Explosively Pumped Flux Compression Generator(FCG)

[RUUUUUN]

I have been doing a little bit of research on the creation of Electromagnetic Pulses. I would like to stay away from Nuclear reactions (Radioactive Boyscout ), so most of my research has been centered around Flux Compression Generators, and their creation.

 

a Flux Compression Generator is a helix of heavy wire (usually copper) wrapped around a metal tube of, and I quote "Fast High energy explosive." You run power through the helix of wire creating a magnetic field (just like in the Nail/wire/lantern battery electromagnet experiment) and then detonate the tube of explosive near the power source forcing all of the magnetic field down to the end, and realeasing it when the last bit of helix is destroyed.

 

a couple diagrams:

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Flux_co...generator_1.png

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Flux_co...generator_2.png

 

I am thinking I can make one of these babies.

 

Use copper wire as the helix just like them, Use ETN as the explosive and hook up A ) a TV flyback transformer rated at 5KV, Or B ) get a neon sign transformer rated at 25KV I believe.

 

My question is, how much power do I need running through the helix to make an extremely small EMP maybe 10 feet in radius. I do live way out in the boondocks, so anything up to prolly 1/4 mile radius I could handle, possibly even 1/2, but I don't want to risk it.

 

Any questions/comments/answers?? Mods if you would like this moved into the HE section because of the use of HE, I don't have any say in the matter. So go ahead.

[willowmp]

woah i looked this up a looong time ago.

 

 

i think i found out it was fake and that it didnt really work. im not sure it might work but ehh who knows maybe im remembering wrong.

 

 

 

this concept is old i remember it from when i was little

 

 

i would say crank it up just to be safe, unless your worried about the emp radius, maybe you could find an even better place?

[Boomer]

1. It does work.

 

2. It is extremely unlikely it works for you and me.

 

Can you

 

A) Press or cast your home-brew HE to a consistent density

 

B ) Measure the VoD

 

c) Build a current source capable of at least some ten thousand amps

 

D) Build a switch for these power levels that triggers to within a microsecond

 

E) Build EBW or slapper detonators with function times consistent to a microsecond

 

F) Build the blast-box for E), again with precise timing *relative to the current pulse from C)*

 

I managed three of the above, and came close in two more. Still I doubt I could destroy a radio using EMP from further away that where the fragments of my gadget would shred it anyway.

 

P.S: I managed to destroy a DMM from 10cm, using a 8000V/4000A pulse from a surge-test generator. This was without flux compression, but it hardly gives a 10-fold gain over the starting current pulse. And the effect drops with the distance squared, so one meter needs 80000V/40000A (3.200.000.000 watts), ten meters 320 gigawatts and so on....

 

That's why the military use an FCG to pump the start current into another FCG for terawatt outputs .... Kind of like a three-stage thermonuclear bomb (U235 - Li-deuterid - U238 or fission-fusion-fission).

 

But dreaming is allowed, I too would (once a year) like to place an FCG in the car park of the tax offices to wipe their hard drives.

[willowmp]

yea it seems like you are right boomer

 

 

i first learned about it when i was probally 6 maybe 8? so it probally hadnt been tested then.

 

 

that seems very hard though lol. i saw how the military was doing tests on EMPs because of terrorists crashing the stock market or sumtihng but it was interesting

 

 

when i was like 10 or something i actually tried to do the radioactive boyscout thing. i didnt get far though

[RUUUUUN]

hmmm difficult...

 

I can fulfill A, and with A get an approximation on the VoD.

 

C and D are the tough ones, I don't have a source, and I don't have that brutal a switch.

 

I have an EBW that functions in microseconds, the explosive goes off before the switch is fully flipped.

 

I can construct a blast box, out of pretty much any material.

 

Some 10 thousand amps, thats what, 20 car batteries

 

A neon transformer typicaly pushes under one amp, that won't work.

 

Off to look for a powersource I go. Maybe a large swimming pool, capacitor....

[d1ng0]

Hi Fellas...

 

Interesting wiki. I don't make a habit of visiting them as their quality of research is usually questionable, but the document downloads at the bottom of the page HERE were worth the visit. The Doc entitled "An Introduction to Explosive Magnetic Flux Compression Generators" is a MUST DOWNLOAD, considering that it was written by the "big daddy" of this area of research... C. M. Fowler.

 

 

For density issues, maybe one could consider the use of liquid HE as has been done with some shaped charge designs. It does solve the uniformity of density issue, though VoD may be on the low end. Ideally it should be comparative with B & C composition explosives, or the PBX's.

