Royal Ordnance 2.4 MJ multi-module capacitor bank

Maxwell Laboratories Inc., has designed and manufactured a 2.4 MJ multi-module capacitor bank to be used for the investigation of electrothermal-chemical launcher technologies. The system was installed and accepted at the Royal Ordnance Faldingworth facility during the fall of 1993. This paper discusses the pulsed power system design and typical test data acquired during manufacturing testing. The 2.4 MJ system is comprised of eight independent 300 kJ modules with a dual operating voltage of 11 kV and 22 kV, both voltages capable of the full 300 kJ energy storage. The capacitor bank modularity provides the user with pulse shaping flexibility by allowing for time-sequence firing of the eight 300 kJ units. The 2.4 MJ system can be operated in 300 kJ increments, allowing the user to control the energy storage volume needed for laboratory type testing. Each 300 kJ module is a stand alone capacitor bank equipped with six Maxwell 11/22 kV 50 kJ capacitors, two parallel output switches (Maxwell Triggered Vacuum Switch, TVS-40), output inductor, trigger generator, energy dumping system, and Maxwell designed fiber optic control circuits. This system was tested to demonstrate the overall electrical performance and power profile flexibility into a resistive load. Data will be presented to show the capacitor bank current output pulse variations, both in single-shot and time-sequence operation. The data will show the advantages of such a capacitor bank for laboratory type experiments and future fieldable energy storage systems.<>