Analysis and Design of an LCL-T Resonant Converter as a Constant-Current Power Supply

An LCL-T resonant converter (LCL-T RC) is shown to behave as a current source when operated at resonant frequency. A detailed analysis of the LCL-T RC for this property is presented. Closed-form expressions for converter gain, component stresses, and the condition for converter design optimized for minimum size of resonant network is derived. A design procedure is illustrated with a prototype 200-W 20-A current-source power supply and experimental results are presented. The LCL-T RC as a current source offers many advantages such as easy parallel operation and low circulating currents at light load. Additionally, with appropriate phase shift in paralleled modules, the peak-peak ripple in output current is reduced and the ripple frequency is increased, reducing filtering requirements. The leakage inductance of a transformer can be advantageously integrated into the resonant network. These merits make the topology applicable in various applications such as magnet power supply, capacitor charging power supply, laser diode drivers, etc.