HIGH-VOLTAGE S P I R A L GENERATORS*

A. R a m r u s
Maxwell L a b o r a t o r i e s , Inc.
San Diego, C a l i f o r n i a 92123

F. Rose
Naval S u r f a c e Weapons C e n t e r
Dahlgren Laboratory
D a h l g r e n , V i r g i n i a 22448

ABSTRACT
The performance of Spiral Generators operating at high out-
put voltage is described. Generators employing castor oil impreg-
nation are compared to those with air insulation. Tests on oil-
insulated generators with output capacitance of about 1 nF indicate
their high voltage capability is up to 1 M V . Generator failure at
high output voltage appears to be caused, in part, by the initial
dc charge voltage, thereby limiting the allowable stored energy.
Recent preliminary data suggests this limiation m a y be overcome
by including resistive paper in the generator winding. Also dis-
cussed are switching techniques applicable to Spiral Generators or
other sources requiring a low-inductance input switch. Solid-
dielectric multich~,nel switches are found particularly suitable
for Spiral Generators.
* This work was supported by Naval Surface Weapons Center/
D a h l g r e n L a b o r a t o r y , D a h l g r e n , V i r g i n i a 22448.

Introduction
R e c e n t d e v e l o p m e n t w o r k on s p i r a l - l i n e g e n e r a t o r s h a s r e s u l t e d in a c o m -
p a c t , h i g h - v o l t a g e c a p a c i t i v e s o u r c e f o r a p p l i c a t i o n s w h e r e low c o s t and p o r t a -
b i l i t y a r e p r i m e f a c t o r s . A s p i r a l - l i n e g e n e r a t o r I is c o m p o s e d of a s t r i p
t r a n s m i s s i o n - l i n e wound into a s p i r a l t h e r e b y f o r m i n g a hollow c y l i n d e r . The
two e l e c t r o d e s a r e i n s u l a t e d f r o m one a n o t h e r with s o l i d - d i e l e c t r i c f i l m ; an
a d d i t i o n a l f i l m of d i e l e c t r i c is i n c l u d e d on the o u t s i d e of the s t r i p - l i n e to p r o v i d e
t u r n - t o - t u r n i n s u l a t i o n a s shown in F i g u r e 1. The s o l i d i n s u l a t i o n is w i d e r than
the c o n d u c t o r width to p r o v i d e a r s a r g i n which i n h i b i t s e d g e - t o - e d g e b r e a k d o w n
of the c o n d u c t o r s . In addition to this m a r g i n , the e d g e s m a y be f u r t h e r i n s u l a t e d
with liquid o r g a s of high d i e l e c t r i c s t r e n g t h .
D u r i n g o p e r a t i o n , the s t r i p - l i n e is dc c h a r g e d b e t w e e n 10 kV and 50 kV.
T h e n the input switch S 1 is t r i g g e r e d which i n v e r t s the e l e c t r i c field b e t w e e n the
s t r i p - l i n e c o n d u c t o r s ; the e l e c t r i c field in the i n s u l a t i o n b e t w e e n t u r n s is u n -
a f f e c t e d by the s w i t c h c l o s u r e . The field i n v e r s i o n c a u s e s the e l e c t r i c f i e l d
l i n e s to a l i g n r a d i a l l y t h e r e b y creating h i g h - v o l t a g e b e t w e e n the i n n e r and the

IIICg-I
 IIIC9-2

o u t e r t u r n . T h e end of the s t r i p - l i n e o p p o s i t e the i n p u t switch r i s e s in v o l t a g e

with a r a m p - l i k e w a v e f o r m until p e a k o c c u r s a f t e r two e l e c t r i c a l t r a n s i t - t i m e
along t h e l e n g t h of the s p i r a l . A s s u m i n g no l o s s e s , this p e a k is 2nV_., w h e r e
1
n is the n u m b e r of t u r n s and V. is t h e i n i t i a l c h a r g e v o l t a g e . L o s s e s r e d u c e
t h i s v o l t a g e to a f r a c t i o n ~ of ~ e i d e a l a m p l i t u d e . In p r a c t i c e ~ h a s b e e n b e -
t w e e n 0.3 and 0 . 5 f o r g e n e r a t o r s s t u d i e d d u r i n g t h i s p r o g r a m .

The output c a p a c i t a n c e of the g e n e r a t o r is d e r i v e d by s e t t i n g t h e i n i t i a l

s t o r e d e n e r g y equal to the o u t p u t e n e r g y , as follows.
1 / 2 C.V. 2 = 1/2C V 2 .
1 i 0 0

S u b s t i t u t i n g 2 nV. f o r V r e s u l t s in the following equation f o r e f f e c t i v e s o u r c e

1 O
capacitance:
1
C - C.
o 2 I
(2n)

This report describes tests on two generator designs: a I nF source about

i-1/2 ft. in diameter by 3 ft. in length and weighing about 150 ibs, and a 0. i
n F s o u r c e about 10 in. in d i a m e t e r , 1 ft. long w e i g h i n g about 30 lbs.

