A 800 kV compact peaking capacitor for nanosecond generator

An extremely compact high voltage peaking capacitor is developed. The capacitor has a pancake structure with a diameter of 315 mm, a thickness of 59 mm, and a mass of 6.1 kg. The novel structural design endows the capacitor with a better mechanical stability and reliability under hundreds of kilovolts pulse voltage and an inner gas pressure of more than 1.5 MPa. The theoretical value of the capacitor self-inductance is near to 17 nH. Proved by series of electrical experiments, the capacitor can endure a high-voltage pulse with a rise time of about 20 ns, a half-width duration of around 25 ns, and an amplitude of up to 800 kV in a single shot model. When the capacitor was used in an electromagnetic pulse simulator as a peaking capacitor, the rise time of the voltage pulse can be reduced from 20 ns to less than 3 ns. The practical value of the capacitor's inductance deduced from the experimental date is no more than 25 nH.