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Portable DC Supply Based on Sic Power Devices for High-Voltage Marx Generator

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Portable DC Supply Based on Sic Power Devices for High-Voltage Marx Generator electronics Article Portable DC Supply Based on SiC Power Devices for High-Voltage Marx Generator Jacek R ˛abkowski* , Andrzej Łasica , Mariusz Zdanowski , Grzegorz Wrona and Jacek Starzy ´nski Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Warsaw University of Technology, ul. Koszykowa 75, 00-662 Warsaw, Poland; [email protected] (A.Ł.); [email protected] (M.Z.); [email protected] (G.W.); [email protected] (J.S.) * Correspondence: [email protected] Abstract: The paper describes major issues related to the design of a portable SiC-based DC supply developed for evaluation of a high-voltage Marx generator. This generator is developed to be a part of an electromagnetic cannon providing very high voltage and current pulses aiming at the destruction of electronics equipment in a specific area. The portable DC supply offers a very high voltage gain: input voltage is 24 V, while the generator requires supply voltages up to 50 kV. Thus, the system contains two stages designed on the basis of SiC power devices operating with frequencies up to 100 kHz. At first, the input voltage is boosted up to 400 V by a non-isolated double-boost converter, and then a resonant DC-DC converter with a special transformer elevates the voltage to the required level. In the paper, the main components of the laboratory setup are presented, and experimental results of the DC supply and whole system are also shown. Keywords: Marx generator; high-voltage; SiC; DC-DC converters; DC supply Citation: R ˛abkowski,J.; Łasica, A.; Zdanowski, M.; Wrona, G.; Starzy´nski,J. Portable DC Supply 1. Introduction Based on SiC Power Devices for Marx generators are still the most popular systems used to generate high-voltage High-Voltage Marx Generator. pulses. In addition to the typical microsecond voltage surges used to test power de- Electronics 2021, 10, 313. https:// vices in accordance with the PN-EN 60060-1 standard [1], tests using pulses with a rise doi.org/10.3390/electronics10030313 time of nanoseconds are becoming more and more common. They are used in indus- try [2–4], medicine [5] and scientific research, where they are used for electroporation- Academic Editors: Pedro J. Villegas and Juan A. Martín-Ramos defunctionalization of cell membranes [6,7], which can be used for sterilization, but also Received: 31 December 2020 for the penetration of cells and their organelles by chemical compounds (e.g., drugs) or Accepted: 25 January 2021 genetic material. However, most applications of this type of pulses are in electromagnetic Published: 28 January 2021 compatibility [8,9], where they can simulate nuclear electromagnetic pulses (NEMPs) or high-altitude electromagnetic pulses (HEMPs) when testing civil or military equipment, Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral e.g., according to the MIL-STD-461 standard [10,11]. Examples of such generators can be with regard to jurisdictional claims in found in the portfolio of different companies, such as in [12]; however, the pulses produced published maps and institutional affil- by the generators of the mentioned manufacturer show a rise time of 2.3 ± 0.5 ns and are iations. charged from DC power supplies with voltages of 0.2 kV to 25 kV, with positive polarity only [13]. Tests with the use of this type of generator are often performed outside laborato- ries, on open training grounds [14]. Hence, it is recommended that the design of the DC power supply should be as light and compact as possible, which will facilitate transport. Copyright: © 2021 by the authors. An additional advantage will be the battery power supply, which enables conducting Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. research even on test sites not equipped with auxiliary infrastructure. Such a system This article is an open access article requires portable DC power supplies providing voltages up to 50 kV but with the feed distributed under the terms and from low-voltage batteries. conditions of the Creative Commons Taking into account these requirements, a portable DC power supply has been de- Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// veloped on the basis of silicon carbide (SiC) power device technology. The first step of creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ the research was a literature review in the area of high-voltage power supplies and it 4.0/). Electronics 2021, 10, 313. https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics10030313 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/electronics Electronics 2021, 10, x FOR PEER REVIEW 2 of 14 observed that most solutions use various types of transformer-based DC-DC converters [15–22]. In [15–17], a single active bridge was applied, while in some other works, a reso- Electronics 2021, 10, 313 nant converter can be found [19–22]. What is also interesting is a series connection2 of 14 of the DC-DC converters: a parallel-input series-output structure was discussed in [18], while a special topology was developed in [22], and