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This paper presents the effect of stray capacitances in bipolar (negative and/or positive) pulses generated by the two different topologies of the solid-state Marx modulators. According to the analysis, the stray capacitances influence the energy transfer from the Marx modulator capacitors to the load affecting the bipolar (negative and/or positive) pulse rise time. This paper deals with the structure design to reduce the influence of the stray capacitance and to improve the pulse rise time of these bipolar solid-state Marx modulators. A four-stage laboratory prototype of the two topologies has been assembled using 1200-V insulated gate bipolar transistors and diodes, operating with 1000-V dc input voltage and 1-kHz frequency, producing 4-kV bipolar pulses, with 5- \mu \texts pulse duration and 120-ns rise time, into a resistive load. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this paper, a modular topology is presented for generating high-voltage pulsed power. The proposed structure consists of Marx-type modules, which are based on the switched-capacitor (SC) concept. This module receives an input voltage and, depending on the requirement of the user, produces an output voltage either equal to the input or twice as much as the input voltage, which shows the flexibility of our model. The capability of the module to produce a doubled output makes it appropriate for applications with low input voltage sources. Also, the topology has the capability of generating combined wide and narrow pulses. The topology was simulated in MATLAB Simulink and a laboratory setup was built to test its operation. The results validate the theoretical basis of the structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to generate high-voltage high-pulsed power, klystron modulators necessarily contain at least one capacitor bank charging structure supplying the energy to be released during the pulse. Conventional charging structures are based on ac/dc front-end units typically based on diode rectifiers combined with power charging structures operated in on/off mode as a second stage, producing prohibitive levels of grid flicker and harmonic contents on the ac grid side while operating at suboptimal power factor. These problems are usually corrected by both costly and spacious external grid compensators. Today, the increased demand on both accelerator peak power and pulselength (translating into higher average power), in conjunction with stricter regulations and standards represent additional challenges also in modulator design. An alternative method for capacitor bank charging, in a steady state allowing for the complete reduction of grid flicker as well as ac line current harmonics and reactive power, was presented by the authors in a preceding publication. This paper presents in further detail the benefits of the proposed power electronic structure and associated control scheme in the context of a review of other solutions suggested for constant power charging and flicker mitigation. This paper also contains a complete description of the proposed control scheme as well as further experimental results, including a thorough assessment of its performance under transient conditions. All experimental results were obtained on a klystron modulator prototype rated for long pulses (3.5 ms), high voltage (115 kV), and high pulsed power (peak power > 2 MW). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the design strategy for a new Marx generator, based on SiC metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs), proposed for Kicker magnet applications. As a starting point, the possible replacement of a thyratron tube associated with an existing kicker system, at CERN, is considered. The specifications of the output pulse are: 40-kV, 3.2-kA, 3- $\mu \text{s}$ flat top duration, 30-ns rise- and fall-time, and 1-Hz repetition rate. A theoretical study for a Marx generator topology, using 50 stages, each 800-V stage comprising 24 SiC MOSFETs in parallel, each MOSFET conducting approximately 140-A pulses is considered. In addition, a four-stage prototype has been evaluated, with almost full current and 3 kV, based on the proposed design, in order to assess the technological advantages of such a system and limitations for the scale up. First tests using parallel SiC MOSFETs are described and results discussed in light of the proposed topology and the physical structure of the assembly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marx generator using all-solid-state devices has been studied for many years. Higher parameters are always the demand for new applications. Traditional all-solid-state Marx generator can output high voltage due to its series topology, but the current is always limited by the switch. In this paper, a stage-stage paralleled topology of Marx generator for high current has been proposed. Topology structure and driving mode comparison for current balance have been analyzed. The paralleled driving mode for the current balance and the shaping waveform has been proposed. For experiment, a four-stage-four-paralleled Marx generator with metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) has been constructed with output pulses 2.2 kV, 730 A (depending on the load), rise time of 31 ns, fall time of 56 ns, and adjustable pulsewidth from 400 to 800 ns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As an attractive power supply for high energy level pulsed power applications, such as long range electromagnetic railgun, electromagnetic aircraft launch system, and high-energy laser, multiple pulsed alternators can not only meet the high energy level requirement of the load, but also lower the requirements of the power electronics in the system. Utilizing multiple pulsed alternators work together also makes the control strategy of the system more flexible. In order to improve the efficiency of the whole system, a novel control strategy of an air-core pulsed alternator pair is proposed in this paper. Like a single pulsed alternator, the whole work process of the pulsed alternator pair can also be divided into three subprocesses: the self-excitation process, the discharge process, and the energy reclamation process. In the self-excitation and energy reclamation processes, the armature windings of the pulsed alternator pair are connected in series, and the filed windings are connected in parallel. In order to illustrate the advantages of this control strategy, a comprehensive discussion of different connection topologies of the alternator pair has been made in this paper. A mathematical model based on the equivalent circuit of the air-core pulsed alternator considering the harmonic components was also established in this paper, which could help calculating the system efficiency more accurately. The results and conclusions of the analyses and simulations can offer guidance for the air-core pulsed alternator pair system design and optimization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a high-voltage unipolar pulse power generator is introduced for electroporation applications. Operating principle of the proposed structure is based on the buck–boost (BB) converter. The generator is comprised of parallel modules connected to the converter through an SCR and is supplied by a low-voltage dc source. Each module consists of an insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT), two diodes, and a capacitor. In fact, the proposed topology is a combination of the Marx generator and BB (MG-BB) converter. In comparison with other modular MG-BB structures, the proposed topology achieves interesting advantages including simpler structure, reduction of IGBTs voltage rating, and reducing number of components (inductors and switches). In order to clarify the features of the proposed structure, it has been compared with other unipolar MGs considering different aspects including the number of circuit components, number of required input supplies, amplitude of the output pulse, and the maximum voltage across switches and diodes. To validate the effectiveness of the structure, simulation and experimental results are presented. The results confirm that the proposed topology is capable of generating unipolar pulses with desirable amplitude and repetition frequency using a low-voltage dc supply. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the muzzle energy in the electromagnetic launch increases, it becomes necessary to use a modular pulsed alternator power system composed of multiple pairs of machines connected in parallel. In practical situations, however, parameter variations between two machines are inevitable, and it has uncertain effects on the system performance. Furthermore, due to pulsed alternators driving railgun through a rectifier, the system connection scheme has two options: 1) two machines are connected in parallel before connecting them to the rectifier and 2) two machines are connected in parallel after connecting them to the rectifier. The sensitivity of two topologies to the parameter variations is also uncertain. To make sense of this uncertainty, the impact of machine parameter variations on the system performance is investigated. This paper is performed on the simulation of a pair of pulsed alternators driving a railgun, using one-factor-at-a-time method to observe the system performance in the parameter variations. The sensitivity of two topologies is analyzed taking into account small variations in machine manufacturing parameters—rotor inertia, field winding, and armature winding and in machine control parameters—rotor speed and rotor angle. The results reveal that the system performance is more sensitive to the machine control parameters compared with the machine manufacturing parameters, especially the initial offset in the rotor angle. Furthermore, the connection scheme in which two machines connected in parallel before connecting them to the rectifier is the more robust and is less sensitivity to parameter variations compared with the other topology. This paper is aimed at the identification of the most sensitive parameter and the more robust topology to provide support for the further application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Future U.S. Navy shipboard power architectures will integrate new ac and dc rep-rate pulsed loads that must be reliably energized. Delivering power to these loads typically requires charging large capacitor banks in a highly transient manner that causes a lot of stress on the ship’s prime power sources. Controlled multipulse rectifiers have been proposed as a direct solution to charging these capacitor banks and may eliminate the need for large passive filter components. Though multipulse rectifiers are well documented in the literature, there is little to no published work that studies the impact of multipulse rectifiers have on power quality when loaded by large capacitive loads in high rep-rate profiles. It is desired that MATLAB/Simulink models be developed for deployment on the OPAL-RT real-time simulator for predicting power quality in existing ship power system models. This paper discusses the development of 6-, 12-, and 24-pulse models based on equivalent hardware at a low voltage and power rating for study. Experiments are performed on the hardware equivalent systems, and data are collected. The data are then compared with the simulation results in the time and frequency domain for model validation. Issues encountered when modeling the phase-shifting transformers are discussed, and recommendations and cautions are proposed for future work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes a solid-state asymmetric bridge resonant topology to increase the energy efficiency of switching pulse modulators. The solid-state resonant topology will replace an existing pulse transformer and thyratron-based resonant modulator to supply the 60-kV target potential for the ion acceleration of the On-Line Isotope Mass Separator ISOLDE accelerator. An experimental prototype is tested in order to validate the proposed concept, including a low auxiliary voltage power supply to compensate the losses in the circuit. The design of the circuit components and the experimental results for a 6-kV prototype are presented and discussed, as well as the design procedure and parameters for the 60-kV modulator, including a high-voltage gapped coil core. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Slow transfer of energy through capacitive hybrid (STRETCH) meat grinder circuit, which was proposed by the Institute for Advanced Technology, added a capacitor into the traditional meat grinder circuit. Even though its energy density is slightly less than the corresponding pure inductance system, it can reduce the voltage across the opening switch and maintain the high multiplication factor of the opening current. The performance of the STRETCH meat grinder circuit depends on multiple parameters. The inductance ratio ( n=L1 / L2) and the capacitance (C) are the two vital factors, which have a crucial influence on the system performance, such as the voltage over the opening switch ( V_{\rm Sopm}) , the current multiplication factor ( m$ ), and the ratio of the maximum capacitive energy over the total inductive energy ( $\eta )$ . Thorough studies have been carried out in this paper on the relationship between the above two factors and the three performance criteria. This paper also discusses and analyzes the chosen of the key parameters ( $n$ and $C$ ) for a single-stage STRETCH meat grinder with 2-mH total inductance, which is made up of two serial coils with 0.95 coupling factor. The opening current of the main switch is 1 kA, which constitutes a 1-kJ inductive pulsed-power supply. It fully takes the advantage of the STRETCH meat grinder topology, intensifies the study of the inductive pulsed-power supply with higher energies, and is easy to be utilized for practical application. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper addresses the design of a solid-state bipolar pulsed-power modulator based on a series of stacked power cells that realize a simple and robust structure. Each cell is charged in parallel by an LCC resonant converter independently of the discharging loop. A passive cell-balancing design is implemented. The power cell using insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs) can operate in bypass mode without an additional component, and the circuit operation was analyzed. A simple gate driving method, which provides synchronized gate signals without an extra power source of each gate driver using two control loops and isolation transformers, is implemented for the proposed bipolar pulsed-power modulator based on stacked cells. Moreover, an unexpected gate turn-on problem was solved by an additional off signal. To validate the proposed structure and the gate driving scheme, a three-cell, 1.2-kV, 110-A, 1.5- to 4- $\mu \text{s}$ , 3-kHz laboratory experimental prototype test was conducted. The results proved the reliability of the proposed solid-state bipolar pulsed-power modulator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The role of irreversible electroporation using pulsed electric field is to generate high-voltage (HV) pulses with a predefined magnitude and duration. These HV pulses are applied to the treatment chamber until decontamination of the sample is completed. In this paper, a new topology for HV rectangular pulse generation for water disinfection applications is introduced. The proposed topology