Design and testing of a pulsed current transformer

A pulsed current transformer was built and tested. Data substantiating the theoretical model was obtained. The four turn, coaxial geometry transformer had a mean radius of 12 inches. It used copper tubing for the secondary and number 6 gage wire for the primary. Under short circuit conditions, the time-to-peak current was 70 microseconds and a time averaged turns ratio of 3.75 was produced by the transformer. The theoretical model yielded an input inductance of 1.93 microhenries while the high frequency measurement yielded 1.66 microhenries. By increasing the secondary wall thickness, this device will be useful in electromagnetically stressing barrel test sections at the megampere level.