C o m p a r i s o n of High Voltage G e n e r a t o r s
S p i r a l g e n e r a t o r s c a n be v i e w e d as an a t t r a c t i v e a l t e r n a t i v e to t r a n s -
f o r m e r s for p r o v i d i n g v o l t a g e gain. F o r e x a m p l e , a M a r t i n a u t o t r a n s f o r m e r
is b a s i c a l l y a s p i r a l of c o p p e r foil with m y l a r i n s u l a t i o n b e t w e e n the t u r n s , and
a q u e o u s CuSO4~ i m p r e g n a t e d into the w i n d i n g s to g r a d e the foil e d g e s • To a t -
t a i n voltage gain f r o m a t r a n s f o r m e r , e x t e r n a l dc e n e r g y s t o r a g e , as in a
c a p a c i t o r o r c a p a c i t o r bank, is r e q u i r e d to d i s c h a r g e into the p r i m a r y . On t h e
o t h e r hand, the s p i r a l g e n e r a t o r u t i l i z e s a p a i r of c o n d u c t o r s f o r both dc e n e r g y
s t o r a g e and f o r c r e a t i n g h i g h - v o l t a g e . T h a t is one of the m a i n r e a s o n s the
s p i r a l g e n e r a t o r h a s p o t e n t i a l as a high e n e r g y p e r - u n i t - v o l u m e and p e r - u n i t -
w e i g h t s o u r c e . H o w e v e r , u s e of the w i n d i n g s f o r initial dc c h a r g e p r e v e n t s the
u s e of a q u e o u s CuSO 4 as an edge g r a d i n g m e d i u m ; t h e r e f o r e , an a l t e r n a t i v e
such as r e s i s t i v e p a p e r or p l a s t i c is r e q u i r e d . A q u e o u s C u S O , is an e x c e l -
l e n t g r a d i n g m a t e r i a l b e c a u s e of its e a s i l y c o n t r o l l e d r e s i s t i v i t y = a n d its
a v a i l a b i l i t y , in c o n t r a s t to p a p e r o r p l a s t i c f i l m s .
C o m p a r e d to M a r x g e n e r a t o r s , s p i r a l g e n e r a t o r s s h a r e a c o m m o n
a d v a n t a g e with t r a n s f o r m e r s : a s i n g l e i n p u t - s w i t c h is r e q u i r e d to i n i t i a t e the
h i g h - v o l t a g e output w a v e f o r m . In c o n t r a s t , M a r x e s r e q u i r e m u l t i p l e s w i t c h e s
which tend to i n c r e a s e r e l a t i v e size, w e i g h t and c o m p l e x i t y . H o w e v e r , the
e d g e - i n s u l a t i o n p r o b l e m t e n d s to be m o r e s e v e r e w h e n the full g e n e r a t o r v o l t a g e
a p p e a r s a c r o s s a s i n g l e winding, as in s p i r a l g e n e r a t o r s and t r a n s f o r m e r s ,
c o m p a r e d to a f r a c t i o n of full v o l t a g e a c r o s s each of a n u r n b e r of s m a l l e r
windings as in M a r x g e n e r a t o r s . T h e r e f o r e , for s p i r a l g e n e r a t o r s to be u s e d
to full a d v a n t a g e , c a r e f u l i n s u l a t i o n of the foil e d g e s is e s s e n t i a l .
 IIIC9-3