 

 

RUUUUUN,

 

Are you more interested in the EMP effect itself, or in blowing up something you built...? Just curious.

 

Also, did you plan on hooking it up to a load of some kind? I ask because that is the usual purpose of them. Microwave emitter, etc.

 

If it's the EMP effect you're after, you could start with spark gap generators, affording you an opportunity to work on and 'perfect' the power supply and switching issues.

 

Below is a list of direct download links that may prove interesting, illuminating many aspects regarding the family of devices (EMP Generators, EM weapons, Power supplies, application, etc), materials, construction, and use. While you may decide many are unentertaining/unusable to you specifically, others might get some use from selections that you don't.

 

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

 

---- A Doctrine for the Use of ElectroMagnetic Pulse Bombs - Carlo Kopp (July 1993, 61KB)

 

---- The Electromagnetic Bomb - A Weapon of Electrical Mass Destruction (October 1996, 2 MB)

 

---- An Introduction to the Technical and Operational Aspects of the Electromagnetic Bomb - Carlo Kopp (November 1996, 390 KB)

 

---- Electromagnetic Pulse Threats in 2010 (November 2005, 130 KB)

 

---- High Altitude Electromagnetic Pulse (HEMP) and High Power Microwave (HPM) Devices: Threat Assessments (August 2004, 90 KB)

 

---- High Altitude Electromagnetic Pulse (HEMP) and High Power Microwave (HPM) Devices: Threat Assessments (April 2005, 132 KB)

 

---- Nuclear High Altitude Electromagnetic Pulse - Implications for Homeland Security and Homeland Defense (March 2004, 98 KB)

 

---- High Power Microwaves: Strategic and Operational Implications for Warfare (February 2000, 490 KB)

 

---- Trends of Microwave Weapon Development (January 1996, 670 KB)

 

 

---- A TEM Cell for Electromagnetic Pulse Applications: Design Considerations and Mechanical Details

 

---- Design of a TEM Cell EMP Simulator

 

---- Compact, Portable Pulsed-Power (August 2006, 1 MB)

 

---- An Examination of the Nature, Effects and Control of Electromagnetic Fields (May 2000, 1,670 KB)

 

---- ARL-TR-2352 Propagation of Electromagnetic Fields Over Flat Earth (February 2001, 360 KB) [[Maximizing HPM waves to target]]

 

 

---- Fundamental Limits to Compact, Expendable Pulsed Power and Microwave Sources (September 2000, 2,900 KB)

 

---- Experimental Studies of Explosively-Driven Magnetohydrodynamic Generators (October 1997, 1,400 KB)

 

---- Analysis and Design of Resonant Charging System (December 1998, 1,100 KB) [[Power supply issues]]

 

---- Study of Imploding Liner - Electrode Wall Interaction (December 1994, 2,155 KB) [[ Translated Russian Research Document]]

 

---- Investigations Into Alternate Spark Gap Switching Techniques (September 1994, 870 KB)

 

---- A Counterpulsed, Solid-State Opening Switch (June 2005, 1 MB)

 

---- Low Voltage Electrolytic Capacitor Pulse Forming Inductive Network for Electric Weapons (June 2006, 590 KB)

 

---- Solid State Capacitor Discharge Pulsed Power Supply Design for Railguns (March 2007, 2 MB)

 

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

 

 

Here are a few listed patents you can look up, assuming you're familiar with patent searches and are interested as well.

3,478,231 -- Generator for currents in the order of mega-amperes through the use of explosives

 

3,564,305 -- Method and apparatus for creating pulsed magnetic field in a large volume

 

3,113,272 -- Amplifying by Short-Circuiting Conductive Loop

 

3,356,869 -- Single Pulse Power Generator

 

3,484,627 -- Explosive Pulse Generator

 

3,522,459 -- Explosively Generating Electric Pulses

 

3,985,078 -- Power Supply

 

4,370,576 -- Electric Generator (FCG)

 

4,680,434 -- Explosive-driven, high speed, arcless switch

 

4,845,378 -- EMP Generator (Spark Gap Style)

 

6,005,305 -- Magnetic Voltage-Pulser

 

H148 -- Shock Electromechanical Energy Converter with Permanent Magnet

 

 

Hope all this is helpful, useful to y'all...

[RUUUUUN]

Thanks for the info D1ng0.

 

I am interested in the EMP effect, not the blowing up of something I made.

 

No I wasn't going to hook it up to a load, I was going to shoot a few watches with it.

 

I don't know if I can get my hands on a transformer pushing 80-100KV at 40-50 KA or >3.2 gigawatts.

 

Now to immerse myself in the papers.