in [19], a voltage multiplier was applied. Most of thewas solutions observed are that supplied most solutions from usethe various voltage types in the of transformer-basedrange of hundreds DC-DC of volts convert- (i.e., three- phaseers rectifier) [15–22]. In and [15 –use17], single-stage a single active DC-DC bridge was conversion applied, while to reach in some the otheroutput works, voltage a in a requiredresonant kV converterrange. All can in be all, found in most [19– 22cases,]. What traditional is also interesting silicon ispower a series devices connection were of applied the DC-DC converters: a parallel-input series-output structure was discussed in [18], while for operating, in most cases at tens of kHz. Therefore, the goal of this work was to verify a special topology was developed in [22], and in [19], a voltage multiplier was applied. the performanceMost of the solutions of new are SiC supplied power from devices. the voltage Then in, as the the range voltage of hundreds of the of input volts (i.e.,batteries is ratherthree-phase low, a two-stage rectifier) andsystem use single-stage was considered DC-DC with conversion an additional to reach thenon-isolated output voltage boost con- verter.in aThe required expected kV range. gain All of inthis all, converter in most cases, was traditional relatively silicon high power (up to devices 18); thus, were several conceptsapplied were for operating,reviewed instarting most cases from at the tens charge of kHz. pump Therefore, [23] thethrough goal of to this impedance work was source topologiesto verify [24,25]. the performance Finally, the of newdouble-boost SiC power devices.topology Then, [26] aswas the found voltage to of be the most input suitable; batteries is rather low, a two-stage system was considered with an additional non-isolated however, SiC devices are considered to reduce the size of the passive components. boost converter. The expected gain of this converter was relatively high (up to 18); thus, several concepts were reviewed starting from the charge pump [23] through to impedance 2. Thesource Setup topologies of the Marx [24,25]. Generator Finally, the double-boost topology [26] was found to be most suitable;The main however, goal of SiC the devices Marx are generator considered to to be reduce supplied the size is ofto the generate passive components.nanosecond high- voltage2. The pulses Setup for of theexposure Marx Generator tests of electronic equipment. The generator load will be a Ω stripline Theimpedance main goal of of 130 the Marx and generator the expected to be supplied output voltage is to generate from nanosecond the generator high- is 1 MV. Therefore,voltage taking pulses forinto exposure account tests the ofavailable electronic supply equipment. systems The and generator 50 kV-rated load will capacitors, be a it was striplinedecided impedance to build a of 20-stage 130 W and system the expected (Figure output 1a). voltageThe capacitance from the generator of each is capacitor 1 MV. is 8 nF, whileTherefore, the predicted taking into repetition account the time available of the supply generated systems pulses and 50 is kV-rated 1 Hz. Therefore, capacitors, in total, the DCit was power decided supply to build must a 20-stage charge the system 160 (Figure nF capacity1a). The to capacitance 50 kV in less of eachthancapacitor 1 s. As charging resistors,is 8 nF, volume while the resistors predicted were repetition used, time whic of theh are generated immune pulses to short-term is 1 Hz. Therefore, current in pulses, total, the DC power supply must charge the 160 nF capacity to 50 kV in less than 1 s. As temporarilycharging resistors,significantly volume exceeding resistors were the used,rated which long-term are immune current to short-term of these currentresistors. The Ω valuepulses, of each temporarily resistor marked significantly as R exceedingc in Figure the 1a rated is 6 long-term k . The currentgenerator of these structure resistors. itself was placedThe in value a sealed of each housing resistor marked (Figure as R2a).c in Duri Figureng1a the is 6 kgenerator’sW. The generator operation, structure a itselfpressure of severalwas atmospheres placed in a sealed was housing maintained (Figure 2ina). the During housing, the generator’s which protected operation, athe pressure system of against surfaceseveral discharges atmospheres at higher was maintained charging involtages. the housing, Due which to the protected fact that the strong system electromagnetic against surface discharges at higher charging voltages. Due to the fact that strong electromagnetic disturbances are generated in the vicinity of the measuring setup during the generation disturbances are generated in the vicinity of the measuring setup during the generation of high-voltageof high-voltage pulses, pulses, it it was was necessary necessary to to place place the the DC DC power power supply suppl in ay sealed in a sealed metal metal housinghousing (Faraday (Faraday cage), cage), and and communication communication between between the the user user and theand power the power supply supply neededneeded to be to becarried carried out out via via a fiberfiber optic optic link.
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