A Compact 45 V-to-54 kV Modular DC-DC Converter

Abstract

This paper presents the design of a compact 45 V-to-54 kV dc-dc converter for high-energy beam applications with the focus on X-ray generation. We describe key design choices for a high power density including a modular structure, high-frequency switching, planar transformers and Dickson topology. High-voltage insulation and thermal management are also described in detail. The experimental data with with a 5 kV single module and a 10-module 54 kV converter indicate that the proposed structure can generate high dc voltage while achieving a several times higher power density compared to commercial high-voltage power supplies.