Simulation and Implementation of a 350kV, 50mA High Voltage DC Generator for Particle Accelerator Applications

High-Voltage DC power supplies are required for the injection of charged particles into accelerators or for the injection of cluster ions into fusion devices to heat the plasma and drive the plasma current. The typical voltage of the HV power supplies is in the range of several kilovolts and currents in the range of hundreds of milli-amperes. Though many technologies are available in the commercial HVDC system, the unique requirements of the HV system for the above mentioned applications have some typical parameters which cannot be met by the available technologies. The unique requirements of the HV system are low ripple output voltage, good regulation, and less stored energy. This paper describes the design features and developmental aspects of a 350kV, 50mA High Voltage DC (HVDC) generator in detail. Circuit simulation of DC Generator has been carried out using PSIM software and its electric field analysis was carried out with the help of COMSOL Multi physics software. The design of the HVDC generator is based on a symmetrical Cockcroft-Walton voltage multiplier with a high-frequency front-end converter operating at a frequency of few tens of kilohertz. The use of high frequency gives us the advantages of less ripple, good regulation, faster response, and minimum stored energy in the system. The high-frequency operation also allows us to use smaller capacitors and magnetic parts thus minimizing the weight of components and improving the portability of the system. High Voltage DC generator has been designed and constructed in a modular fashion for the ease of assembling, maintainability, and repair-ability. The High Voltage DC Generator developed has other features such as being compact in size, with minimal footprint, cost-effective, and easily upgradable to higher voltages. An environment-friendly pressurized nitrogen (UHP grade) gas at 2 bar is being used as the insulation of the High voltage DC Generator. The 350kV, 50mA HVDC generator shall be used for several applications within IPR related to the particle accelerator.