Three-stage superconducting XRAM generator

XRAM generators can be used for powering pulse loads demanding peak power ratings up to the gigawatt range, such as magneto-forming devices, ETC (electrothermal-chemical) guns, high-power microwaves, and railguns. They are a valid alternative to power capacitors being currently at the limits of their technology. In order to improve the XRAM generator in terms of efficiency, the German-French Research Institute of St. Louis (ISL) investigated in cooperation with the G2Elab the use of high-temperature superconducting coils for an XRAM generator. Moreover, as the XRAM switching principle can be integrated into a superconducting magnetic energy storage (SMES) system, a superconducting XRAM generator has the ability to hold its energy available on demand for a longer time than currently employed high-density power capacitors. Our three-stage superconducting XRAM test case reached a maximum charging current of 200 A, discharging a magnetic energy of 84 kJ at 600 A peak current into a 27 mΩ load during a 34 s long discharge. This is the first report in the literature on successful experiments with a superconducting XRAM generator.