Design of a Pulsewidth-Modulated Resonant Converter for a High-Output-Voltage Power Supply

The design and fabrication of a parallel resonant converter circuit and a high-frequency step-up transformer used to supply an adjustable dc voltage to a load is described. The 500-W system is operated from 115/230 V single-phase 60-Hz power, which is rectified and filtered to form a 310-V dc link. A two-transistor half-bridge circuit operating at a fixed frequency above the circuits resonant frequency converts the dc voltage to an ac voltage at approximately 20 kHz. This high-frequency voltage is transformed with a low-capacitance oil-impregnated ferrite transformer. The output voltage is rectified to form a dc voltage with a maximum value of 90-kV peak. The output voltage is adjustable using pulsewidth modulation of the conduction time of the two transistors in the power circuit. The energy stored in the resonant circuit provides a sinusoidal transformer voltage at fixed frequency over a wide range of control. The system is provided with a closed-loop peak-voltage regulator and an on-off capability from the control electronics. The transformer is designed for a specific value of inductance and capacitance to operate at the desired resonant frequency and characteristic impedance.