A i r - I n s u l a t e d Spiral Generators
E a r l y spiral g e n e r a t o r tests at MLI utilized ambient a i r as an edge g r a d -
ing m e d i u m . These g e n e r a t o r s had about i nF output capacitance and about 40
turns. Figure 2 shows a typical 1 nF g e n e r a t o r equipped with a multicb~nnel
gas input-switch for operation between 15 kV and 30 kV dc ch arg e. Also shown
is a 1 MV gas output-switch positioned along the g e n e r a t o r axis. The output
switch insulates the load from the g e n e r a t o r during the slow rising e r e c t i o n
waveform. When the d e s i r e d voltage is r e a c h e d the output switch s e l f - c l o s e s
providing a fast rising waveform to the output load. The load impedance is
connected between the spherical corona shield and the o u t e r m o s t turn of the
g e n e r a t o r . When output voltage in the 600 kV range was a t ~ i n e d , surface
tracking o c c u r r e d which s h o r t - c i r c u i t e d the g e n e r a t o r output. In general,
these t r a c k s extended from the inner to the outer foil edges but did only s u p e r -
ficial damage to the m y l a r insulation. The g e n e r a t o r was capable of repeated
operation at or n e a r the voltage at which tracking o c c u r r e d .
In these a i r - i n s u l a t e d g e n e r a t o r s the initial dc charge voltage was also
limited by surface tracking. A m a r g i n size of about 6 inches was r e q u i r e d to
hold ~ 25 kV dc, thereby limiting the initial energy storage in a g e n e r a t o r with
given m a r g i n size. In light of the experience in air, alternative edge in su la-
tions w e r e sought to i n c r e a s e both the initial charge energy density and to
p e r m i t higher output voltage without s u rface tracking p r o b l e m s .
Foi l -Edge Breakdown
Scaled breakdown e xpe r i men ts w e r e p e r f o r m e d which simulated the edge
field which o c c u r s in spiral g e n e r a t o r s . Disk samples, as shown in F i g u r e 3,
w e r e tested in a i r , SF6, and c a s t o r oil using r e a l i s t i c waveshapes with peak
voltage to about 250 kV. As shown in the data s u m m a r y of Figure 4, the c a s t o r
oil i m m e r s e d s~rnples had the highest breakdown strength which motivated the
use of c a s t o r oil as a g e n e r a t o r impregnant.

Oil-Insulated Spiral Generators

Generators w e r e tested with 1-1/2 ft. d i a m e t e r and 3 ft. overall length
(2 ft. foil width). They w e r e wound from two 10 mil conductors, insulated with
10 rail m y l a r , and vacuum impregnated with c a s t o r oil at a t e m p e r a t u r e of about
150°F. The test setup is shown in Figure 5 and a typical output voltage in
Figure 6. They w e r e capable of repeated operation at about 700 kV. When they
were c h a r ge d to higher voltage, 1 MV peak voltage was attained. Due to the
1 MV shot, however, edge fialure o c c u r r e d preventing subsequent c h a r g e .

Experiments w e r e also conducted with 1 f t . , 30 lb. g e n e r a t o r s to a s s e s s

methods of reducing g e n e r a t o r weight. The main contributor to weight is the
foil. Generators with reduced foil thickness were tested for their maximum dc
charge and output voltages. F o r t y - t u r n g e n e r a t o r s w e r e wound which w e r e 8 in.
d i a m e t e r and one foot long with output capacitance of about 100 pF. The tests
 IIIC9-4

s h o w e d 5 m i l foil t h i c k n e s s r e d u c e d the a l l o w a b l e dc c h a r g e v o l t a g e f r o m about

30 kV to 25 kV and c o r r e s p o n d i n g l y r e d u c e d p e a k o u t p u t v o l t a g e , e v e n w h e n s p e c i a l
c a r e w a s t a k e n with the foil edge. If this m a x i m u m w e r e e x c e e d e d the i n s u l a t i o n a t
the foil edge would fail d u r i n g the t i m e the g e n e r a t o r w a s b e i n g dc c h a r g e d .

