Study on the Current Waveform Optimization for Multi-Phase Air-Core Pulsed Alternators

This article proposes a modified adaptive genetic algorithm (GA) to realize the current waveform optimization for multi-phase air-core pulsed alternators (ACPA). ACPA plays an important role in the field of pulsed power supply. Driving the electromagnetic launch needs a rectangular current pulse. By controlling the trigger angles of each phase, the multi-phase ACPA pulse driving system provides more flexibility to obtain desired current waveform. However, the multi-phase ACPA system is complex and the number of optimization variables is large. This article has investigated the modeling and pulse shaping for an eight-phase ACPA. First, the generalized direct and quadrature (DQ) model of then-phase ACPA system was formulated based on the generalized Parker’s transform matrix. The simulation results indicated that the new model has acceptable accuracy. Then, a modified adaptive GA has been proposed with a new mutation operator and crossover operator for current waveform optimization. The simulation experiments were performed using MATLAB. The simulation results showed that the proposed algorithm was effective, with an 8.79% improvement over the traditional GA. Finally, a discharge experiment for the ACPA prototype has been conducted. Experiment results indicated the prototype could release a high-current pulsed discharge current and verified the effectiveness of the proposed DQ model.