A scheme of a modular plasma-opening-switch-based generator of megaampere currents for experiments with Z-pinches

A modular scheme of a megaampere current pulse generator on the plasma opening switch (POS) basis with insulation of the POS interelectrode gap by a magnetic field created by an external source is proposed for experiments with wire liners and other applications. The POS is fed from independent modules that are switched on in parallel. On the basis of an DeDe-50-3 (50 kV, 3 mu F) capacitor, a supply module with a current through the equivalent part of the POS of up to 200 kA is designed and tested. The limiting POS parameters and the maximum permissible number of modules are determined, and circuit designs of the basic units of the generator are presented.