has four arms comprised of series-connected half bridge modular multilevel converter cells. The rectangular pulse characteristics can be controlled via the software controller without any physical changes in power topology. The converter is capable of generating both bipolar and monopolar HV pulses with microsecond pulse durations at high a frequency rate with different characteristics. Hence, the proposed topology provides flexibility by software control, along with hardware modularity, scalability, and redundancy. Moreover, a cell’s capacitance is relatively small, which drastically reduces the converter footprint. The adopted charging and discharging process of the cell capacitors in this topology eliminate the need of any voltage measurements or complex control for cell-capacitors voltage balance. Consequently, continuity of converter operation is assured under cell malfunction. In this paper, analysis and cell-capacitor sizing of the proposed topology are detailed. Converter operation is verified using MATLAB/Simulink simulation and scaled experimentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The slow transfer of energy through capacitive hybrid (STRETCH) meat grinder circuit is a widely used topology in inductive pulse power supply. Therefore, it is important to understand the relationship between the STRETCH meat grinder performances and the inductor parameters when improving the system performance and designing the inductor. From the perspective of inductor designing, this paper uses four indicators to present the STRETCH meat grinder performances, i.e., the charging current, the current amplification, the inductor energy density, and the discharge efficiency, and uses two indicators to present the inductor parameters, i.e., the total inductance and the ratio of the inductance L1 to L2 . First, the meanings of the indicators are explained or defined. Second, simulations and experiments are carried out, respectively, to analyze the trends of the four performance indicators along with the changes of two parameters indicators. Finally, both simulation and experiment results show that the increase of the total inductance leads to the decrease of the charging current and the discharge efficiency; moreover, the increase of the ratio of the inductor L1 to L2 leads to the increase of the current amplification and the discharge efficiency, but causes the decrease of the inductor energy density. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Air-core compensated pulsed alternator (ACPA) has been applied to the field of pulsed power technology, especially electromagnetic launch. The high-field current and the rotating speed of the ACPA bring the benefits of high power and energy density, but also make it suffer from low reliability and poor performance due to the serious heat and wear in the slip rings and brushes. To solve this problem, a novel brushless self-excited ACPA (BSACPA) is presented in this paper. It consists of two submachines in cascade, namely, an exciter and a generator, for which the air-gap flux rotation directions are opposite. The rotor windings are specially arranged and adopt the principle of negative sequence alternate current excitation, thus eliminating brushes and slip rings, and no rotary rectifier diode is needed. First, the structure and the operation principle of the BSACPA are described. Second, the magnetic field distribution and the coupling between the two submachines are analyzed. Third, the mathematical model of BSACPA is established. Finally, the validity of its operation principle is verified by finite-element and circuit analyses. In conclusion, BSACPA achieves the brushless structure and provides a new solution to improve the performance and the reliability of a conventional ACPA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surface-dielectric-barrier discharges (SDBDs) can be applied for a wide range of applications, such as ozone generation, surface treatments, and air-pollutants removal. An important advantage of the SDBD plasma is that relatively low high-voltage (HV) pulses (<10 kV) are needed to generate the plasma. They are effective in removing a wide range of pollutants. Despite their high energy efficiency, plasma decomposition generally results in the reaction by-products and the formation of ozone and nitrogen oxides. This drawback can be overcome by combining the SDBD plasma with catalysis. In this paper, a novel plasma-catalytic topology is proposed for the purpose of on-demand air purification. The main idea of the plasma-catalytic reactor is that both the plasma and the catalytic function are configured as planar structures which are positioned in parallel to each other. The plasma is generated along a planar dielectric structure. We use an SDBD for this purpose. Plates coated with the catalytic material are positioned in parallel to the SDBD plates. The air to be treated is flushed along the plates. There are no restrictions to the type or combination of catalysts used; the catalysts and their specifications can be chosen freely. We have developed a modular plasma-catalytic SDBD reactor to handle large flows, which can be scaled up and scaled down easily. To energize the plasma, an SDBD power modulator was developed. The modulator is able to generate a HV output pulse over an SDBD plasma load with a magnitude adjustable from 4.78 to 6.95 kV. The pulse rise time is about $1~\mu \text{s}$ and its ramp is about 6 kV/ $\mu \text{s}$. The energy per pulse then ranges from 1.1 to 17.4 mJ. The output power can be adjusted up to 48 W at a repetition rate of 5.5 kHz. The maximum possible pulse repetition rate is 22 kHz, but it is limited to 5.5 kHz due to the limited current rating of the available dc power supply. The total energy efficiency of the power modulator is 68%. A single modulator unit can power up to two SDBD reactor plates of $100\times 150$ mm size, having plasma at both sides of the plate. The operational efficiency of the developed SDBD catalytic reactor has been investigated by studying the removal of NOx and ethylene. The removal efficiency of NOx and ethylene is determined as a function of energy density and operational parameters, such as their initial concentrations and the gas flow rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, inductive energy storage systems have attracted interests due to high energy densities. The high-temperature superconducting pulsed-power supply (HTSPPS) is one inductive PS topology for electromagnetic launching system. The topology can achieve a high amplitude load current and cut down the electrical losses due to the zero resistance characteristic of superconducting inductors. However, in this topology, the integrated gated commuted thyristor is used as a switch and cannot withstand high current, which limits the expansion of the system. Besides, it has significant current amplification ability as a single unit, but one module cannot provide sufficient amplitude and appropriate pulsewidth for the load current of the electromagnetic launching. In this paper, by applying the principle of inverse current commutation with semiconductor devices (ICCOS) in the HTSPPS, a novel circuit topology called HTSPPS with ICCOS is presented. This topology is analyzed and the multiple modules system is established. Simulation results show that the HTSPPS with ICCOS exceeds the current limitations of the original one and ensures the reliable cutting off of the main switch. It has potential applications in the future of high-energy systems while reducing the cost greatly. By asynchronous cooperative triggered discharge of the multiple HTSPPS with ICCOS modules in parallel, the appropriate amplitude and flat shape current of the load can be achieved through the careful design of the