Pulse operation mode of inertial electrostatic plasma confinement devices

•The preliminary background discharge in the IEC chamber has a significant impact on the device operation modes.•The preionization voltage positive polarity for pulse IEC device ensures the stable volume glow discharge combustion with a constant discharge current.•A pre-discharge current for pulse IEC chamber causes the main discharge current amplitude to increase several times.•Pulse IEC device neutron parameters could be estimated from the discharge power pulse.•Pulse IEC device can achieve neutron (2.5 MeV) fluxes of 106 neutrons/s at a frequency of 100 Hz. The paper discusses the operation features of the inertial electrostatic plasma confinement (IEC) devices in the pulsed high voltage mode. The pulse operation mode offers significant advantages in IEC devices, which are associated with high discharge currents that are inaccessible for continuous operating modes. However, the implementation of such operating modes is associated with a number of physical limitations and technical difficulties. A stand with an IEC chamber powered by a high-voltage pulse transformer and a unit for gas preliminary ionization in the IEC chamber has been developed. In the chamber, ions are accelerated from a background glow discharge. A study of the burning background discharge in the IEC chamber, background discharge current Ipre influence on the duration of current and voltage pulses of the main discharge and the delay between them was carried out. The results of the neutron yield measuring in an IEC chamber operating in pulsed mode are presented at a charging voltage up to 105 kV, a discharge current amplitude of several tens of amperes, a preionization current of 8 mA, and a pulse repetition rate from single to 300 Hz. A stable neutron flux with an energy of 2.5 MeV at a level of 106 neutrons/s was experimentally obtained.