Sizing Equations for a Square Voltage Pulse Power Supply for Dielectric Barrier Discharges

This article presents an analysis of the full-bridge voltage inverter widely used to supply dielectric barrier discharges. The main contribution of this article is the deduction of the analytical equations for the delivered power, peak voltage, and duration of the discharge as a function of the dc input voltage and of the switching frequency, but also as a function of the parasitic elements of the transformer and the parameters of the DBD load. To date, these equations are not found in the literature and are useful to design a power converter complying with specifications derived from plasma process requirements. The state plane is used to understand the different sub-intervals taking place in an entire switching period. The equations are verified using a simple example of design, which implementation accurately obeys the sizing equations, and provide the expected performances.