The Z machine is a 36-module, multi-megavolt, low impedance magnetic pressure driver for high-energy-density physics experiments. In 2007, a major re-build doubled the stored energy and increased the peak current capability of Z. The upgraded system routinely drives 27 MA through low inductance dynamic loads with 110 nanosecond time to peak current. The Z pulsed power system is expected to be prepared for a full-energy experiment every day, with a small (<2%) chance of pulsed power system failure, and ±2 ns timing precision. To maintain that schedule with 20 MJ stored, it becomes essential to minimize failures that can damage hardware. We will show the results of several improvements made to the system that reduce spurious breakdowns and improve precision. In most cases, controlling electric fields is key, both to reliable insulation and to precision switching. The upgraded Z pulsed power system was originally intended to operate with 5 MV peak voltage in the pulse-forming section. Recent operation has been above 6 MV. Critical items in the pulsed power system are the DC-charged Marx generators, oil-water barriers, laser-triggered gas switches, and the vacuum insulator. We will show major improvements to the laser-triggered gas switches, and the water-insulated pulse forming lines, as well as delivered current reproducibility results from user experiments on the machine.
The Z pulsed power driver at Sandia National Laboratories is used for a wide range of high energy density physics experiments in areas such as inertial confinement fusion, radiation effects, and dynamic material properties. Experimental demands are pushing for the highest energy attainable with more reliability and precision in timing and pulse compression. A previous version of the laser-triggered gas switch had been made reliable at voltages up to 5.7 MV, allowing 5 nanosecond load accuracy. The desire for higher energy and higher precision dictated a new laser-triggered switch design. In Z, 36 DC-charged Marx generators pulse-charge water-insulated capacitors in 1.5 microseconds. The laser-triggered gas switch commutes the energy stored in the water-insulated capacitor to subsequent pulse compression stages that utilize self-closing water switches. The laser-triggered switch is the last command triggered switch in the chain, and largely determines the temporal accuracy of the total load current. Both switches consist of a laser triggered section and a self-closing cascade section. The previous design required a trigger plate to provide mechanical support for the cascade section. With fixed laser energy, it was impossible to increase the triggered fraction of the switch. Because of the trigger support plate that affects the field distribution after triggering, establishing an operating pressure that provides a reliable balance between low pre-fire rate and low jitter becomes difficult, and more so at higher voltage. The new switch uses a cantilevered design that increases the electric stress in the self-closing section after triggering, even with a slightly-reduced triggered gap. It was required that the new design work within the same operating space and infrastructure as the previous. We will show details of the design and features necessary for reliable operation in the extreme electrical and mechanical environment presented by daily operation on Z.