A Mini-Marx Generator Powered by a Cockcroft–Walton Voltage Multiplier

A Marx generator generates a high-voltage (HV) pulse by charging two or more capacitors in parallel and then suddenly connecting them in series. In principles, a comparatively lower voltage dc power supply has to be used for the charging to achieve the desired HV. However, a moderate dc HV power supply is still quite expensive and bulky but not in full-time usage. In this work, a mini-Marx generator powered by a Cockcroft–Walton (CW) voltage multiplier has been proposed to form a more efficient, compact, but affordable configuration of pulsed HV power sources. For generating an HV in a range of 20–150 kV with the mini-Marx generator consisting of eight stages, a CW multiplier operating up to 3–20 kV is required. Numerical simulations using PSpice have been performed for validating the concept. For demonstration, a prototype of the 22-stage CW-powered four-stage mini-Marx has been built and tested with an ac voltage of 110 V at 60 Hz. In the experiment, the CW generator can reach 3.6 kV to power the mini-Marx, delivering an HV of 12.7 kV, consistent with the PSpice modeling. With an ac household voltage of 220 V at 60 Hz, a dc voltage of 5.2 kV can be obtained from the CW to charge an eight-stage mini-Marx generator, achieving an output voltage of 33 kV to drive a field emission-based X-ray source. The proposed CW powered mini-Marx generator is general and can be used as a compact pulsed voltage supply for some portable devices.

[1]  Yuanjun Zhang,et al.  Design and performance of a pulsed power-driven x-ray source for flash radiography , 2021, Physical Review Accelerators and Beams.

[2]  J. Rąbkowski,et al.  Modular Marx Generator Based on SiC-MOSFET Generating Adjustable Rectangular Pulses , 2021, Energies.

[3]  E. Ali,et al.  Power Conversion Using Analytical Model of Cockcroft–Walton Voltage Multiplier Rectenna , 2021, Electronics.

[4]  P. Chang,et al.  Integrated System of a Mini-Marx Generator Charged by a Cockcroft-Walton Voltage Multiplier , 2020, International Vacuum Electronics Conference.

[5]  Omar Muhammed Neda,et al.  Generating High Voltage DC with Cockcroft-Walton Voltage Multiplier for Testing Locally Assemble Electric Field Sensor , 2019, IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering.

[6]  Trace Langdon,et al.  Very Low Power Cockcroft-Walton Voltage Multiplier for RF Energy Harvesting Applications , 2019 .

[7]  A. Mandal,et al.  Compact Marx Generator using Cockroft-Walton Voltage Multipier Circuit , 2018 .

[8]  Archana Sharma,et al.  Pulse Marx Generator and an industrial pinch diode for Radiographic applications , 2017 .

[9]  Luis Fernando Velasquez-Garcia,et al.  A portable x-ray source with a nanostructured Pt-coated silicon field emission cathode for absorption imaging of low-Z materials , 2015 .

[10]  Rishi Verma,et al.  Design and development of a portable flash X-ray source driven by battery powered compact Marx generator , 2014, 2014 International Symposium on Discharges and Electrical Insulation in Vacuum (ISDEIV).

[11]  I. Konoplev,et al.  A high-energy pulsed-power supply, suitable for high-power microwave sources , 2011 .

[12]  Ming-Chieh Lin,et al.  Impedance Matching of a Coaxial Marx Generator with a Relativistic Field Emission Limited Diode , 2007, International Conference on Plasma Science.

[13]  Jon R. Mayes,et al.  Compact flash x-ray systems for radiographic applications , 2006, SPIE Defense + Commercial Sensing.

[14]  J.R. Mayes,et al.  An Enhanced MV Marx Generator for RF and Flash X-Ray Systems , 2005, 2005 IEEE Pulsed Power Conference.

[15]  John F. Seely,et al.  Portable hard x-ray source for nondestructive testing and medical imaging , 1998 .

[16]  David Platts,et al.  10-Joule 200 kV Mini Marx , 1985 .

[17]  P. Lorrain,et al.  The Cockcroft‐Walton Voltage Multiplying Circuit , 1953 .

[18]  John Douglas Cockcroft,et al.  Experiments with High Velocity Positive Ions. (I) Further Developments in the Method of Obtaining High Velocity Positive Ions , 1932 .