Power Supply Design for High Voltage Capacitor Discharge Railgun Supply Using Thyristors

Abstract

The detailed design and analysis of a thyristor based capacitor discharge power supply is important in the development of pulsed power technology to accurately predict the voltage and current stress of each component. Simulation of the switching predicts how the voltage is shared by series thyristors and helps size the thyristor snubber circuits. The peak current in the thyristor is predicted. When parallel capacitor discharge supplies are used to drive a railgun the simulation predicts the shape of the current depending on the initial capacitor voltages, delay time between discharge pulses and circuit parameters. A simplified model of the electromechanical behavior of a railgun is developed in order to predict the electrical stress on a solid state switching power supply. A capacitor discharge power supply design is then presented and the behavior is simulated.