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Pulsed power is the term used to describe the science and technology of accumulating energy
Energy

In physics, energy is a scalar physical quantity that describes the amount of Work_ that can be performed by a force. Energy is an attribute of objects and systems that is subject to a conservation law....
 over a relatively long period of time and releasing it very quickly thus increasing the instantaneous power.

dy accumulation of energy followed by its rapid release can result in the delivery of a larger amount of instantaneous power
Power (physics)

In physics, power is the rate at which mechanical work is performed or energy is transmitted, or the amount of energy required or expended for a given unit of time....
 over a shorter period of time (although the total energy is the same).






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Pulsed power is the term used to describe the science and technology of accumulating energy
Energy

In physics, energy is a scalar physical quantity that describes the amount of Work_ that can be performed by a force. Energy is an attribute of objects and systems that is subject to a conservation law....
 over a relatively long period of time and releasing it very quickly thus increasing the instantaneous power.

Overview

Steady accumulation of energy followed by its rapid release can result in the delivery of a larger amount of instantaneous power
Power (physics)

In physics, power is the rate at which mechanical work is performed or energy is transmitted, or the amount of energy required or expended for a given unit of time....
 over a shorter period of time (although the total energy is the same). Energy is typically stored within electrostatic fields (capacitor
Capacitor

A capacitor or condenser is a Passive component electronic component consisting of a pair of electrical conductor separated by a dielectric....
s), magnetic field
Magnetic field

A magnetism field is a vector field which can exert a magnetic force on moving electric charges and on magnetic dipoles . When placed in a magnetic field, magnetic dipoles tend to align their axes parallel to the magnetic field....
s (inductor
Inductor

An inductor is a Passive component Electronic component that can store energy in a magnetic field created by the electric current passing through it....
), as mechanical energy (using large flywheel
Flywheel

A flywheel is a mechanical device with significant moment of inertia used as a storage device for rotational energy. Flywheels resist changes in their rotational speed, which helps steady the rotation of the shaft when a fluctuating torque is exerted on it by its power source such as a piston-based engine, or when the load placed on it is...
s connected to special purpose high current alternator
Alternator

An alternator is an generator that converts mechanical energy to alternating current electrical energy. Most alternators use a rotating magnetic field but linear alternators are occasionally used....
s), or as chemical energy (high-current lead-acid batteries
Battery (electricity)

In electronics, a battery or voltaic cell is a combination of one or more electrochemical cell Galvanic cells which store chemical energy that can be converted into electric potential energy, creating electricity....
, or explosives). By releasing the stored energy over a very short interval (a process that is called energy compression), a huge amount of peak power can be delivered to a load
External electric load

If an electrical network has a well-defined output terminal, the circuit connected to this terminal is the load. Load affects the performance of circuits that output volts or Current s, such as sensors, voltage sources, and amplifiers....
. For example, if one joule
Joule

The joule is the SI derived unit of energy in the International System of Units. It is defined as:One joule is the amount of energy required to perform the following actions:...
 of energy is stored within a capacitor and then evenly released to a load over one second, the peak power delivered to the load would only be 1 watt. However, if all of the stored energy was released within one microsecond, the peak power would be one megawatt, a million times greater. Examples where pulsed power technology is commonly used include radar
Radar

Radar is a system that uses electromagnetic radiation waves to identify the range, altitude, direction, or speed of both moving and fixed objects such as aircraft, ships, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain....
, particle accelerator
Particle accelerator

A particle accelerator is a device that uses electric fields to propel electric charge Elementary particles to high speeds and to contain them....
s, ultrastrong magnetic field
Magnetic field

A magnetism field is a vector field which can exert a magnetic force on moving electric charges and on magnetic dipoles . When placed in a magnetic field, magnetic dipoles tend to align their axes parallel to the magnetic field....
s, fusion
Fusion power

Fusion power is the power generated by nuclear fusion reactions. In this kind of reaction, two light atomic nucleus fuse together to form a heavier nucleus and in doing so, release a large amount of energy....
 research, electromagnetic pulse
Electromagnetic pulse

The term electromagnetic pulse has the following meanings:# Electromagnetic radiation from an explosion or an intensely change magnetic field caused by Compton scattering electrons and photoelectrons from photons scattering in the materials of the electronic or explosive device or in a surrounding Transmission medium....
s, and high power pulsed laser
Laser

A laser is a device that emits light through a process called stimulated emission. The term laser is an acronym for light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation....
s.

