Publications

Architecture, implementation, and testing of a multiple-shell gas injection system for high current implosions on the Z accelerator

Strizic, Thomas S.; Johnson, Drew J.; Cunningham, Paul C.; Johns, Owen J.; Vigil, Marcelino V.; Jones, Brent M.; Ampleford, David A.; Savage, Mark E.; Cuneo, M.E.; Jones, Michael J.; Lamppa, Derek C.; Mckenney, John M.

Tests are ongoing to conduct ~20 MA z-pinch implosions on the Z accelerator at Sandia National Laboratory using Ar, Kr, and D2 gas puffs as the imploding loads. The relatively high cost of operations on a machine of this scale imposes stringent requirements on the functionality, reliability, and safety of gas puff hardware. Here we describe the development of a prototype gas puff system including the multiple-shell nozzles, electromagnetic drivers for each nozzle's valve, a UV pre-ionizer, and an inductive isolator to isolate the ~2.4 MV machine voltage pulse present at the gas load from the necessary electrical and fluid connections made to the puff system from outside the Z vacuum chamber. This paper shows how the assembly couples to the overall Z system and presents data taken to validate the functionality of the overall system.