Pulsed power
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2008-04-29T22:54:21Z
Sanfranman59
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'''Pulsed power''' is the term used to describe the science and technology of accumulating [[energy]] 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 (physics)|power]] over a shorter period of time (although the total energy is the same). Energy is typically stored within [[electrostatic field]]s ([[capacitor]]s), [[magnetic field]]s ([[inductor]]), as mechanical energy (using large [[flywheel]]s connected to special purpose high current [[alternator]]s), or as chemical energy (high-current lead-acid [[battery (electricity)|batteries]], 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 [[External electric load|load]]. For example, if one [[joule]] 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]], [[particle accelerator]]s, ultrastrong [[magnetic field]]s, [[fusion power|fusion]] research, [[electromagnetic pulse]]s, and high power pulsed [[laser]]s.
==History==
Pulsed Power was first developed during [[World War II]] for use in [[Radar]]. A massive development program, similar in scale to the [[Manhattan Project]], 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]].
==See also==
* [[Marx generator]]
* [[Explosively pumped flux compression generator]]
* [[Compulsator]]
* [[Electromagnetic pulse|EMP]]
* [[Z machine]]
* [[Particle accelerator]]
* [[Pulse forming network|Pulse Forming Networks (PFN's)]]
* [[Dipole magnet|"Magnet kickers"]]
* [[Electromagnetic forming]]
* [[Pinch (plasma physics)]]
* [[Thyratron]]
* [[Triggered spark gap]]
* [[Ignitron]]
* [[Crossatron]]
* [[Linear Transformer Driver]]
{{physics-stub}}
[[Category:Power]]
[[fr:Hautes puissances pulsées]]