C o n v e n t i o n a l e d g e s a r e b u r r e d d u r i n g m a n u f a c t u r e . On s p e c i a l o r d e r , foil
with f u l l - r a d i u s edge and with p r e c i s i o n c u t b u r r - f r e e edge w a s o b t a i n e d . E x p e r i -
m e n t s s h o w e d the edge q u a l i t y h a d no s i g n i f i c a n t e f f e c t on p e a k de c h a r g e v o l t a g e
or peak output voltage.
DC C h a r g i n g E f f e c t s
G e n e r a t o r s with 2 ft. foil width w e r e c o m p a r e d to t h o s e with 6 in. foil width
when foil and f i l m t h i c k n e s s (10 rail each) w e r e h e l d c o n s t a n t . In e a c h c a s e , a
m a ~ m u m dc c h a r g e v o l t a g e of about 30 kV w a s o b t a i n a b l e . Above t h a t v a l u e , i n -
s u l a t i o n f a i l u r e at the foil edge o c c u r r e d p r i o r to t r i g g e r i n g the i n p u t - s w i t c h .
M a x i m u m o u t p u t v o l t a g e was d i f f e r e n t in two c a s e s , the g e n e r a t o r s with foil width
of 2 ft. e r e c t e d to 1 MV, t h o s e with 6 in. foil width, e r e c t e d to N 600 kV, y e t
both s u f f e r e d edge f a i l u r e . T h i s s u g g e s t s t h e edge d e s t r u c t i o n w a s c a u s e d by the
dc c h a r g e of the g e n e r a t o r and t h a t r e d u c t i o n of the f i e l d at the foil edge c a n i n -
c r e a s e o p e r a t i n g v o l t a g e . S e a r c h f o r an e d g e - g r a d i n g m a t e r i a l r e s u l t e d in a
r e s i s t i v e p a p e r of 10 ~ / s q u a r e r e s i s t i v i t y . The p a p e r w a s wound into the
g e n e r a t o r so t h a t each foil w a s s a n d w i c h e d b e t w e e n two s h e e t s of p a p e r .
P r e l i m i n a r y e x p e r i m e n t s on t h r e e g e n e r a t o r s with 6 in. foil width, 5 rail
t h i c k n e s s , and 10 m i l m y l a r t h i c k n e s s i n d i c a t e t h e y now can a c c e p t a 50 kV dc
c h a r g e ( c o m p a r e to 25 kV w i t h o u t r e s i s t i v e p a p e r ) and e r e c t to 1 MV. The 5 k V /
, n i l dc s t r e s s is p r o b a b l y a p p r o a c h i n g the m a x i m u m m y l a r can s u s t k i n without
b r e a k d o w n . The MV output c a u s e d t h e s e g e n e r a t o r s to u n d e r g o edge f a i l u r e
which i n d i c a t e s the p a p e r r e s i s t i v i t y w a s too high to g r a d e the foil edge f o r o p e r a -
tion in the m e g a v o l t r a n g e . The c h o i c e of 10 ~ / s q u a r e r e s i s t i v i t y w a s m a d e on
the b a s i s of a v a i l a b i l i t y although c a l c u l a t i o n s i n d i c a t e d l o w e r v a l u e s would p r o -
vide b e t t e r field r e l i e f w i t h o u t i n t r o d u c i n g n o t i c e a b l e r e s i s t i v e l o s s ; o p t i m i z i n g
this r e s i s t i v i t y can r e s u l t in s i g n i f i c a n t i m p r o v e m e n t in g e n e r a t o r p e r f o r m a n c e .

input-Switch
To m a ~ r n i z e output v o l t a g e f r o m a given g e n e r a t o r , the i n p u t s w i t c h r i s e -
t i m e L / Z m u s t be about o n e - t e n t h the double t r a n s i t - t i m e of the s p i r a l . F o r
e~nrnple, a t y p i c a l s p i r a l len~olh was 125 ft. (400 ns double t r a n s i t - t l v n e ) and the
input i m p e d a n c e of a 2 ft. wide line i n s u l a t e d with 0.010 in. m y l a r is 0.1 ~ . The
switch i n d u c t a n c e s h o u l d be l e s s than 5 nil. To attain this low i n d u c t a n c e , gas o r
s o l i d - d i e l e c t r i c m u l t i c h a n n e l s w i t c h e s c a n be u s e d . Much of the p r e s e n t w o r k
e m p l o y e d s o l i d - d i e l e c t r i c s w i t c h e s b e c a u s e they c a n o p e r a t e at any d e s i r e d input
v o l t a g e of i n t e r e s t b e t w e e n 5 kV and 50 kV o r h i g h e r , s i m p l y by v a r y i n g m y l a r
t h i c k n e s s . T h i s r a n g e c a n n o t be o b t a i n e d with a s i n g l e r a i l gap. With solid
s w i t c h e s , setup s h o t s w e r e f i r e d a t low v o l t a g e w i t h o u t r i s k of g e n e r a t o r d~rnage.
Fi~o~re 7 shows a d i a g r a m of the s o l i d - d i e l e c t r i c s w i t c h .
 IIIC9-5

Summary

The high-voltage capability of spiral-Hne generators has been i n c r e a s e d to

the point where generators may be operated up to a megavolt with delivered
energy in the ldlojoule range. These high-voltage generators require castor
oil impregnation and resistive paper to provide edge-grading. The develop-
ment work included solid-dielectric switching enabling the required p e r f o r m -
ancc to be obtained in a compact and lightweight system.
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to acknowledge the contributions to ~ i s p r o g r a m :
made by the originator of Spiral Generators, Mr. Richard Fitch of Maxwell
Laboratories.
Reference

1Fitch, R. A. and Howell, R. T. S. ; " N o v e l Principle of a Transient-High-

Voltage Generator", Proc. IEE, Vol. HI, No. 4, April 1964.

I)( FIELD
/ . P t L.SED ~[EI..D
~ l Nt)I~POSED E VECTOHS

• ", . \Er"

Figure 3. Photograph of Typical F o i l /

Mylar Laminate with
Surface Track.

Figure 1. State of Spiral Generator

at t = 1 / 2 v .

Figure 2. Photograph of Spiral Generator P r i o r to

Impregnation with Castor 0il. The Input
Gas-Dielectric; Rail Switch is 1 ft Long.
 IIIC9-6
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