Solid-State, High-Frequency, Three-Phase Cycloconverter

In Phase I of this SBIR, Diversified Technologies, Inc. (DTI) proposes to design and demonstrate a solid state switch capable of scaling to meet the Navy’s preliminary requirements for a coil gun or magnetic launcher that converts electrical energy into the kinetic energy to launch a projectile. Requirements are to accelerate a 3 kg projectile to 1,000 meters per seconds over a distance of 10 meters. Such acceleration requires peak powers of well over 400 MW – or more than 20 kA at 20 kV, with precisely timed pulses of energy applied to the coil gun’s magnets. This level of power requires the generation of peak currents nearly an order of magnitude higher than presently available from high speed, solid-state switch modules. The primary challenge in this effort is adapting DTI’s technology in high voltage switching to the very high peak current required by the launcher. This SBIR proposal will focus on developing flexible power converters capable of accommodating a range of launcher designs, therefore demonstrating that this challenge can be met. In Phase II, DTI will utilize these switches to build a power converter suitable for demonstrating the full magnetic launcher concept.