trigger time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the design and development of a −100 kV, 20 A, all solid-state long-pulse modulator for driving high average power klystron amplifier. Modular design approach has been adopted for achieving the −100-kV output. Six dc–dc converters along with high-voltage high-frequency transformers are used for high-voltage generation. Low-loss insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) switches in full-bridge configuration have been used for high-frequency switching. The IGBT-based inverter modules are delayed in phase by 120° with respect to each other. The switching frequency is 20 kHz. Output pulses of 1.6-ms pulsewidth, 70- $\mu \text{s}$ rise time, and 65- $\mu \text{s}$ fall time have been achieved at the modulator output. A droop of ±1% is achieved using a simple feedforward correction control technique. The performance of the modulator with the resistive load is presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the design and construction of a sample of Marx pulsed generator based on boost converter (BC) pulse-forming networks (BCPFNs). BCPFN is used instead of the conventional Marx floors for constructing this pulsed generator. BCPFN is carried out by connecting inductors and capacitors in series and parallel modes, respectively, by using solid-state switches, and during this procedure the pulsed generator converts to BC temporarily and increases the voltage of capacitors uniformly to a considerable value. This technique causes an increase in the discharging voltage level to the load that is many times more than its dc voltage source by charging the capacitors to a greater level. In order to take advantage of the benefits of Marx generator and PFN, this paper suggests a new circuit with the minimum number of switches. It means, to compose BCPFN and Marx, we have tried to design the circuit with fewer switches and instead of it we have achieved our desired performance with changing the operating mode in the states of BC, PFN, BCPFN, and BCPFN Marx. The results are simulated with MATLAB software. At the end, the experimental results of the construction of the above-mentioned system at low-power levels are presented, and the topology’s accuracy is proved by comparing them to the results of simulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the critical components of high energy density pulsed power systems used to generate short high-voltage and high-power impulses is gas-filled plasma closing switch (PCS). In recent years, significant research efforts have been aimed at finding environmentally friendly gases which can be used in the PCSs, and several gases including dry air, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, argon, and their mixtures have been considered as potentially suitable working fluids in such switches. However, the lack of knowledge of the breakdown characteristics of complex switching topologies filled with these gases limits their practical applications. Therefore, further investigation of the breakdown performance of PCSs is required, in order to establish their applicability for practical use in high-voltage pulsed power systems. This paper reports on the investigation of the breakdown characteristics of a triggered PCS topology with corona discharge electrodes. The self-breakdown voltage of the switch, variation in the self-breakdown voltage, time to breakdown, and jitter have been obtained for the switch filled with “zero grade” air, N2, CO2, and an Ar/O2 mixture up to a pressure of 10 bar (abs). It was shown that the switch can provide a stable breakdown performance with jitter as low as ~1 ns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-power current sources with high dynamic performance, ultralow current ripple, and absolute reference tracking accuracy are the key elements for magnets (bumper and septum) that are used in accelerators. Similar requirements are also encountered in plasma research applications in fusion reactors, as well as plasma research for the future high voltage direct current circuit breakers. Therefore, the current source must be able to drive resistive/inductive and highly fluctuating loads without any compromise in its performance. In this paper, such a flexible, dynamic, and accurate current source is introduced, which able to provide amplitudes up to 30 kA and bipolar voltages up to 10 kV. The system’s operating concept is presented and its design procedure in order to fulfill a list of demanding specifications is demonstrated. In addition, a detailed description of its near-optimal, advanced control system is presented. Finally, the theoretical considerations are verified by extensive simulation results for various operating scenarios, including driving chaotic arc loads. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Paralleled pulse-forming units (PFUs) with different triggering delays might be a paramagnetic way for generating flat-topped current wave for electromagnetic launch. Many researchers have reported that multiple capacitive storage PFUs were implemented such current waves in laboratories. However, due to its low energy density, the applications of the capacitive pulsed-power supplies are limited. Since the inductor has advantages in energy density, the inductor pulsed-power supply becomes one of the hottest topics recently. The slow transfer of energy through capacitive hybrid meat grinder with inverse current commutation with semiconductor devices proposed by Tsinghua University has demonstrated its advantage and applicability recently. Using this kind of topology, this paper proposes the design of an inductive storage PFU with a stored energy of 100-kJ. The maximum load current reaches to 50 kA and its pulsewidth is at least 5 ms. The optimized inductive storage PFU shows superiority in contrast to the capacitive storage PFU with the same energy. This paper offers the theoretical analysis and the testing foundation for investigating the inductor pulsed-power supply with higher energy. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The STRETCH meat grinder is one typical inductive pulsed-power supply topology for electromagnetic launch system. It has remarkable current amplification ability as a single unit, but one module cannot provide enough amplitude and width for the load current of the railgun launching. This paper discusses the effects of different triggering delays on the load current with two STRETCH meat grinder modules. To reduce the magnetic field coupling between the two modules, the two main switches are opened simultaneously. To make the load current waveform with no notch, the thyristor of the first module is triggered when its pulse-forming capacitor is fully reversely charged. For the thyristor of the second module, we consider several time points of triggering delay. Because of the practical constraint for the maximum rail current that ensures no rail erosion, the rectangular waveform is the most appropriate load current waveform. Therefore, the comparing criterion can be defined as the ratio of the load current waveform area and its maximum rectangle area at different current levels. Higher ratio means that the current is more like a rectangular wave and is better accordingly. Based on the above criterion and extensive simulation research, we found that the best delay time is the moment when the capacitor is reversely charging the inductor completely. This paper and the result are of great theoretical significance for the further study on the collaborative triggering of multiple STRETCH meat grinder modules. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper presents the design and experimental validations of a system of three new high-voltage (HV) pulsed-power converters for the H− sources. The system requires three pulsed voltages (50, 40, and 25 kV to ground) at 2-Hz repetition rate, for \(700~\mu \) s of usable flat-top. The solution presents ripple-free output voltages and minimal stored energy to protect the ion source from the consequences of arc events. Experimental results on the final full-scale prototype are presented. In case of short-circuit events, the maximal energy delivered to the source is in the Joule range. HV flat-top stability of 1% is experimentally achieved with a simple Proportional-Integral-Derivative regulation and preliminary tuned H− source (e.g., radio frequency control, gas injection, and so forth). The system is running since more than a year with no power converter failures and damage to the source. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

