VISVESVARAYA TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY

BELAGAVI, KARNATAKA-590018

PHASE – 1 PROJECT REPORT

ON
HIGH VOLTAGE MARX GENERATOR (IMPULSE GENERATOR)
USING IGBT

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the award of the degree
Bachelor of Engineering
In
Electrical & Electronics Engineering
SUBMITTED BY

A R GOUTAM 1SG16EE001

JEEVAN KUMAR R 1SG16EE037

DILIP CHAKRAVARTHY V 1SG17EE406

ANIL H K 1SG17EE407

Under the guidance of:

Dr. K. N. RAVI Mrs. S N REKHA
Professor& HOD Asst.Professor
Department of EEE Department of EEE

Department of Electrical & Electronics Engineering

SAPTHAGIRI COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
Hesarghatta Main Road, Bengaluru-560057
2019-2020
 Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering

CERTIFICATE
Certified that the project work entitled “HIGH VOLTAGE MARX
GENERATOR(IMPULSE GENERATOR) USING IGBT” is carried out collectively by
A R GOUTAM bearing USN [1SG16EE001], JEEVAN KUMAR R bearing
USN[1SG16EE037],DILIP CHAKRAVARTHY V bearing USN[1SG16EE406],ANIL
H K bearing USN[1SG16EE407] bonafide students of EEE Dept. in partial
fulfillment for the award of degree in Bachelor of Engineering at Sapthagiri College
of Engineering affiliated to Visvesvaraya Technological University, Belagavi for the
Academic year 2019-2020. It is certified that all corrections/suggestions indicated
for internal assessment have been incorporated in the report deposited in the
departmental library. The project report has been approved as it satisfies the
academic requirements in respect of project work prescribed for the Bachelor of
Engineering Degree.

---------------------- ----------------------
Dr. K N RAVI Mrs. S N REKHA
PROFESSOR & HOD Asst.PROFESSOR
DEPT OF EEE DEPT OF EEE

-----------------------------
Dr. H RAMAKRISHNA
Principal, SCE
Bangalore

External Viva

Name of the examiners Signature with date

1.
2.
 ACKNOWLEDGMENT

Firstly, we are very grateful to the management of our esteemed institution

“SAPTHAGIRI COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING” for providing us an opportunity to
pursue our degree course.

We express our sincere thanks to our Principal Dr. H RAMAKRISHNA for

providing us with adequate facilities to undertake this project.

We would like to thank Dr. K.N. RAVI, H.O.D. of Electrical and Electronics
Engineering Department and Mrs. S N REKHA Prof. of Electrical and Electronics
Engineering Department for providing us an opportunity and for their invaluable
support. We would also like to take this opportunity to express our gratitude for
the support and guidance extended to us by the faculty members of the Electrical
and Electronics Engineering Department.

And lastly, we would hereby acknowledge and thank our parents and friends who
have been a source of inspiration and also instrumental in the successful project
work.

A R GOUTAM 1SG16EE001
JEEVAN KUMAR R 1SG16EE037
DILIP CHAKRAVARTHY V 1SG17EE406
ANIL H K 1SG17EE407
 HIGH VOLTAGE MARX GENERATOR USING IGBT

CONTENTS PAGE NUMBER

ABSTRACT 2
INTRODUCTION 3-4
OBJECTIVE 5
LITERATURE SURVEY 6-7
BLOCK DIAGRAM 8
CIRCUIT DIAGRAM 9
PRINCIPLE OF OPERATION 10
COMPONENTS 11-12
WORK CARRIED OUT 13
WORK TO BE DONE 14
REFERENCES 15-16

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 HIGH VOLTAGE MARX GENERATOR USING IGBT

ABSTRACT

In this paper, a new architecture of a high voltage Marx pulse generator based on
IGBTs is proposed. It allows continuous control of the output voltage by acting on
the IGBTs activation time: "On-time". The final after-charging capacitors' voltage
can be higher than the double of the input voltage. A simplified mathematical
description of the system was developed in order to find a relation between the
output voltage and the "On-time" (an open-loop control law). A SPICE simulation
was implemented to check the expected performances and to verify the developed
model. A three stages generator was built according to the proposed structure using
commercial IGBTs with a maximum output voltage of 3.6 kilovolts. All results
were compared to check and confirm the validity of the proposed architecture

