Design of a novel EHT system based on piezoelectric ceramic

This paper describes a series of experiments and design calculations to develop a compact single-shot pulsed EHT supply capable of delivering some tens of kilovolts into a capacitive load of up to a few hundred picofarads; implying total electrical energy yields of up to about 100 mJ. In that supply a low-cost pyromechanical protractor is used to provide the mechanical stimulus to an assembly of commercially-available piezoelectric ceramic discs. The trade-off between voltage delivered and optimum load capacitance can be tuned by adjusting the geometry of the assembly of discs. A discussion of design factors including output voltage and load capacitance is given, together with measured results which indicate the rise times and degrees of repeatability available.