Using a simulation technique for switched-mode high-voltage power supplies performance study

Nuclear experiments need precise and accurate high-voltage power supply for their transducers to maintain their performance. The basic switching power supply unit, which is used for this purpose, consists of a DC-to-DC power converter, an error amplifier and a power amplifier. In this paper, a PC software simulation tool is employed to analyze the performance of two different schemes for the DC-to-DC power converter voltage regulation based on a pulsewidth modulation chip. The behavior of both schemes from power on or load application to steady state is investigated in terms of recovery time, which is important for the transducer's accuracy and, hence, accuracy of measurement. From simulation results, the first scheme is found to recover faster than the second one after load application, and the second scheme suffers from 3% overshoot in the transient response. The first scheme has been constructed practically in a circuit for a 0-2 kV/1 mA supply, and its performance agrees well with simulation results. However, by tuning of the second scheme controller, faster recovery is achieved. Moreover, due to the architecture of the two schemes, the second scheme is more energy efficient.