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 HIGH VOLTAGE MARX GENERATOR USING IGBT

INTRODUCTION

Marx generator is one of the most popular pulse generators ever due to its simple
structure and limited efficiency. It has been used for decades to produce high
voltage electrical pulses in an uncountable number of applications. It was 1st
described by ERWIN OTTO MARX in 1924, many changes and improvements
were added to the original generator in order to improve performance. A big part of
these changes affected the switching system because it influences considerably the
dynamic of the generator. One of the leading candidates to substitute spark-gaps is
semiconductor switches such as thyristors, BJTs, MOSFETs, and IGBTs.

In this project, we’re interested especially in IGBTs. It is one of the most

successful solutions in power electronics due to its interesting properties such as
high switching frequency, acceptable power range, simple driving and the most
important is its full controllability. The IGBT concept was discovered and
developed in the early 1980s to provide an improved alternate power device to
bipolar power transistors. It represents the true MOS-bipolar integration in the
sense of intermingling the operation physics of MOSFETs with those of bipolar
transistors. In other words, it combines the advantages of the bipolar transistor with
those of MOSFET. IGBTs can handle higher voltage and current than the power
MOSFETs, so for high power systems, IGBTs are more convenient to avoid the
combination of MOSFETs in series and in parallel which complicates the driving
system and raises the switching losses. The important point is the rise time.

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Eventually, the use of IGBT s to build pulse generators opens the horizon to a
large number of possibilities. However, all the works share the same
limitations: the output voltage is proportional to the product of the input
supply voltage by the number of stages. In other words, to change the output
voltage, we must change the input voltage or the number of stages
contributing to the firing. This can create some problems especially in some
applications where the output voltage must be rigorously controlled. In order
to surpass this limitation, we have developed a new architecture. It has the
ability to produce a controllable voltage from constant input supply and
without changing the structure of the generator.

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OBJECTIVE

 Many improvements were done to improve performance but

all had the same limitations: To change O/P voltage we must
change I/P voltage which causes problem where O/p voltage
must be rigorously controlled.

 So this new architecture has the ability to produce a

controllable voltage from constant input supply and without
changing the structure of the generator.

 The main objective is to develop an impulse generator with a

time period of 1.2/50microsecond used to test insulation
withstand capacity of any equipment. The generated waveform
is measured in a CRO under lab conditions.

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LITERATURE SURVEY

This section summarizes the development and studies that have taken place in
the leading countries of the world in the Acknowledgment field of risks
involved in impulse testing and its effect on insulation.

 AUTHOR: Yahia ACHOUR, Jacek STARZY´NSKI,Andrzej ŁASICA

In this paper, a new architecture of a high voltage Marx pulse generator based on
IGBTs is proposed. It allows continuous control of the output voltage by acting on
the IGBTs activation time: ”On-time”. The final after-charging capacitors’ voltage
can be higher than the double of the input voltage. A simplified mathematical
description of the system was developed in order to find a relation between the
output voltage and the ”On-time” (an open-loop control law). A SPICE simulation
was implemented to check the expected performances and to verify the developed
model. A three stages generator was built according to the proposed structure using
commercial IGBTs with a maximum output voltage of 3.6 kilovolts. All results
were compared to check and confirm the validity of the proposed architecture.

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 HIGH VOLTAGE MARX GENERATOR USING IGBT

 AUTHOR: Zikang Yang, Lan Xiong, Xiaojie Ye, Bo Long

High voltage pulse sterilization is a new type of non-thermal sterilization

technology whose mechanism is that high intensity pulsed electric field can
destroy the cell membrane of bacteria instantaneously, so as to induce
bacterial death. Considering the harmfulness of biological slime or biofouling
to the circulating cooling water system which is produced by the combination
of excreta in the bacterial life cycle and impurities in water, we design a high
voltage pulse device for sterilization based on the Marx circuit and build a
micro-prototype circulating water system. This paper simulated and analyzed
the internal electric field distribution of the treatment chamber with Maxwell
software, and carried out the sterilization experiments. The results suggested
that this system had a commendable sterilization effect. Moreover, the high
voltage pulse sterilization technology is expected to spread and apply to
sterilization and anti-scale for various circulating cooling water system.

