Trapezoidal Approximation of LCC Resonant Converter and Design of a Multistage Capacitor Charger for a Solid-State Marx Modulator

This paper describes the circuit of a capacitor charger for a solid-state Marx modulator. A high-efficiency LCC resonant inverter is proposed for the simultaneous charging of many capacitors in parallel using a multistage transformer and rectifier. Using a high-voltage insulation cable, the charging loop, which represents the primary winding of transformer, is implemented to transfer the power from the resonant inverter to each stage. In addition to the simultaneous charging of separate capacitors, the advantages of the proposed circuit and structure include compact design and reliable insulation performance against high-voltage pulses. Based on the relevant approximation, the simplified analysis of an LCC resonant converter with a trapezoidal shape of resonant current is provided and a 50-kW high-voltage capacitor charger is designed for a 40-kV solid-state Marx modulator. The power stage, which consists of a transformer with four voltage-doubled rectifiers, is designed, and six power stages are configured for generating a pulse output of 40 kV. The detailed implementation of the multistage transformer and rectifier is presented in accordance with the design requirements of a high voltage modulator. Finally, the developed charger achieves 96% of the maximum efficiency and 0.96 of the maximum power factor. The experimental results verify that the proposed circuit and structure can be effectively used for a solid-state Marx modulator.