Development of a forty kilovolt megawatt average power thyratron (MAPs-40)

The thyratron which resulted from the MAPS-40 Megawatt Average Power Switch development effort achieved switching of 40 kV and 40 ka with a pulse width of 10 microseconds and a repetition rate of 125 Hz. Operation was in 10- to 15-second bursts at the 1-megawatt average power level. The MAPS 40 embodies new engineering solutions to the problems encountered in high power thyratrons. In this development, careful attention had to be given to the control of operating dissipations, to the storage and dispersal of heat, to the strength and protection of internal tube structures, and to the special requirements of tube and circuit operation at the megawatt level. In the first phase of the program, eight thyratrons were constructed, five of which were delivered to Fort Monmouth for evaluation. Four of these prototype tubes were tested to the specified objectives in short-burst operation, and were subjected to further tests to explore their nominal design capabilities. Seven more tubes have since been built, all of the same design, all of which have met the specified objectives.