High step-up converter with partial energy processing for livestock stunning applications

This paper presents a high step-up converter associated with a full-bridge inverter for livestock stunning applications. The proposed converter adopts a two-stage converter and uses partial energy processing to reduce voltage stress and switching loss, and to improve conversion efficiency. In addition, switches in the proposed converter are operated in a complementary manner to reduce component counts and circuit structure complexity. Compared with the conventional two-stage step-up converter and that with switch integration, the proposed converter can improve conversion efficiency of 4-6% over that with two-stage under full load condition, and can reduce cost of that with the switch integration. In this paper, mechanism of livestock stunning is first reviewed and then, the desired stunning voltage waveforms and parameter auto-tuning algorithm are proposed. The output voltage waveforms generated from the converter and inverter are with frequency varying from 50 Hz to 800 Hz, amplitude varying from zero to its breakdown voltage, as high as 200 V, and duty ratio changing from 0.3 to 0.7. Performance measurements from a prototype have verified the parameter auto-tuning algorithm and feasibility of the overall system design