Applications of pulsed power technology

This thesis presents three experimental studies, performed to investigate three applications of pulsed power, each sharing the same underpinning technology. These studies are:

The vulnerability of maritime vessels against ground potential rise phenomena

This study explores a series of experiments using different techniques to influence the electrical potential of a floating metal object. The generators used for this study had energies ranging between tens of Joules up to tens of kJ’s, with an output voltage up to 1 MV, output currents up to tens of kAs, having a rise time in the range 1 µs to 1 ms. It is demonstrated that a ground potential rise effect can be produced in a maritime environment and therefore suggests there is an unmitigated vulnerability.

Magnetic field diffusion through conductive shields

This investigation determines how effectively a thick metallic box is able to be penetrated by electromagnetic waves, with the objective to induce currents within circuits mounted inside. A bespoke pulsed power generator was developed for these experiments, operated at extremely low frequencies (< 1 kHz). A multi-turn high current magnetic injection coil was successfully tested at currents of up to about 50 kA, which in turn induced peak currents as high as ≈ 8 kA in a loop circuit placed inside an 8 mm thick steel box. Magnetic fields measured inside the box varied from over 5 mT (for the driving coil mounted at 1.5 cm distance) to only about 0.4 mT at a distance of over 30 cm.

Generation of Intense Pulsed Electric Fields in Water Verified Using Kerr Effect Diagnostics

A pulsed power system for generating intense pulsed electric fields (PEFs) in a very large volume of water was designed, manufactured, and tested as a first step toward the proof-of-principle demonstration of a novel non-invasive prepacked food processing operation. The MV-class system described in this article is based on the Tesla transformer technology and can produce PEFs of 100 kV/cm in water, in a volume approaching 1 L.