Low cost pulsed electric field generator using DC-DC boost converter and capacitor diode voltage multiplier

Abstract

Traditional high-voltage pulse generators, like Marx generators often face challenges related to efficiency and complexity. In this paper, a solid-state multi-module high-voltage pulse generator that integrates capacitor-diode voltage multipliers (CDVM) with DC-DC boost converters and closed-loop voltage control is proposed to overcome these challenges. The system achieves high output voltage by coupling the pulsed output voltages of individual low-voltage DC sources in series across each module. The proposed design was modeled using MATLAB, and experimental testing was conducted on a single stage. Comparative analyses between timedomain parameters, proportional-integral (PI), and fractional order proportional integral derivative (FOPID) controllers were performed. Both MATLAB simulations and experimental validations demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach. The rise time, peak time, settling time, and steady-state error are all improved using an FOPID controller, decreasing from 0.32 to 0.31 seconds, 0.42 to 0.35 seconds, and 3.15 to 2.20 seconds, respectively. These findings indicate that a closed-loop FOPID controller enhances time-domain performance parameters more effectively than a PI controller for a two-stage DC-DC voltage multiplier.