High-voltage (HV) pulse generators (PGs) are the core of pulsed electric field applications. Applying HV pulses produces electrical pores in a biological cell membrane, in which if the size of the pores increases beyond a critical size, the cell will not survive. This paper proposes a new HV-PG based on the modular multilevel converter with full-bridge submodules (FB-SMs). In order to alleviate the need of complicated sensorless or sensor-based voltage balancing techniques for the FB-SM capacitors, a dedicated self-regulating charging circuit is connected across each FB-SM capacitor. The individual capacitor charging voltage level is obtained from three successive stages, namely, convert the low-voltage dc input voltage to a high-frequency square ac voltage, increase the ac voltage level via a nanocrystalline step-up transformer, and rectify the secondary transformer ac voltage via a diode FB rectifier. The HV bipolar pulses are formed across the load in a fourth stage through series connected FB-SMs. The flexibility of inserting and bypassing the FB-SM capacitors allows the proposed topology to generate different pulse-waveform shapes, including rectangular waveforms with specifically reduced dv/dt and ramp pulses. The practical results, from a scaled-down experimental rig with five FB-SMs and a 1-kV peak-to-peak pulse output, validate the proposed topology. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

High-voltage (HV) pulses are used in pulsed electric field (PEF) applications to provide an effective electroporation process, a process in which harmful microorganisms are disinfected when subjected to a PEF. Depending on the PEF application, different HV pulse specifications are required such as the pulse-waveform shape, the voltage magnitude, the pulse duration, and the pulse repetition rate. In this paper, a generic pulse-waveform generator (GPG) is proposed, and the GPG topology is based on half-bridge modular multilevel converter (HB-MMC) cells. The GPG topology is formed of four identical arms of series-connected HB-MMC cells forming an H-bridge. Unlike the conventional HB-MMC-based converters in HVdc transmission, the GPG load power flow is not continuous which leads to smaller size cell capacitors utilization; hence, smaller footprint of the GPG is achieved. The GPG topology flexibility allows the controller software to generate a basic multilevel waveform which can be manipulated to generate the commonly used PEF pulse waveforms. Therefore, the proposed topology offers modularity, redundancy, and scalability. The viability of the proposed GPG converter is validated by MATLAB/Simulink simulation and experimentation. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper describes the design, implementation, and comparison of high-voltage capacitor chargers for a solid-state pulsed power modulator (SSPPM). The three different converter topologies are a series resonant converter operating at a discontinuous conduction mode with switching frequency control (SRC_DCM_SFC), a series resonant converter operating at a continuous conduction mode with phase shifted pulse width modulation control (SRC_CCM_PSPWMC), and a series–parallel resonant converter operating at the CCM with SFC (SPRC_CCM_SFC). On the basis of these converter topologies, 10\-kW\rm{average} high-voltage capacitor chargers are designed for the three types of SSPPMs, which have the following maximum output specifications: 1) SRC_DCM_SFC: 60 kV, 300 A, 3 kpps, and 50 \mus; 2) SRC_CCM_PSPWMC: 10 kV, 50 A, 50 kpps, and 10 \mus; and 3) SPRC_CCM_SFC: 40 kV, 150 A, 7 kpps, and 10 \mus. Although the pulse output specifications are different, it is worth comparing the resonant inverter topologies and the control methods from the viewpoint of the losses, control characteristics, and merits and demerits of the high-voltage capacitor chargers. From the analysis and investigation of the three resonant inverters, the design procedure, including the determination of the resonant tank parameters, is provided, which considers the design of the high-voltage capacitor charger. PSPICE simulation is used to elucidate the effects of the resonant tank structure and its parameters, and the resonant current waveform and losses of the Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor are compared. Finally, experiments for each charger are performed under various load conditions, and the comparison results of the three capacitor chargers, including the conduction and switching losses, control characteristics, and overall efficiency, are discussed in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compulsator is a specially designed generator capable of delivering high current pulses to a low-impedance load, such as the electromagnetic railgun. In order to increase the tip speed of the rotor, advanced composite materials have been used in the recent compulsator prototype, which is mentioned as air core instead of the traditional iron core. For typical air-core compulsators, there are no slots and steel teeth to place the armature windings due to the nonmachinability of composite materials. Therefore, concentric windings in racetrack style are often adopted instead of traditional lap winding in most cases, since it is more convenient to be fixed by composite materials. However, overlap occurs at the end winding part for multiphase compulsators, which are not easy to be formed during the manufacture process. In this paper, a fractional slot multiphase air-core compulsator with concentrated windings is proposed and analyzed. The main advantage of fractional slot configuration is that it can offer a concentrated winding structure under certain conditions, which means each coil only spans one “tooth,” and will not cause any intersection between each phase at the end winding. Two referenced fractional slot air-core compulsators with two phases, six poles, and four “slots” or eight “slots” (q = 1/3 and q = 2/3, q is the “slot” per pole per phase) are analyzed and compared with the performance of a traditional integral slot machine. The results indicated that the output voltage and self-excitation performance of a fractional slot compulsator can reach the same level with an integral slot one, and the discharging performance can reach an acceptable level. Thus, the fractional slot multiphase concept can be further used to improve the manufacture process of the winding in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The dual representation of MARX (XRAM) pulse current generator with magnetic flux compression effect is a novel circuit for current multiplication, which has the advantages of both meat grinder and XRAM that are basic circuit topologies. It contributes to the multiplication of current in two aspects: first, increasing current by magnetic flux compression and second, the current can be increased by paralleled inductors. Compared with the standard XRAM topology, the proposed circuit topology can realize a larger factor of current multiplication more easily, and is better than the standard slow transfer of energy through capacitive hybrid meat grinder circuit topology in aspects of scalability and modularity. Meanwhile, its energy density is increased significantly, which is advantageous to the needs of actual electromagnetic launch. In this paper, theoretical analysis is done to illustrate the excellent performance of the proposed topology and preliminary experiment was conducted to demonstrate its feasibility. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A bipolar pulse has been proved to be more advanced in the treatment of tumor because of the elimination of muscle contractions and the effect for ablating nonuniform tissue. In this paper, a new type of modular bipolar pulsed-power generator based on Marx generator with double power charging is proposed. The concept of this generator is charging the two series of capacitors in parallel by two power sources, respectively, and then connecting the capacitors in series through solid-state switches with different control strategies. Utilizing a number of fast solid-state switches, the capacitors can be connected in series with different polarities, so that a positive or negative polarity pulse will be delivered to the load. The simulated models of this generator have been investigated in a PSPICE platform, and a laboratory prototype has been implemented in a laboratory. The simulation and test results verify the operation of the proposed topology in different switching modes. The development of this pulse generator can provide the hardware foundation for the research on biological effect without muscle contraction when the tumors are applied with bipolar pulse electric field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effective control of magnetohydrodynamic instabilities in fusion experiments by means of actively controlled coils calls for challenging dynamic requirements to the relevant power supply (PS) systems. The first part of this paper gives an overview on typical requirements and technological solutions adopted in some present fusion experiments. Then, the advantages of SiC devices with respect to the Si ones are described in this paper, including lower switching losses, higher switching speed, higher operating junction temperature, and higher voltage capability. As an application example, this paper reports on the case of the PS system for resistive wall mode control in the JT-60SA satellite tokamak, where analyses showed the difficulty of satisfying the demanding requirements in terms of high current bandwidth (3 kHz) and short latency ( <50~\mu \texts ) with a simple H-bridge topology adopting standard IGBT. On the contrary, the use of Si–SiC IGBT with the same topology can allow meeting the specifications, as demonstrated by the development and test of such a power amplifier, rated for $300~A_{{\mathrm{pk}}}$ and 240 V. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a pulsed power supply, compensated pulsed alternator (CPA) has high power density and high energy density. In order to compensate the torque and gyroscopic effects during the discharge process and improve the ability of power supply, even number of similar counter-rotating alternators could be used, synchronously running in pairs and connecting in parallel to the load. However, there are unavoidable differences in parameters between machines, and this may result in a large difference between their discharge depth and discharge current waveforms and then cause the loss of life of some machines and rectifier devices as well as the decline of system output. Focusing on the synchronization of CPAs running in pairs, the factors that affect the synchronous operation of the machines are analyzed first. Then, the principle and characteristics of using different excitation circuit topologies to achieve synchronization are studied, and the limitations of such methods are pointed out. Finally, three active synchronization methods are proposed: excitation loop suppression (ELS), startup time regulation, and seed capacitor voltage regulation, hoping to make that the discharge depth tends to be the same and the difference of the discharge current amplitude to be in a small range. Simulation results show that all the three methods have good synchronization effect, and the effect of ELS is the best. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the achievable high force densities, permanent magnet linear machines with transverse flux configurations are gaining increased interest in electromagnetic launch (EML) applications, in which the force density demand is crucial. This paper deals with the design of a tubular transverse flux linear machine (TFLM) targeting EML applications, and the issues pertinent to its topology selection, design optimization, and thermal modeling are discussed. By overall comparison of practical topologies and technologies of the TFLM, a tubular moving-magnet topology with separated flux paths is believed to be more appropriate. Design optimization is then performed to maximize the thrust force under specific volumetric constraints. It is shown that the thrust force is more sensitive to the stator segment length, instead of the magnet thickness. Regarding the overload requirement inherent in EML systems, special focus is given on the thermal characteristics of the TFLM at overload conditions, and it is proved that the machine shows appreciable overload capability. Measurements carried out on a prototype TFLM have validated the predictions. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The energy density of the inductive energy storage systems is one order of magnitude higher than that of the capacitive ones. The slow transfer of energy through capacitive hybrid (STRETCH) meat grinder with inverse current commutation with semiconductor (ICCOS) devices put forward by Tsinghua University is a typical inductive pulsed-power supply for electromagnetic launch system, which has remarkable current amplification ability as a single module. However, one module cannot provide enough amplitude and width for the load current of the railgun launching. Therefore, the collaborative work of multiple inductive source modules is necessary for practical usage. In this paper, the designed inductive power supply system of about 1 MJ is composed of 40 STRETCH meat grinders with ICCOS modules. All the main switches are opened simultaneously to reduce the magnetic field coupling among the modules and make the current rising edge steep. The modules are divided into several groups. The triggering delays of the thyristors between every two adjacent groups are carefully designed. After the first triggers for all the modules, the energy stored in the capacitors can be further utilized with the second triggers. The numerical simulation results show that the appropriate collaborative triggering delay can increase the adjustability of the output current width and the second triggers can further increase the current width and the system efficiency. Therefore, the load current with flat shape, appropriate amplitude, and longer duration can be provided with modular design and collaborate triggering discharge of the multiple modules. This can provide a theoretical foundation for the future study and implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

