Flyback resonant charger for high repetition rate pseudospark pulse generator

A compact resonant capacitor charging power supply, incorporating a fly-back transformer and high power IGBT module is presented. The power supply is developed for rapidly charging a Pulse Forming Network (PFN) which is then switched by a commercial Pseudospark device. Rapid charging of the PFN enables the Pseudospark pulse generator to operate at the high repetition rate required for transient plasma ignition experiments. Based on fly-back architecture, the output voltage of the charger can be controlled by adjusting the on-time of the IGBT. This eliminates the need for a precisely controlled DC power supply, reducing the size and cost significantly compared with the alternative forward resonant charging architecture. The Flyback resonant power supply can charge a 21 nF PFN to 30 kV within 20us. Operation is burst mode with maximum 100 pulses per burst at 4 kHz repetition rate.