A novel energy storage device

The device described in this paper uses a single inductor or a series of inductors to store energy and a series of opening switches placed in the circuit with approximately equal inductance between each of the switches. Each "opening switch" is a toroid of ferrite material going around a single turn of the energy storage solenoid. Each small toroid of ferrite material is wrapped with several turns of wire. As the energy storage inductor is charged the ferrite material is driven into saturation. When a trigger pulse is sent through the wire around the ferrite material, the ferrite is driven out of saturation; thereby causing that section of a single turn to have a high impedance compared to the load. Conducting leads located on either side of each opening switch are attached to a common load. Each lead has a blocking device such as a spark gap or diode to prohibit current flow into the load circuit until the device is triggered. When the switches are all opened simultaneously, the current in the storage inductor is transferred to the load with a voltage characteristic of the load and/or the opening time of the switches. The leads are connected in parallel so N times the current in the energy storage coil is delivered to the load. This technique can store energy at greater than 10 megajoules/m/sup 3/ and possibly as high as 100 megajoules/m/sup 3/.