An analytical investigation on the efficiency of a magnetic frequency tripler with series-connected reactors

A numerical analysis of a magnetic frequency tripler with series-connected reactors and the maximum efficiency under the optimum setting of core dimensions is described. The steady-state values of voltage, current, power, efficiency, and power factor are calculated by using the numerical method where the φ-i characteristics of saturable reactor are approximated by a fifth-order polynomial as a function of core dimensions. The core loss, iron loss, and leakage inductance are included in the equivalent circuit for the numerical analysis. The maximum efficiency is obtained by maximizing the performance index which is derived from numerical results for various values of number of turns, air gap length, and core area as parameters. It is analytically shown that the basic tripler circuit without a LC filter achieves such high efficiency as 90 percent and over. The maximum efficiency of the tripler circuit with the LC filter is about 80 percent.