Benchmarking of a flux compression generator code

Science Applications International Corporation and the Air Force Research Laboratory are continuing development of a graphical design/simulation code for explosive flux compression generators (FCGs). “FCGSCA” is written in FORTRAN and Visual Basic and targets the Windows O/S (Microsoft, Chicago, IL). Basic physics principles and well-known circuit analysis techniques simulate generator-to-load performance; furthermore, FCGSCA incorporates an armature/stator inductance model, a “flux-loss” model, and a fairly detailed treatment of the stator winding resistance. FCGSCA includes a capability for modeling transformer coupling and fuze switching as part of various load configurations; additionally, the user can view overlays of time-history plots from one- or two-parameter variation studies. With reasonable costs in fidelity, this approximation permits quick system-level simulations that expedite FCG design and development. Herein, we primarily explain the ease-of-use of the FCGSCA interface and report on some benchmarking against the “Ranchito” generator that has been designed and tested by Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL)