In this work, we propose to identify, design, and evaluate optimum transformer candidates for electronic fuse applications. possible candidates will originate from the areas of ac, pulse, and nonconventional transformers. the transformers will have a voltage gain of 100 and will be designed for high… More

If a split transformer is exposed to sea water, the device might transfer significant amounts of energy to the secondary even in the safe position. tetra proposes to build a computer model of the coupling process which will accommodate extremes of temperature, salinity and contaminants and… More

The development of high power, high repetition rate closing switches has recently become important for many pulsed power applications. historically, high repetition rate switches for pulsed power applications have either been spark gaps or thyratrons. thyratrons have high repetition rates, but are… More

Many of the systems for sdi involve pulse power and high voltage systems, including lasers, particle beam accelerators, and railguns. one of the significant problems yet to be solved in developing operational sdi spacecraft is the management of electric fields within the spacecraft, the primary… More

Polymeric or ceramic insulators conventionally are being used in high voltage pulsed systems. new approaches are needed that would reduce insulators ring thicknesses and increase corresponding grading rings flashover voltage. such an approach would possess in comparison to conventional insulators:… More

The development of high power, low impedance, lightweight energy storage transmission lines for pulse-power applications is crucial forsmaller, lightweight, space-based, pulse-power systems. development of high dielectric energy storage line technology would greatly reducethe size, weight, and… More

One of the many ways of using coal as a fuel for generating electric power is to pulverize it into a very fine size (2-20 microns) and mix it with a liquid carrier such as water. the resulting slurry can be transported through a pipeline and injected directly into a boiler for combustion.… More

Photoconductive semiconductor switches (pcsss) presently have the greatest potential for dramatic performance enhancements for high power pulsed applications. however, surface flashover severely limits the maximum voltage they can stand off in the open state. application of a proprietary technique… More

A high voltage pulse generator technology is being developedfor practical beam accelerators, pulsed x-ray sources and other pulse power applications. the specific technologycapability is short pulse width (10-250 nsec), high voltage pulse (1 mv and above) delivered at a high repetition rate (1 mhz… More

One of the important needs for naval submarine warfare is the capability to generate intense acoustic pulses in water for neutralization of underwater devices and for sonar applications. this program is to develop a new high power acoustic source that will operate efficiently in salt water and at… More

The concept for a bulk optically-controlled semiconductor switch (boss), where two different wavelength lasers are used to generate and quench photoconductivity was recently introduced by schoenbach and lakdawala at old dominion university (odu). instead of sustaining photoconductance bylaser light,… More

Tetra corporation is developing innovative electromagnetic launcher (eml) technology for hypervelocity (2-10 km/sec), moderate mass projectiles (50 to 100 grams). this technology utilized a unique linear induction coaxial coil configuration driven by a near-arbitrary waveshape repetitive (200 hz-10… More

We propose to build a quasi-equilibrium kinetic model of high frequency (hf) air breakdown based on the spark breakdown model developed at tetra corporation for air and sulfur hexaflouride (sf[6]). an understanding of the time-dependent breakdown process is the most critical part of a complete… More

This project studies the feasibility of using a superconductive surface as the source of electrons for electron-beam diode applications. ceramic-based materials such as yba2cu3o6+x will be tested. the material will be deposited as a coating on a metal electrode, and tested in solid form. this work… More

Efficiency of high power uv-photoionized excimer and co2 lasers have been limited by the power consumed in the photoionized source. the use of screen cathodes presents the problem of mechanical strength. screen cathodes made out of wire mesh are excellent light transmitters but lack mechanical… More

Recent developments in pulsed power technologies for generating terawatt level powers have made electrocrushing and the electrohydraulic (eh) effect more practical for commercial applications such as disintegration of rocks, ore comminution, mining and spark drilling. data obtained at tetra… More

One of the significant issues in the refurbishment and maintenance of army equipment and facilities is the removal, handling, and disposal of paint used to protect the buildings and facilities. particularly in the case of lead-based paint, it is important that the residue not eneter into the… More

