2016 IEEE Power Modulator and High Voltage Conference

PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS OF AN ALL SOLID STATE LINEAR TRANSFORMER DRIVER (LTD)

8 Jul 2016, 16:45

15m

Gold Ballroom (Palace Hotel San Francisco)

Oral Presentation Solid State Power Modulators, Components, and Systems Oral 12

Speaker

Landon Collier (Texas Tech University)

Description

L. Collier, J. Dickens, J. Mankowski, and A. Neuber *Center for Pulsed Power and Power Electronics (CP³E), Texas Tech University, 2500 Broadway Ave. Lubbock, TX 79409 USA* The performance of an all solid state linear transformer driver (LTD) is evaluated based on experimentally verified behavior of a single stage. While the majority of high voltage pulse generators for HPM generation and industrial food processing applications rely on high voltage spark gap switches¹, an all solid state LTD is presented as a possible alternative for this pulsed power regime. The single-stage LTD utilizes a low-profile design² with robust thyristor switches and high energy density mica capacitors to minimize overall system inductance. Sub-nanosecond jitter is achieved with simultaneous thyristor triggering. The stage is magnetically coupled to a secondary winding through a central Nanocrystalline core. A DC current source, decoupled with a large inductance, actively resets the core during pulsed operation. The overall result is a low-impedance (<1 Ω per stage) pulse generator that rivals the performance of traditional Marx systems with the improved reliability, increased lifetime, and fast rep-rate capabilities of solid-state switches. The single-stage LTD is constructed in a cylindrical arrangement with a radius of 60 cm and height of 2.54 cm. The stage is tested with charging voltages up to 8 kV into various loads and compared with simulations based on an analog behavioral thyristor switch model previously developed³ at Texas Tech University. The simulation is expanded into a full-scale, 40-stage LTD simulation and analyzed for viability in driving HPM sources, such as a vircator. 1. Y. J. Chen, A. A. Neuber, J. Mankowski, J.C. Dickens, M. Kristiansen, and R. Gale, “Design and Optimization of a Compact, Repetitive, High-Power Microwave System”, Review of Scientific Instruments, 76, 104703 (2005). 2. Collier, L.; Walls, M.B.; Dickens, J.; Mankowski, J.; Neuber, A., "Solid state linear transformer driver (LTD) development for HPM sources," in Pulsed Power Conference (PPC), 2015 IEEE, vol., no., pp.1-4, May 31 2015-June 4 2015. 3. Walls, M.B.; Fierro, A.; Dickens, J.; Mankowski, J.; Neuber, A., "Thyristor model development for low impedance load pulse generator simulation," in Plasma Sciences (ICOPS) held with 2014 IEEE International Conference on High-Power Particle Beams (BEAMS), 2014 IEEE 41st International Conference on, vol., no., pp.1-4, 25-29 May 2014.