Compact modular power supplies for superconducting inductive storage and for capacitor charging

Abstract

The power supply systems for future electric weapons in mobile applications require energy storage devices that feature high power densities. These can either be superconducting inductive energy storage systems or high-voltage capacitors. In future mobile applications these pulse storage devices will most likely be energized from an intermediate storage buffer, like the magnetodynamic storage (MDS), a flywheel type storage device. In order to match impedances during the charging process, electronic power supply units are required as interfaces. This paper presents an 80 kVA/2000 A power supply needed to charge a superconducting coil as well as a 200 kVA power supply for charging a 200 kJ/24 kV capacitor. Both power supply systems are designed to meet the requirements of future vehicle applications, as far as volume, mass and shock tolerances are concerned. The switches are liquid-cooled high-speed IGBTs. A resonant topology is used to minimize the switching losses of the IGBTs. A useful feature is the modular architecture with the possibility to operate several of the power supply units in parallel, synchronized by a master unit.