Isolated DC-DC converters with high-output voltage for TWTA telecommunication satellite applications

Two alternatives for the implementation of an isolated DC-DC converter operating with a high output voltage and supplied by an unregulated low input voltage are presented in this paper. The proposed topologies are especially qualified for the implementation of travelling wave tube amplifiers (TWTA) utilized in telecommunication satellite applications due to their low mass and volume and their high-efficiency. The converters studied follow different principles and the main operational aspects of each topology are analyzed. A two-stage structure composed by a regulator connected in series with a ZVS/ZCS isolated DC-DC converter is the first topology proposed. The second topology studied is an isolated single-stage converter that continues being highly efficient even with a large input voltage variation. The experimental results obtained from two prototypes, implemented following the design procedures developed, are presented, verifying experimentally the characteristics and the analysis of the proposed structures. The prototypes are developed for an application requiring an output power of 150 W, a total output voltage of 3.2 kV and an input voltage varying from 26 V to 44 V. The minimum efficiency obtained for both converters operating at the nominal output power, is equal to 93.4% for the two-stage structure and equal to 94.1% for the single-stage converter.