Principles and Design of an Integrated Magnetics Structure for Electrochemical Applications

This paper presents a design approach for a contactless energy transfer Integrated Magnetics (IM) structure used as a Current Doubler Rectifier (CDR). The proposed IM-CDR is suitable for electrochemical wasterwater treatment applications where a low voltage high current power converter is required for treatment. Electrochemical wastewater treatment is a promising treatment technology that has several advantages compared to the traditional biological methods currently employed in the mining industry. However, the technology still suffers from high operating cost due to the conduction losses associated with the high current requirements utilized in treatment. In addition, the mechanical constraints imposed by the electrochemical reactor design require a separation between the primary and secondary sides of the isolation transformer which posses additional cost and safety issues. This paper proposes a contactless energy transfer design that integrates the magnetic components of the discrete CDR into one magnetic structure. This saves real estate space, reduces the treatment operating cost, and allows for the physical separation of the primary and secondary sides of the transformer. In addition, the proposed design allows the designer to relate the required electrical characteristics of the discrete CDR to the design parameters of the integrated magnetic design.