Modeling energy storage capacitors or when a capacitor is not a capacitor

Energy storage capacitors are used extensively in pulsed power systems as primary or intermediate energy storage units. In very fast, low inductance systems internal construction of the capacitor can have significant affect on system performance. This is true in systems such as fast Marx generators, EMP systems and lasers. We will discuss here some of the methods that can be used to model capacitors in circuit analysis programs such as SPICE. This information can lead to better predictions of the performance of the system prior to construction and can provide insight in specifying the correct capacitor. Typically energy storage capacitors have been modeled as either just a capacitance or a series RLC circuit. This works fine for a large majority of applications, but for faster systems a more detailed model is required that reflects affects of capacitor construction. We will discuss modeling of several types of capacitors and the relationship to capacitor construction.