Single and multiphase compulsator system architectures: A practical comparison

The Center for Electromechanics at the University of Texas at Austin (UT-GE M) has designed, built, and tested three generations of iron-core and air-c ore compensated pulsed alternators (CPA), These include the iron core, smal l caliber, cannon caliber, and model scale compulsators. Early CPA were sin gle-phase machines that were optimized for a specific load and desired perf ormance. The most recent machine, the model-scale CPA, is a multiphase alte rnator coupled to the load through a rectifier. This paper includes a discu ssion of the requirements and capabilities of both single-phase and multiph ase systems, a point design for each system type, and a comparison of syste m performance in driving a cannon caliber launcher.