By applying the principle of inverse current commutation with semiconductor (ICCOS) devices in a slow transfer of energy through capacitive hybrid (STRETCH) meat grinder system, a novel circuit topology called STRETCH meat grinder with ICCOS was proposed by the Tsinghua University in 2013. It can not only raise the amplitude of the opening current, but also reduce the cost of the STRETCH meat grinder circuit obviously by replacing the integrated gate-commutated thyristor (IGCT) with thyristor. This paper discusses the overall design, system implementation, and testing results of a STRETCH meat grinder with ICCOS system with roughly 1-kJ inductive energy. The load is a spiral coil with 1.4- \textm\Omega resistance and 1.4- \mu \textH inductance. With closed-loop control strategy, the system detects the charging current of the inductors. When it reaches the designated value, the triggering signal for ICCOS is delivered and after the predefined delay time, the triggering signal for discharging the voltage on the pulse-forming capacitor is delivered. The current of the inductors and the load are measured by Rogowski coils. The opening current is 1 kA and the maximum load current is close to 4 kA. All the voltages on the switches are lower than 1 kV. The experimental results are consistent with the simulated ones, which verified the correctness of the theoretical analysis and proved the applicability of the STRETCH meat grinder with ICCOS for larger energy level. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Modern accelerator driven experiments like linear colliders or spallation sources are supplied by RF amplifiers using klystrons. The cathode voltage for these klystrons can be generated by long pulse modulators generating highly accurate voltage pulses in the length of milliseconds. Conventional designs using pulse transformers become huge for long pulses. The series-parallel resonant converter (SPRC) topology avoids this drawback as the transformer is operating at high frequencies. This paper presents a comprehensive design approach for SPRC modules, which is based on an optimization procedure containing an electrical model of the resonant circuit and a thermal model of the semiconductors. In addition, an insulation and a leakage design procedure and a thermal model of the transformer are also presented. Finally, this procedure provides the optimal design parameters of the resonant circuit elements. With these parameters, a global optimizer chooses the optimum amount of modules connected in series and/or in parallel to fulfill the given restrictions. The efficiency of a basic SPRC-module is 94.7% with a pulsed power density of 4.63 kW/l. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper describes a modular solid-state switching cell derived from the Marx generator concept to be used in topologies for generating multilevel unipolar and bipolar high-voltage (HV) pulses into resistive loads. The switching modular cell comprises two ON/OFF semiconductors, a diode, and a capacitor. This cell can be stacked, being the capacitors charged in series and their voltages balanced in parallel. To balance each capacitor voltage without needing any parameter measurement, a vector decision diode algorithm is used in each cell to drive the two switches. Simulation and experimental results, for generating multilevel unipolar and bipolar HV pulses into resistive loads are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper proposes a pulsed power supply topology based on the combination of capacitor-diode voltage multiplier and resonant circuit. It generates high output voltage pulses with low ac input voltage using power electronics switches. Based on the type of application, simple or combined mode pulses can be created by proposed topology. The combined mode pulse (wide pulses combined with narrow pulses) generation can be a very good alternative strategy for food sterilization, which can reduce the amount of consumed power and avoid side effects of wide pulses used in the food treatment process. Simulation and experimental results are presented to verify the proposed topology. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Utilization of power electronics converters in pulsed power applications introduced a new series of reliable, long life, and cost-effective pulse generators. However, these converters suffer from the limited power ratings of semiconductor switches, which necessitate introduction of a new family of modular topologies. This paper proposes a modular power electronics converter based on voltage multiplier as a high voltage pulsed power generator. This modular circuit is able to generate flexible high output voltage from low input voltage sources. Circuit topology and operational principles of proposed topology are verified via experimental and simulation results as well as theoretical analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A new pulsed-power generator based on a Marx generator (MG) is proposed in this paper with a reduced number of semiconductor components and with a more efficient load-supplying process. The main idea is to charge two groups of capacitors in parallel through an inductor and take advantage of the resonant phenomenon in charging each capacitor up to twice as the input-voltage level. In each resonant half-cycle, one of those capacitor groups is charged; eventually, the charged capacitors will be connected in series, and the summation of the capacitor voltages are appeared at the output of a pulsed-power converter. This topology can be considered as a modified MG, which works based on the resonant concept. The simulated models of this converter have been investigated in a MATLAB/Simulink platform, and a laboratory prototype has been implemented in a laboratory. The simulation and test results verify the operation of the proposed topology in different switching modes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With inherent strengths in energy density and power density, the inductive pulsed power supplies (IPPS) have become an attractive option for the power supplies in electromagnetic launch systems. The meat grinder circuits, including the slow transfer of energy through capacitive hybrid (STRETCH) meat grinder circuit, the STRETCH meat grinder with inverse current commutation with semiconductor devices circuit, and the meat grinder with self-charged capacitor and thyristors circuit, constitute one major branch among the IPPS circuits. This paper summarizes the fundamental research work and contributions of the meat grinder circuits from the perspectives of circuit improvements, performance analysis, inductor design, module collaboration, and efficiency promotion. The future directions of single IPPS module are higher energy level, larger energy density, and higher efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper presents a power electronics converter to generate bipolar high-voltage pulses using low-voltage dc source. Converter is designed based on charging of different capacitors by a predetermined switching pattern and their discharging on the load for pulsed power applications. Low number of power electronics devices and bulky transformer elimination are main advantages of the proposed converter. According to new findings, bipolar high-voltage pulses may lead to higher efficiency in many applications, such as food sterilization industry. The proposed pulse generator generates bipolar controllable pulses with a modular circuit structure based on a capacitor-switched network. Experimental results are presented to verify the analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In modern information technology, mobile sensor networks (MSNs) play an important role in industrial or military applications, so sensor deployment is a key issue in MSN research. Based on wireless communication theory, hexagonal topology is known to provide the best field coverage, limited nodes, and minimal system cost. In the 2-D dusty plasma physical system, plasma particles are capable of forming a good hexagonal structure based on Yukawa system crystallization. Therefore, this strategy can be applied to node deployment algorithm in MSN applications. For this