A Four Quadrant Magnet Power Supply for Superconducting and Conventional Accelerator Applications

Modern conventional and superconducting accelerators often require bipolar power supplies capable of operating with high precision from zero to full output. An SCR type power supply comprised of two SCR bridges and operating with circulating current does an excellent job of satisfying this difficult requirement. Power supplies of this type are often called fourquadrant or dual converter power supplies with circulating current. The basic principles and design considerations of this converter are discussed with particular emphasis on the advantages of the converter. Application of the dual converter to high precision bipolar magnet current control within the Fermilab Saver/Doubler project is presented.