Development and Experiment Research of High-Power Arc Heater Power Supply Utilizing Thyristor Converter

Arc heater can generate high temperature through the transformation of electric energy to heat by means of electric arc discharge between a couple of electrodes. It is most appropriate to reproduce exactly flight conditions of space vehicles. The performance of power supply is vital for the properties of arc heater test. In this paper, the stability of arc heater power supply system is analyzed, and the development, control and experiment of an advanced performance high-power arc heater power supply utilizing thyristor converter are presented. The feed forward plus feedback control strategy is used for the control of power supply, which assures the supply have fast dynamic response and high static accuracy. The power supply is fit for various type arc heaters, for example Huels and Long-Segmented from hundreds of kW to decades of MW power-level.