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[asymmetric_implosion]

The one bummer with the LVA is the switch count. You have many switches and if their lifetime is too short you have a huge replacement cost. Last I saw a Sandia LTD it had something like 40 switches in it. You need three to five modules so the switches could be a killer. Just throwing it out, but we use a voltage step down transformer to operate the primary at high voltage and low current while operating the secondary at high current and reduced voltage in a small PF. The big advantage is we can drive 60-80 kA using two thyratron switches (~10 kA each) on the primary. It minimizes the switch count (i.e. consumables) but the cost of the cores is significant. In the case when you are replacing switches frequently, it might be a path forward. The real problem is the primary voltage at high current. You need something like 60 kV just to drive the coaxial rundown section. So you need more like 100 kV on the secondary. For a reasonable reduction in switch count you want a 3:1 or 4:1 stepdown. A 400 kV primary is not impossible….