Future systems employing pulsed power technology will require significant improvement in the current state of the art of pulsed power devices. in particular, high voltage repetitive switches are needed which significantly go beyond the present capabilities of known switches. future switching… More

The tacitron is a high temperature (300 - 1500 degrees c) switch that can switch high currents (>10's of amperes per square cm of switch electrode area) and high voltages (>200 volts) at switching speeds in the 10's to 100's of kilohertz. this switch is fully controllable so it can perform the same… More

Shielded cables used within army systems provide protection to electronic equipment against electromagnetic pulse (emp) radiation, electromagnetic interference emi), and other external electric over stress (eos). harsh operating environments and abuse degrade the shielded cables with time.… More

This program is to develop repetitive opening switches capable of switching average currents of kiloamps at voltages of hundreds of kV to MV's using a new class of liquid dielectrics. This family of liquids has very high drift velocity and low conduction losses for electrons within a particular… More

1The Navy has a need for compact low frequency sonar sources for a wide range of applications. In particular, there is a need for low frequency high level signals generated from relatively small sonar transducers. This proposal is to develop an advanced form of the spark gap or plasma transducer… More

This proposal describes the use of holographic interferometry to study both the mechanical and electrical stress characteristics of thin polymer films, specifically those exhibiting electroacoustical behavior such as polyureas and polyurethanes. we propose to correlate the holographic fringe… More

The detection and localization phases of airborne antisubmarine warfare (asw) have, in the past, relied heavily on pinger or explosive active adjuncts to the passive sonobuoys or to active sonobuoys. both of these require expensive expendables which severly limit the data rate. this phase i proposal… More

A synthetic program is proposed to engineer polymer materials that have a high dielectric storage density, large dielectric constant, low dielectric dissipation, and light weight for pulse forming lines for pulsed power applications. the synthetic program was developed by considering material… More

Capacitor technology is a major driver for the size and cost of many space power conditioning systems. current technology for high voltage (>100v), high frequency (high rep rate) capacitors is limited to an energy density less than 7500 j/m3. we are proposiing a revolutionary capacitor technology… More

THE PROPOSED PROGRAM USES POLARIZATION REVERSAL ON FERROELECTRIC MATERIALS THAT YIELD CURRENT DENSITIES IN THE kA/cm2 RANGE. THE FAST CHANGE IN THE POLARIZATION VECTOR WITHIN THE MATERIAL RESULTS IN A TRANSITION THAT LIBERATES THE POLARIZATION INDUCED CHARGES (4 P) RESULTING IN A CURRENT PULSE… More

There are multiple applications for compact particle accelerators, especially high energy [tens of mev] and high current [ka] output. gradients of 10 to 20 mv/m are possible only with rf accelerators. existing linear induction accelerators (lias) do not operate at over 1 mv/m. researchers are… More

Tetra Corporation proposes to investigate an innovative treatement process for the combined removal of metallic ions and the destruction of volatile organic chemicals in waste water. Both metal ion and volatile organic contaminants are commonly found in water. Tetra Corporation would thus propose to… More

The Navy currently uses air deployed underwater Sound Underwater Source (SUS) charges to aid in gathering oceanographic data. While explosive sources offer a number of advantages, they also have a number of key limitations including: the lack of repetitive capability from a single container, safety… More

Data transmission through helicopter rotating interfaces using sliprings is much less reliable than desired. WHile sliprings offer many advantages, they also have several principal disadvantages. Dropout and errors are introduced onto signals as the interfaces wear and become contaminated. In… More

An important need for the US Navy and other military services is the effective field repair of electronic printed circuit boards which have been sealed with conformal coatings. Repair of the ekK*Wk circuit boards by replacing components first requires removal of the conformal coating without… More

The advanced technology described in this proposal promises to increase the performance of laboratory and, specifically, tabletop x-ray lasers by up to an order of magnitude. Such gains in performance coupled with compact technology will lead to the introduction of the world s first table-top,… More