rectifier stack experts?

["Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>]

Original poster: "Crow Leader by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <tesla-at-lists.symmetric-dot-net>

Greetings,

Is anybody on this list mega-wise when it comes to designing a compensated
rectifier stack? I had an amusing failure with 34 out of 40 rectifiers
shorting out in my last "50kV per leg" bridge rectifier. While the diode
vendors don't mind selling me more, they suggest looking into making some
type of C or RC compensated string of diodes, possible even with MOVs, but
don't really know about how to make one that will work the first time. I
found one commercial vendor of such items, but it looks like what I want
will be either $400 or $800 which is more than I'd like to spend on a
component that sounds so simple, eventhough it may not be.

I wish to rectify 15kV at 60Hz at a few hundred mA for now, but want it to
handle several amps at the same voltage in the future.

KEN