Re: Pushing the IGBT Envelop

["Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>]

Original poster: "Steve Ward" <steve.ward-at-gmail-dot-com> 

Hi Greg,

Very fascinating stuff going on at SLAC.  I've also read some of your
papers about IGBT module design (and the downfall in commercial
modules layouts).

Anyway, DRSSTC is a Dual Resonance Solid State Tesla coil.  We
basically drive a resonant tank circuit with a solid state driver
(using IGBTs) and pulse its operation to achieve very high peak
powers.  Jimmy Hynes was the first person to have a very successful
coil built under this idea.  I think my coil is currently the largest:

http://hot-streamer-dot-com/srward16/DRSSTC-2.htm

It uses 300A IGBT (dual modules) rated 1200V.  We typically overdrive
the gates so that we can push greater currents (my system runs at
about 1200A peak) through smaller IGBTs, mainly since us ametures cant
afford to buy enough silicon to actually run these things in their
SOA... and after all, this is tesla coiling!

The DRSSTCs are, as you might expect, slightly more efficient than
even the best SGTCs.  My coils seem to follow the formula of: spark
length (inches)=2*sqrt(power).

I was almost hoping that if the advanced lightning facility every
became reality, that it would be a DRSSTC.  Mainly because you would
not need extremely high voltage silicon to replace a spark gap.  With
a DRSSTC, our bang energy is not limited to the storage energy in the
tank capacitor, it can be much greater (usually its 2X as much).  I
think the fact that my large DRSSTC can make 11' sparks from just
600VDC rail voltage and only 4-5kW shows promise for even larger coils
(silicon permitting).

Steve


 > PS -- I tried to look up 'DRSSTC' but it's not in the pupman acronym
 > list.  What does that stand for?  It'd be nice to find a glossary of all
 > the acronyms that fly about on the list these days.
 >
 >
 >