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 HIGH VOLTAGE MARX GENERATOR USING IGBT

BLOCK DIAGRAM

 DC CHARGING SET:
It consists of a rectifier circuit for converting AC to DC supply and its rating
depends on the test object.
 CHARGING RESISTORS:
These are inductive resistors of several ohms.
 GENERAL CAPACITORS:
These are arranged vertically one over the other and are designed for periodic
charging and discharging operations.
 PERIODIC SWITCHES:
These are functionally designed for periodic charging and discharging of the
capacitors.
 WAVE SHAPING RESISTORS:
By varying the values of these resistors, the front and tail time of the impulse
wave can be changed.
 TEST OBJECT:
It is electrical equipment whose insulation withstand capacity is to be verified.

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CIRCUIT DIAGRAM

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 HIGH VOLTAGE MARX GENERATOR USING IGBT

PRINCIPLE OF OPERATION
The circuit generates a high-voltage pulse by charging a number of capacitors
in parallel, then suddenly connecting them in series. At first, n capacitors (C)
are charged in parallel to a voltage VC by a high-voltage DC power supply
through the resistors (RC). The spark gaps used as switches have the
voltage VC across them, but the gaps have a breakdown voltage greater
than VC, so they all behave as open circuits while the capacitors charge. The
last gap isolates the output of the generator from the load; without that gap,
the load would prevent the capacitors from charging. To create the output
pulse, the first spark gap is caused to break down (triggered); the breakdown
effectively shorts the gap, placing the first two capacitors in series, applying a
voltage of about 2VC across the second spark gap. Consequently, the second
gap breaks down to add the third capacitor to the "stack", and the process
continues to sequentially break down all of the gaps. This process of the spark
gaps connecting the capacitors in series to create the high voltage is
called erection. The last gap connects the output of the series "stack" of
capacitors to the load. Ideally, the output voltage will be nVC, the number of
capacitors times the charging voltage, but in practice, the value is less. Note
that none of the charging resistors Rc are subjected to more than the charging
voltage even when the capacitors have been erected. The charge available is
limited to the charge on the capacitors, so the output is a brief pulse as the
capacitors discharge through the load. At some point, the spark gaps stop
conducting, and the high-voltage supply begins charging the capacitors again.

The principle of multiplying the voltage by charging capacitors in parallel and

discharging them in series is also used in the voltage multiplier circuit, used to
produce high voltages for laser printers and cathode ray tube television sets,
which has similarities to this circuit. The difference is that the voltage
multiplier is powered with alternating current and produces a steady DC
output voltage, whereas the Marx generator produces a pulse.

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 HIGH VOLTAGE MARX GENERATOR USING IGBT

COMPONENTS
1. FLYBACK TRANSFORMER:
A flyback transformer (FBT), also called a line output transformer (LOPT), is a
special type of electrical transformer. It was initially designed to generate high
voltage sawtooth signals at a relatively high frequency. In modern applications, it
is used extensively in switched-mode power supplies for both low (3 V) and high
voltage (over 10 kV) supplies.

2. IGBT(TLP 250):
The Toshiba TLP250 (INV) and TLP250F (INV) are 8-pin photocouplers designed
exclusively for use in IGBT (isolated-gate bipolar transistor) drive applications.
These photocouplers are capable of driving the gates of IGBTs and power
MOSFETs directly (for which the addition of a gate resistor is necessary). The
photo-IC couplers are housed in compact packages. This, combined with their
ability to drive IGBTs and power MOSFETs directly, makes system design easier,
allows simpler circuit configurations and improves system reliability

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3.MICROCONTROLLER (ATMEL 328 PU ARDUINO):

The ATmega328 is a single-chip microcontroller created by Atmel in

the megaAVR family (later Microchip Technology acquired Atmel in 2016).
It has a modified Harvard architecture 8-bit RISC processor core.

