Helical explosive flux compression generator research at the Air Force research laboratory

The inherent high energy density of explosives make them an obvious choice for pulsed power systems requiring high peak power and energy in compact packages. Ongoing research at the Air Force Research Laboratory's Directed Energy Directorate into helical explosive flux compression generators is discussed. These generators provide the initial pulsed power drive for a high voltage, long pulse system, which is the subject of a companion paper. The helical generator research described here centers on experiments utilizing two distinct generator designs, based on 7.6 cm. and 15.2 cm diameter aluminum armatures, respectively. Experiments using several different stator coil winding schemes with these armatures are described.