Design of a Compact, Lightweight 25 kV DC Power Supply Using a Parallel Voltage Multiplier for Neutron Generation

Abstract

This paper presents the design of an isolated full bridge DC–DC converter with a switching frequency of 15 kHz capable of stepping a battery input voltage (≤ 15 V DC) up to an output voltage of 25 kV DC. The converter consists of a full bridge inverter, a step-up transformer, and a 16-stage parallel voltage multiplier designed using high-voltage silicon diodes and custom high-voltage capacitors. A prototype (7.75 oz., 8.95 in.3) is presented along with experimental results under open-circuit and load conditions, outputting up to 25 kV DC, delivering 6.5 W of output power at a measured efficiency of 75%. This supply functions as a subcomponent of a larger DC supply which combines four parallel-driven 25 kV supplies, connecting their outputs in series to achieve a total output voltage of 100 kV DC, enabling the design of compact, lightweight neutron generation systems.