A High-Power Capacitor Charger Using IGCTs in a Boost Converter Topology

A compact high-power capacitor charger with a boost converter topology is developed using high-power integrated gate-commutated thyristors as switches and a high-energy density coil as inductive buffer storage. This paper describes the design and the corresponding experimental investigations of the charger in combination with a powerful dc current source, a flywheel energy storage system. A 900-μF capacitor could be charged up to ~ 5 kV within 100 ms. The average charging power of the converter is . The results show that the described capacitor charger is a cost-effective and compact alternative to commercially available products.