paper, we used a 2-D dusty plasma simulation in order to provide node deployment for a large sensor network, and, for better performance evaluations, adopted the Delaunay triangulation in order to determine adjacent particles of a given dust particle. Sensor deployment distributions and system performance were carefully examined by considering various values for the shielding length and the computation scale in simulations. Here, we discuss the influence of the shielding rule in Yukawa system crystallization on sensor deployment applications. Our results indicate that the algorithm leads to better field coverage with perfect hexagonal topology, good system uniformity, and lower energy consumption, and can be considered as an aid for fast deployment experiments when thousands of wireless sensors are required within a large-scale area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inductive pulse power supplies are of interest because their energy densities are one order of magnitude higher than those of capacitive power supplies, based on the same power-output capacity. The Institute of Advanced Technology puts forward an inductive pulse power topology called the slow transfer of energy through capacitive hybrid (STRETCH) meat grinder. In this topology, an active switch is used to cut off the charging current. Limited by the current turning off ability of integrated gated commuted thyristor, it may encounter difficulties in extending to higher-energy systems. Other than that, the cost of the system is very high. In this paper, the principle of the STRETCH meat grinder is presented. Then, the STRETCH meat grinder with inverse current commutation with semiconductor devices (ICCOS), which is proposed by the Institute of Saint Louis, is presented. The process of ICCOS in the STRETCH meat grinder is illustrated in detail. Finally, simulations are made based on Simplorer 8 to explain how ICCOS works clearly. A preliminary discussion of how to design ICCOS is also presented. We conclude that the STRETCH meat grinder with ICCOS removes the limitations of the original one and has potential applications for high-energy systems in future and can cut down the cost greatly. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this paper, the pressure behavior is characterized for helical states in the Reversed Field eXperiment-mod plasmas; using the helical coordinates as a reference frame to match data coming from different diagnostics, pressure profile variations have been correlated to magnetic topology changes in plasma. The use of helical frame to integrate diagnostics is also exploited as a tool to identify changes in the electronic heat transport, within a single shot or a reduced shots ensemble, confirming via 1-D and 2-D power balance models the improvement in the plasma performances. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The characteristics of gas discharge are closely related to the features of high-voltage pulses, especially to the rising and falling time of pulse. A parameterized pulse control method based on improved Marx generator is proposed to obtain parameterized nanosecond high-voltage pulses to match different discharge circumstances. Different parameters of nanosecond pulses are realized in real time by parametrical modulating timing sequences of switches in an improved Marx generator. Experimental results indicate that the ability of generating pulses is with 0–20 kV amplitude, 0–1 ms width (flat top), 50–500 ns or faster rising/falling time, below 5% overshoot, and a maximum 5 kHz repetitive frequency at 20 kV on a matched 0–100 pF capacitance load. The shape of pulse waveform including triangular, rectangular, or the combination of the two kinds of pulse waveform can be achieved. The discharge characteristics in the dielectric barrier discharge device driven by the parameterized pulse, especially changing the rising time of pulse, are investigated. The uniform discharge is observed, and the discharge intensity is doubled while reducing the rising time of pulse from 500 to 50 ns, and the intensity of the N2 spectrum increased to 2.5 times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To help design the next generation China Z-pinch driver CZ30, which is a 30 MA driver driven by linear transformer driver (LTD) modules, a new full-circuit simulation code called FCM-CZ30 was established. The code was used to perform simulation of CZ30 coupled with Z-pinch load. The results obtained from FCM-CZ30 are in a good agreement with those obtained from a commercial code called PSpice, which shows that the FCM-CZ30 is a reliable code. The inductance of the LTD system has a significant influence on the rise time of the load current, which is totally different from that in conventional Z-pinch drivers with multistage switches to compress the rise time of the pulse. For a wire-array load with an initial radius of 3.0 cm and a mass per unit length of 15 mg/cm, the peak value and the rise time (10%–90%) of the load current are 33.7 MA and 102.2 ns, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new method to suppress tearing mode and accelerate magnetic island rotation has been explored. To verify this method on the J-TEXT tokamak, a current-pulse power supply is designed to drive the resonant magnetic perturbation coils with a frequency range from 1 to 5 kHz and amplitude of 3 kA, which can create 0.75 G of magnetic perturbation. The current-pulse power supply topology is modified by H-bridge inverter, which can create a bipolar pulsed current. A set of boost capacitors with an isolation diode is added on dc bus just before the inverter. During the current changing time, the boost capacitors can store the energy of inductive load to steepen the current falling edge and create high voltage to accelerate the current rising speed. This modified topology has a rapid current changing edge and the wide range of operating frequency. A small power prototype is built to verify the topology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modern pulsed power technology has its roots in the late 1950s and early 1960s, and it was driven overwhelmingly by applications in national defense carried out by several countries, especially the U.S., U.K., Russia, and China. The following decades, particularly the early 1990s, witnessed an increased interest in compact systems with pulse repetition rate that could be used in nondefense applications such as treatment of material surfaces by plasma and beam interactions, treatment of pollutants, food sterilization, medical applications, etc. This spawned a new generation of pulsed power components (solid-state switches) that led to completely solid-state modulators. This paper describes how the pulsed power technology used originally in beam sources and cathodic arcs has converged to produce power sources for plasma-based ion implantation (PBII) and related technologies. The present state of the art is reviewed, and prospects for future advances are described, especially for PBII. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the design and implementation of a prototype 30-kW (or 30-kJ/s) pulsed-power supply for capacitor charging. The system operates at 200-kHz maximum switching frequency, which is considerably higher than the conventional practice at this power level, leading to smaller passive components. A high power density of 143 \W/in^3 is achieved with the converter operating at a high ambient temperature of 65 ^\circ\C with 90 ^\circ\C cooling oil, by utilizing various technologies on topology, control, devices, passives, and thermal management. The experimental results demonstrate that the converter meets the performance requirements while achieving a high power density. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]