X-ray observations of tungsten wire array Z-pinch implosions on QiangGuang-1 facility

Z-pinch experiments with two arrays consisting, respectively, of 32 4-μm- and 6-μm-diameter tungsten wires have been carried out on QiangGuang-1 facility with a current rising up to 1.5 MA in 80 ns. At early time of implosion, x-ray framing images show that the initial emission comes from the central part of arrays, and double clear emission rings, drifting to the anode and the cathode at 5×10^6 cm/s and 2.4×10^7 cm/s respectively, are often produced near the electrodes. Later, in a 4-μm-diameter tungsten wire array, filamentation caused by ohmic heating is prominent, and more than ten filaments have been observed. A radial inward shift of arrays starts at about 30 ns earlier than the occurrence of the x-ray peak power for both kinds of arrays, and the shrinkage rate of emission region is as high as 1.7×107 cm/s in a 4-μm-diameter tungsten wire array, which is two times higher than that in a 6-μm one. Emission from precursor plasmas is observed in implosion of 6-μm-diameter tungsten wire arrays, but not in implosion of a 4- μm-diameter tungsten wire array. Whereas, in a 4-μm-diameter tungsten wire array, the soft x-ray emission shows the growth of m=l instability in the plasma column, which is caused by current. The reasons for the discrepancy between implosions of 4-μm- and 6-μm-diameter tungsten wire arrays are explained.

Spatially-resolved spectroscopic diagnosing of aluminum wire array Z-pinch plasmas on QiangGuang-I facility

Spatially-resolved crystal spectrometers with a high spectral resolution are developed to diagnose K-shell x-ray radiation from Z-pinch plasmas. These diagnostic apparatuses are successfully applied to aluminum wire array Z-pinch experiments on QiangGuang-I facility, a driver with a pulsed current up to about 1.5 MA in 80 ns. Time-integrated experimental results show that the K-shell x-ray emission lines of aluminum Z-pinch plasmas are dominated by line emissions from helium-like ionisation state. Bright spots that might have higher electron temperature or density are produced randomly in location and size along the z-axis during implosions. According to the experimental data, the electron temperature and the ion density are estimated to be between 250 eV and 310 eV, and between 7.0× 10^19 cm-3 and 4.0 ×10^19 cm-3 respectively, while the ion temperature is inferred to be about 10.2 keV, which is much higher than the electron temperature.

Radiation characteristics and implosion dynamics of tungsten wire array Z-pinches on the YANG accelerator

We investigated the radiation characteristics and implosion dynamics of low-wire-number cylindrical tungsten wire array Z-pinches on the YANG accelerator with a peak current 0.8-1.1 MA and a rising time ～ 90 ns.The arrays are made up of（8-32）×5 μm wires 6/10 mm in diameter and 15 mm in height.The highest X-ray power obtained in the experiments was about 0.37 TW with the total radiation energy ～ 13 kJ and the energy conversion efficiency ～ 9%（24×5 μm wires,6 mm in diameter）.Most of the X-ray emissions from tungsten Z-pinch plasmas were distributed in the spectral band of 100-600 eV,peaked at 250 and 375 eV.The dominant wavelengths of the wire ablation and the magneto-Rayleigh-Taylor instability were found and analyzed through measuring the time-gated self-emission and laser interferometric images.Through analyzing the implosion trajectories obtained by an optical streak camera,the run-in velocities of the Z-pinch plasmas at the end of the implosion phase were determined to be about（1.3-2.1）×10 7 cm/s.

Investigation of the Resistance and Inductance of Planar Wire Array Z-Pinch at the Qiangguang Accelerator

The resistance and inductance of a wire array during an implosion are very important parameters of interest to：researchers. A variety of inductances and resistances directly affect the kinetic energy and resistance heat energy coupled from a pulsed-power generator. In this paper, the inductance and resistance of a planar wire array during the Z-pinch process are analyzed. The inductance is calculated from the data obtained by a time-resolved soft X-ray framed camera, while the resistance is calculated through the voltage and the current of the wire array load combined with the variety of the inductance. The results show that the resistance of the load increases with the development of the implosion, and reaches its maximum at 0.29 ± 0.16Ω near the pinched time.

Primarily Experimental Results for a W Wire Array Z Pinch

Primarily experimental results are given for a W wire array Z pinch imploded with up to 2 MA in 100 ns on a Qiangguang-I pulsed power generator. The configuration and parameters of the generator, the W wire array load assembly and the diagnostic system for the experiment are described. The total X-ray energy has been obtained with a averaged power of X-ray radiation of 1.28 TW.

Load optimal design for a primary test stand facility based on a zero-dimensional load model

In order to couple the numerical simulation of a primary test stand driver with an optimal load design, a zero- dimensional wire array load model is designed based on the Saturn load model using PSPICE, which is an upgraded version of the Simulation Program with Integrated Circuit Emphasis （SPICE） designed by the ORCAD Corporation to perform circuit simulations. This paper calculates different load parameters and discusses factors influencing the driving current curve. With appropriate driving current curves chosen, further magneto-hydrodynamic calculations are carried out and discussed to provide the best results for experiments. The suggested optimal load parameters play an important role in experimental load design.