Design and model of series-connected high-voltage DC multipliers

Abstract

The generation of high dc voltages is necessary for feeding many technical applications and testing the insulation material of high-voltage dc transmission lines and ac power cables with long lengths. The article proposes a modular multiplier high-voltage dc generator with integrated Cockcroft–Walton (CW) circuits. In this new topology, CW circuits are connected in series to produce a high dc output voltage with low regulation factor (<2%) and a negligible ripple factor without the need for costly filters to produce a nearly constant output voltage. The modules are fed by low input ac voltage sources that have the same magnitude and frequency. Numerical simulations using MATLAB/Simulink confirm the viability of the proposed generator. The generator is finally validated by experimental tests on a kV-size prototype.