About Us

INTRODUCTION

This Compact, Portable, Pulsed Power () MURI (Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative) is a one of two consortia awarded significant research grants by the Department of Defense's office of the Director of Defense Research & Engineering (DDR&E) in June, 2001 in this topic. The lead university for this consortium is the University of New Mexico (UNM), led by Prof. Edl Schamiloglu, with major participation by Old Dominion University (ODU) and the University of Reno, Nevada (UNR). Prof. Martin Gundersen of the University of Southern California (USC) leads the other MURI team. Other groups/organizations are also expected to contribute to this effort.

The purpose of this MURI is to develop innovative solutions in order to shrink the now bulky, laboratory-size, pulsed power systems in both size and weight for a variety directed energy applications. The University of New Mexico has assembled a team that is eminently qualified to address the difficult challenges posed by the Department of Defense (DoD). As stated in the original solicitation, the DoD objective is "to bring to bear the necessary scientific fields of electrical engineering, physics, chemistry, mechanical engineering, material science, and computer science to examine new concepts that offer promise for reducing the weight and size of inertial and capacitive electrical power devices." With the exception of inertial systems (dropped from consideration by the DoD after initial proposals were received), the team assembled here is using all the mentioned disciplines to solve the size and weight issues for capacitive storage pulsed power systems. A more detailed description of the research programs is given below (link to DESCRIPTION OF RESEARCH).

Dr. Robert Barker of the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) manages the MURIs.

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DESCRIPTION OF RESEARCH

This MURI is organized along several lines of related research:

• compact pulsers to study techniques to improve packaging technology,
• materials studies on high voltage switches, electrical breakdown and strength of dielectrics, especially liquids, for use in compact pulsers,
• thermal management of components, novel schemes to address the size, weight, and cost tradeoffs for compact pulsed power systems, and
• electromagnetic simulations to support all of these activities.

Although the accomplishment of these tasks will be a team effort, each area of study is led by one of the institutions in the consortium. Specifically, the tasks are broken down in the following way:

• Development of a Compact Blumlein Pulser Test Bed (UNM)
• Compact, High Voltage, Fast Rise Time Pulser for Impulse Radiating Sources (UNM)
• Electrode Erosion and Lifetime Studies for Triggered Corona-Stabilized Switches (UNM)
• Electromagnetic Simulations in Support of Pulsed Power Research (UNM)
• Study of Electrical Conductance of Liquids under High Electric Field Stress up to the Electrical Breakdown (ODU)
• Study of Boundary Effects at Liquid/Conductor Interfaces (ODU)
• Studies of Electrical Breakdown (ODU)
• Modeling Studies of Liquid Breakdown (ODU)
• Slow Wave PFNs for Liquid Dielectrics (ODU)
• Thermal Heating and Cooling of Components (UNR)
• Tapered Transmission Lines (UNM)
• Compact High Voltage Power Supplies (UNM)
• Compact Pulsed Power Systems using Advanced Components (UNM)

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FACILITIES

The University of New Mexico Pulsed Power, Beams and
Microwaves Laboratory is currently being relocated in a new, state-of-the-art facility. A more detailed description will soon be available.

COLLABORATIONS

We have arranged to collaborate with several key partners in industry and government to maximize the output as well as the future applications of this research. These partners have agreed to share their ideas and, in some cases, their technology with us. The current list of collaborations includes: Sandia National Laboratories, Diversified Technologies, and the Air Force Research Laboratory. For more details on the technical aspects of these relationships, please see the Partners link.

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FUNDING HISTORY

This MURI is funded by a grant for approximately $1M/year which started in June, 2001. A decision was made in the Fall of 2003 by a panel of government experts to continue this research effort for two more years. Thus, the total funding for this work is approximately $5M.

CONTACT INFO

The Principal Investigator for this program is Prof. Edl Schamiloglu (edl@eece.unm.edu). The Old Dominion University main point of contact is Prof. Karl Schoenbach (schoenbach@ece.odu.edu). Dr. Robert Vidmar (rvidmar@unr.edu) is the University of Reno, Nevada contact person. Other researchers interested and in many cases, collaborating with us on this MURI and the USC team can be found in the directory.

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