The Critical Role of Capacitors in Pulsed Power Design

Powering everything from pulsed lasers to experimental fusion reactors, pulsed power systems demand fast, controlled energy delivery. High-performance capacitors are key to this capability. 

Unlike continuous power supplies, pulsed systems depend on capacitors’ ability to charge gradually and discharge in microseconds. In The Role of Capacitors in High-Energy Pulsed Power Systems, we explore the science and system design behind those pulses and offer practical guidance to optimize performance and reliability.

With decades of experience in pulse discharge capacitor design and manufacturing, Cornell Dubilier and Knowles bring deep application knowledge and proven component reliability to pulsed power systems. 

What You’ll Learn 

The ebook covers essential design principles and practical applications, including:

• Pulse Fundamentals: Understand how RLC circuits shape pulse characteristics through damping ratios and time-domain responses and why capacitor parameters like ESR and ESL matter so much.
• Design Considerations: Learn how to calculate and balance energy density, power density, and thermal behavior to meet space, voltage, and reliability constraints in high-repetition-rate systems.
• Advanced Architectures: Explore capacitor banks, Marx generators, and pulse forming networks (PFNs), and see how these architectures are configured to multiply voltage, control waveforms, and deliver precisely timed energy bursts.
• Real-World Applications: From fusion experiments at the U.S. National Ignition Facility to defense platforms simulating EMP effects, we look at how high-energy systems depend on capacitor behavior at every stage. 

Download the full ebook for details.

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