History

Pulsed Power was first developed during World War II
World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a Participants in World War II, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War II and the Axis powers....
 for use in Radar
Radar

Radar is a system that uses electromagnetic radiation waves to identify the range, altitude, direction, or speed of both moving and fixed objects such as aircraft, ships, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain....
. A massive development program, similar in scale to the Manhattan Project
Manhattan Project

The Manhattan Project was the project to develop the first atomic weapon during World War II; involving the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada....
, was undertaken to develop radar. Radar requires short high power pulses. After the war development continued in other applications leading to the super pulsed power machines at Sandia National Laboratories
Sandia National Laboratories

Sandia National Laboratories, which is managed and operated by the Sandia Corporation , is a major United States Department of Energy research and development United States Department of Energy National Labs with two locations, one in Albuquerque, New Mexico, New Mexico and the other in Livermore, California, California....
.

Manufacturer



See also

  • Marx generator
    Marx generator

    A Marx generator is a type of electrical circuit first described by Erwin Otto Marx in 1924 whose purpose is to generate a high-voltage pulse. It is extensively used for simulating the effects of lightning during high voltage and aviation equipment testing....
  • Explosively pumped flux compression generator
    Explosively pumped flux compression generator

    An explosively pumped flux compression generator is a device used to generate a high-power electromagnetic pulse by compressing magnetic flux using high explosive....
  • Compulsator
    Compulsator

    A compensated pulsed alternator, also known by the contraction compulsator, is a form of power supply.As the name suggests, it is an alternator that is "compensated" to make it better at delivering pulses of electrical energy than a normal alternator....
  • EMP
    Electromagnetic pulse

    The term electromagnetic pulse has the following meanings:# Electromagnetic radiation from an explosion or an intensely change magnetic field caused by Compton scattering electrons and photoelectrons from photons scattering in the materials of the electronic or explosive device or in a surrounding Transmission medium....
  • Z machine
    Z machine

    The Z machine is the largest X-ray generator in the world and is designed to test materials in conditions of extreme temperature and pressure. Operated by Sandia National Laboratories, it gathers data to aid in computer modeling of nuclear weapons....
  • Particle accelerator
    Particle accelerator

    A particle accelerator is a device that uses electric fields to propel electric charge Elementary particles to high speeds and to contain them....
  • Pulse Forming Networks (PFN's)
    Pulse forming network

    A Pulse Forming Network accumulates electrical energy over a comparatively long time, then releases the stored energy in the form of a relatively square wave of comparatively short duration for various pulsed power applications....
  • "Magnet kickers"
    Dipole magnet

    A dipole magnet, in particle accelerators, is a magnet constructed to create a homogeneous magnetic field over some distance. Particle motion in that field will be circular in a plane perpendicular to the field and collinear to the direction of particle motion and free in the direction orthogonal to it....
  • Electromagnetic forming
    Electromagnetic forming

    Electromagnetic forming is a type of high energy rate :Category:Metal forming process that uses pulsed power techniques to create ultrastrong Pulse_ magnetic fields to rapidly reshape metal parts....
  • Pinch (plasma physics)
    Pinch (plasma physics)

    A pinch is the compression of an electrically conducting filament by magnetic field forces. The conductor is usually a plasma , but could also be a solid or liquid metal....
  • Thyratron
    Thyratron

    A thyratron is a type of gas filled tube used as a high energy electrical switch and controlled rectifier. Triode, tetrode and pentode variations of the thyratron have been manufactured in the past, though most are of the triode design....
  • Triggered spark gap
  • Ignitron
    Ignitron

    An ignitron is a type of controlled rectifier dating from the 1930s. Invented by Joseph Slepian while employed by Westinghouse, Westinghouse was the original manufacturer and owned trademark rights to the name "Ignitron"....
  • Crossatron
    Crossatron

    In electronics, a crossatron is a high-power pulsed modulator device that combines the best features of thyratrons, vacuum tubes, and power semiconductor switches....
  • Linear Transformer Driver
    Linear Transformer Driver

    A linear transformer driver is a annular Series and parallel circuits#Parallel circuits connection of switches and capacitors designed to deliver rapid high Power pulses....
  • Power (physics)
    Power (physics)

    In physics, power is the rate at which mechanical work is performed or energy is transmitted, or the amount of energy required or expended for a given unit of time....