled preventative maintenance program as spare modules are installed and removed from the machine.