4. CAPACITOR:

Polyester capacitors are capacitors composed of metal plates

with polyester film between them, or a metalized film is deposited on the
insulator. Polyester capacitors are available in the range 1nF to 15µF,
and with working voltages from 50V to 1500V. They come with the
tolerance ranges of 5%, 10%, and 20%.

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 HIGH VOLTAGE MARX GENERATOR USING IGBT

WORK CARRIED OUT

 Attended Hands-on training on:

power electronics(IGBT) and microcontroller(Arduino).

 Identified components-
 power supply
 transformer
 Flyback transformer
 Multiplexer
 Flyback converter
 Resistor
 capacitor(polyester based)
 Diode
 Thyristor
 pulse transformer
 IGBT(TLP 250)
 microcontroller(ATMEL 328 PU Arduino).

 Planned to produce the output of around 40kv by using 5 stages.

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WORK TO BE DONE

 Buying only left out components that are not bought.

 Construction of model stagewise.
 Checking the output of the model.
 Aiming to get a 1.2/50 microsecond wave.

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 HIGH VOLTAGE MARX GENERATOR USING IGBT

REFERENCES

1) Yahia ACHOUR1, Jacek STARZY´NSKI1, Andrzej ŁASICA.Military

University of technology, ul. gen. Sylwestra Kaliskiego 2, 00-908
Warszawa, Poland 2Warsaw University of Technology, Koszykowa 75,
00-662 Warszawa, Poland.

2) Z. Li and Y. Zhang and J. Rao and X. Zhao and T. Sakugawa and H.

Akiyama, The switching characteristic of BJT1 using in Marx type pulsed
power generator by pspice model, IEEE Pulsed Power Conference (PPC),
May 2015.

3) X. Wang and J. A. Cooper, High-Voltage n-Channel IGBTs on Free-

Standing 4H-SiC Epilayers, IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices,
57(2),pp. 511–515, Feb. 2010.

4) Z. Yang and L. Xiong and X. Ye and B. Long and Z. Xi and W. He, High
voltage pulse generator based on Marx circuit and its application for
sterilization, 3rd International Conference on Biomedical Engineering and
Informatics, pp. 1310–1314, Oct. 2010.

5) Baker, R. J., High voltage pulse generation using current mode

secondbreakdown in a bipolar junction transistor, Review of Scientific
Instru-ments, 62(4), pp. 1031–1036, 1991.

6) Tokuchi, A and Jiang, W and Takayama, K and Arai, T, Developmentof

MOSFET based Marx generator with self-proved gate power Physicsand
Application of Plasmas Based on Pulsed Power Technology, 2012.

7) Baliga, B.J. Fundamentals of Power Semiconductor Devices, SpringerUS,

2010.

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8) Palmour, John W. and Agarwal, Anant K. and Ryu, Sei Hyung and
Das,Mrinal K. and Jonas, Charlotte and Heath, Bradley and Zhang, Qing
ChunJon, 9 kV 4H-SiC IGBTs with 88 mΩcm2 of R diff, on Materials
ScienceForum, 556, pp. 771–774, Aug. 2007

9) Dynex, Single Switch IGBT Module, DIM250XCM65-TS Datasheet,April

2015 .

10) Hitachi, Silicon N-channel IGBT 6500V E2 version, MBN750H65E2

Datasheet.

11) Baek , J.W. and Ryu, M.H. and Yoo, D.W. and Kim, H.G., High
voltagepulse generator using boost converter array, IECON 02 [IEEE 2002
28th Annual Conference of the Industrial Electronics Society], pp. 395–
399,Nov. 2002

.
12) S. Zabihi and F. Zare and G. Ledwich and A. Ghosh and H. Akiyama,
Anew pulsed power supply topology based on positive buck-boost convert-
ers concept, IEEE Transactions on Dielectrics and Electrical
Insulation,17(6), pp. 1901–1911, Dec. 2010.

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