A high power DC to DC converter for ion engine control

The authors describe the operation and design of a DC to DC converter module which forms part of a spacecraft high-voltage ion engine power supply. Some of the important power supply design requirements are summarised and a power converter topology is chosen which is capable of operating with virtually lossless, zero-voltage switching conditions. In order to obtain a high output voltage using modestly rated rectifier diodes, a split secondary configuration is adopted and a regenerative clamp circuit is used to control the diode bridge switching transient. Full experimental results are provided and a full-load efficiency of 95% is reported