A Compact Microsecond-Pulse Generator Used for Surface Dielectric Barrier Discharges

Surface dielectric barrier discharges (SDBDs) have prospects for a wide variety of applications in the field of flow control. In order to study the characteristics of SDBDs excited using microsecond pulses, a compact microsecond-pulse generator with square pulses is developed and tested. The output voltage has amplitudes of 0~10 kV, pulse repetition rates of 1~5 kHz, and pulsewidths of 5~30 μs. The square voltage has a rise time of 120 ns and a fall time of 12 μs. Moreover, the working principle of the main circuit and drive circuit is introduced. The microsecond-pulse generator is tested without a load. The results show that the pulsed generator has a stable output and the drive circuit can effectively synchronously trigger IGBT switches. Furthermore, the effects of the output parameters of the generator on SDBDs characteristics are investigated. The experimental results show discharge currents occur both on the rise time and on the fall time of the voltage. The discharge mainly occurs at the rise time, and the discharge current increases with the voltage amplitude. The pulsewidth and repetition rate have little influence on discharge current.