The Vikhr Plasma Focus Device for Diagnosing the Radiation-Thermal Resistance of Materials Intended for Thermonuclear Energy and Aerospace Engineering

A Vikhr plasma-beam device of the Dense Plasma Focus (DPF) type with an energy of ~5 kJ has been recently put into operation at the Baikov Institute of Metallurgy and Material Science. The device, the design of its components, and its parameters are described. The physical processes that occur in the DPF working chamber during generation of beams of fast electrons, ions, cumulative jets of a hot plasma, hard X rays, and neutrons (if deuterium is used as a working gas) are considered. Experiments have been conducted with the aim of testing energy-saving DPF circuits using a new power supply circuit of the DPF chamber, which contains a crowbar gap and an electronic delay circuit. The device is used for testing, diagnosing, and modifying the radiation-thermal resistance of various materials intended for use in the thermonuclear power engineering and aerospace engineering. The first experiments with this device in radiation testing of materials and aerospace materials science are described.