A three-stage Inductive Voltage Adder for industrial applications

We report on an Inductive Voltage Adder (IVA) development designated for industrial applications like electroporation, environmental applications, etc. The I VA described is a three-stage demonstrator which shows the feasibility of using conventional high power IGBT semiconductor switch modules instead of spark gaps or arrays of low-power IGBTs. The pulse generator described produces pulses with peak voltages and currents of 12kV and 6kA, respectively, at a pulse duration of typically 1μs FWHM (full width at half maximum). The I VA is tested in single pulse mode and at low repetition rates due to load and power supply constrictions; the maximum pulse repetition rate, however, is estimated to be around 2 kHz without additional forced cooling of the semiconductor switches considering the thermal properties of the components. At this pulse reprate, the average power delivered to the load will be around 100 kW, and the temperature of the semiconductor switch dies is calculated to increase to 110°C at an ambient temperature of up to 60°C. The technology of the I VA driven with semiconductor switches promises a higher lifetime, higher pulse repetition rate and average power, higher reliability and lower maintenance requirements for the pulsed power generator as compared to pulse generators utilizing spark gap switches.