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This paper discusses preliminary experiments carried out at Centre d'Etudes de Gramat to analyze the performances of plasma radiation sources for K-shell production with long implosion time increased up to 800 ns. SPHINX generator is used to implode single and nested aluminum wire arrays Z-pinches in direct drive mode with maximum current 3.4 MA to 3.8MA. The benefit of using nested array configuration was proved for the stabilization and reproducibility of the source. The dynamic of the implosion is studied with 1D and 2D visible camera and X-UV time-integrated pin-hole cameras. The X-ray emission is qualified with time resolved resistive bolometry, filtered detectors (diamond PCDs, XRDs) and time integrated crystal spectrometer. Results show more than 10kJ of energy radiated above 1 keV, with pulse widths of 30–50 ns for a total radiation yield around 100 kJ. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The CEG is evaluating the potential of the flux compression concept in the µs range for high power X-ray generators. A proof-of-principle small experiment, named ECF1 was built (2,5 MA in an inductive load). Special tools were developed allowing manufacturing of specific liner (up to 15 cm long, 10 cm diameter, 432 wires as small as 10,4 µm Al). The CEG is designing now a more powerful experiment based on the same principle, with a new version of LTD stages developed at CEG, and a new experimental chamber allowing the test of different configuration of flux compression. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]