Impulse Generator

An impulse generator is an electrical apparatus which produces very short high-voltage or high-current surges. Such devices can be classified into two types: impulse voltage generators and impulse current generators. High impulse voltages are used to test the strength of electric power equipment against lightning and switching surges. Also, steep-front impulse voltages are sometimes used in nuclear physics experiments. High impulse currents are needed not only for tests on equipment such as lightning arresters and fuses but also for many other technical applications such as lasers, thermonuclear fusion, and plasma devices.

Marx generator
One form is the Marx generator, named after E. Marx who first proposed it in 1923. It is a mechanical arrangement of the triggering circuit (spark gap), the DC supply, capacitors and resistors. This consists of multiple capacitors that are first charged in parallel through charging resistors by a high-voltage, directcurrent source and then connected in series and discharged through a test object by a simultaneous spark-over of the spark gaps. The impulse current generator comprises many capacitors that are also charged in parallel by a high-voltage, low-current, direct-current source, but it is discharged in parallel through resistances, inductances, and a test object by a spark gap. A Marx generator is shown in the below figure.

Marx Circuit

Principle
A number of capacitors are charged in parallel to a given voltage, V, and then connected in series by spark gap switches, ideally producing a voltage of V multiplied by the number, n, of capacitors (or stages). Due to various practical constraints, the output voltage is somewhat less than nV. For generating the impulse voltages, the generator capacitance (C1) is charged and then discharged into the wave shaping network. This produces the high voltage that is to be generated. In order to generate very high voltages, a single capacitor/the charging unit becomes large and economically inefficient. Hence the multi-stage impulse generator or the Marx generator. This project designs the ten stage impulse generator to produce 50kV high voltage.  The charging capacitors (C) have design values 100nf per stage  The charging resistors (Rs) have a high value of 10k per stage, hence producing a maximum voltage of 50kV  Generator erected capacitance (C1) is 1nf  The time duration of the capacitors used is 1.2/50s(lightning impulse) and 8/20s(switching impulse)  The load capacitance (C2) is 1nf  Control/wave shaping resistors: R1=800, R2=34.9k for a lightning impulse wave and R1=5.33k and R2=8.95k for a switching impulse.  Charging time is C Rs= 1ms  Discharge time constant= C R1/n = 8s  Energy stored =1/2 C1 V2

Applications
One application is so-called boxcar switching of a Pockels cell. Four Marx generators are used, each of the two electrodes of the Pockels cell being connected to a positive pulse generator and a negative pulse generator. Two generators of opposite polarity, one on each electrode, are first fired to charge the Pockels cell into one polarity. This will also partly charge the other two generators but not trigger them, because they have been only partly charged beforehand. Leakage through the Marx resistors needs to be

compensated by a small bias current through the generator. At the trailing edge of the boxcar, the two other generators are fired to "reverse" the cell. Marx generators are used to provide high-voltage pulses for the testing of insulation of electrical apparatus such as large power transformers, or insulators used for supporting power transmission lines. Voltages applied may exceed 2 million volts for high-voltage apparatus. Some other applications are:y y y y y Random HV Generator. HV HF Source for plasma Generation. Pulse Power Source for Z-Pinch study. High Voltage High Current Linear Injector. Use as an EMP Generator with a properly designed TEM Cell.