Presently, the Plasma, Power Electronics, and Pulsed Power Research Programs are Funded at nearly $4,500,000 per year. The work conducted at the Center For Pulsed Power and Power Electronics focuses on:
Shape Charge Research Clip
Electrical space propulsion devices
Breakdown in liquids and solids
Industrial applications of pulsed power technology
Various novel switch concepts
The interaction of arc channels with electrodes and insulators
High power microwave studies
The surface physics of insulators
Electrodes and insulator development for electromagnetic launchers
Insulators for H.V. applications in space
Solid state power electronics
Erosion resistant materials for space propulsion
Sub-nanosecond pulse phenomena
Electron beam generation
Inductive Energy Storage
Explosive Generation of Pulsed Power
Explosive magnetic flux compression generators
Explosive ferromagnetic and piezoelectric generators
Corona formation and mitigation
Circuit and rotating machine modeling
Liquid Breakdown
Some past program examples in the Texas Tech University Pulsed Power Laboratory:
Relativistic Klystron Development (Air Force Office of Scientific Research/DOD MURI)
Nanosecond and Sub-Nanosecond Breakdown of Dielectric Media (Air Force Office of Scientific Research/DOD MURI)
High Power Microwave Breakdown of Dielectric Interfaces (Air Force Office of Scientific Research/DOD MURI)
Development of High Current Triggered Vacuum Spark Gaps (Primex Physics International/US Army)
High Efficiency Power Supplies for Electric Propulsion Thrusters (NASA/BMDO)
Insulator Properties at Cryogenic Temperature (Wright Aeronautical Laboratories/BMDO)
Solid State Cryoelectronics Design (Wright Aeronautica Laboratories/BMDO)
Expendable Pulsed Power and High Power Microwave Devices (Air Force Office of Scientific Research)
Solid State Opening Switches (TTU Center for Energy Research)
Cylindrically Symmetric Vircators (Air Force Office of Scientific Research/AASERT)
Power Electronics for Space Propulsion (Air Force Office of Scientific Research/BMDO/AASERT)
High Speed Diagnostics for High Power Microwave Research (Air Force Office of Scientific Research/DURIP)
Ultra Clean Vacuum System for High Power Microwave Research (Air Force Office of Scientific Research/DURIP)
Laboratory Building Extension (NSF/State of Texas)
New programs in the Texas Tech University Pulsed Power Laboratory (1997-1998):
Explosively Driven Pulsed Power for Directed Energy Munitions (Air Force Office of Scientific Research/DOD MURI)
Inductive Energy Storage (FOA/Sweden and AFOSR/DOD MURI)
Compact, Limited Life, HV Power Supply Design (AFRL, Phillips Site)
Intelligent (Adaptive) Power Supply Design for Hall Effect Electric Space
Propulsion Thrusters (Army Research Office/BMDO/AASERT)
Compact Pulsed Space Propulsion Thrusters (NASA LeRC)
Programs in the Texas Tech University Pulsed Power Laboratory (1998-1999):
Design Methodology for Super Efficient Power Supply Design (CER/TTU)
Commercial Chemical Spill Cleanup Using Arcjet Plasma Sources (CER/TTU)
Control Design for Hall Effect Electric Space Propulsion Thrusters (BMDO/AFOSR)
High Speed Diagnostic Instrumentation (AFOSR)
Dusty Plasmas (AFOSR)
Integrated Solid-State Laser Module Research (AFRL/WPAFB)
High Temp Superconducting Opening Switch (FMV, Sweden)
Ultrafast Gas Breakdown (Army SDC)
Explosively Driven Electric Power Sources
Graduate Studies
Numerous grants and contracts support a variety of research that provides opportunities for graduate students to interact with prominent researchers in industry and at national laboratories. These associations are valuable to the research in progress and the long term benefits are inestimable. Financial support (\$2000-\$2600/month per student) for graduate
study is for the most part obtained from Research Assistantships and Graduate Fellowships. All supported students pay in-state tuition and part of the tuition and fees are paid.
The Center For Pulsed Power and Power Electronics at Texas Tech has generated many theses and dissertations over the past thirteen years. Plasma and pulsed power related graduate courses offered in the EE Department include:
Electromagnetic Field Theory
Pulsed Power Technology
Gas Breakdown Phenomena
Pulsed Power Diagnostics
Plasma Theory
Laser Engineering
Electrical Space Propulsion
High Power Microwave Sources
Power Electronics
Machine Modeling and Control
Lab and Support Facilities
A new EE research building, largely devoted to pulsed power related research was completed in 1998. The P3E Center occupies a total floor area of over 15,000 square feet. Fifty percent of the research space is comprised of high-bay facilities.
Computer resources available to the Pulsed Power Program include several state-of-the-art WinXP MPS workstations with multi-gig memory, high-end 3-D graphics co-processors and high-speed network connections. Also available in the lab are various Pentium 4 class PC's, color and black & white laser printers, scanners, image converter cameras, mega pixel digital cameras, and a Windows domain server with redundant hard drives and domain backup server.
Software being run includes numerous "standard" and locally developed code, specialized computer codes. We also have the availability of the following codes of special interest to the proposed work:
MAGIC -- a 21/2 -D, PIC code
SOS -- a 3-D, PIC code
COSMOS -- a 3-D electromagnetic code
EMINENCE -- a 3-D electrodynamics code
EEDF -- a Russian code for calculating the electron energy distribution in a wide range of gases and EM fields
P-SPICE -- the professional version of a popular circuit simulation code, which enables us to do a surprisingly wide range of pulsed power systems simulations
SHOOTER -- a Russian computer code especially designed for the study of wave propagation in corrugated structures
ABAQUS -- Nonlinear finite element program for plastic deformation analyzers
LSDYNA-3D -- Dynamic large deformation, finite element code
NASTRAN -- General propose finite element code, 3-D
TCH -- 3-D Hydrodynamics Code
AUTOCAD -- CAD tool
MAXWELL
CADENCE
A representative sample of the equipment and facilities used in the pulsed power research is given below.
Facilities Clip
Pulsed high voltage, high current diagnostic equipment, including conventional probes and optical detectors of electric fields
Fast oscilloscopes and digitizers (up to 4.5 GHz analog equivalent)
Capacitor banks
Numerous spark gaps, rail gaps, ignitrons, thyratrons, and solid state switches
Numerous high voltage, d.c. power supplies
Various advanced field plotting and circuit analysis codes
Marx generators (up to 2 MV)
Blumlein generator
Line pulsed and PFN's (down to 200 ps risetime)
Laboratory power capability: 500 kVA single outlet; 1 MVA total
Scanning electron and optical microscopes
A-D converters and minicomputers
Screen rooms and high bay areas for high voltage work
Pulsed and CW lasers with a wide range of wavelengths and power outputs
Optical equipment, detectors, spectrometers
Optical Multichannel Analyzers
Image converter streak and framing cameras
High voltage, high power loads
Residual gas analyzers
Spectroradiometer
Microwave equipment
Rotating prism and mirror framing cameras
Numerous vacuum stations
Microwave interferometers
Magnetic coil systems and associated power supplies
Various large vacuum tanks
FTIR-spectrometer
Closed cycle refrigeration system
Fluorescence detection system of CW and transient measurements
