Self-tuning high-voltage and high-frequency sinusoidal power supply for dielectric barrier discharge plasma generation

In this paper a high-voltage sinusoidal power supply controlled by Arduino DUE micro-controller is described. This generator can feed a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) load with sinusoidal voltages up to 20 kV peak and frequencies in the range 10–60 kHz, with a maximum output power of 200 W. Output voltage can be produced either in a continuous mode, or with on/off modulation cycles, according to treatment/application requirements. This power source is equipped with on-board diagnostics used to measure the output voltage and the charge delivered to the load. With a sample frequency of 500 kHz, Arduino DUE allows to evaluate both the high voltage and the average power feeding the discharge without the use of an expensive external measurement setup. Lissajous techniques are utilized to calculate discharge average power in a quasi-real-time manner. When a load is connected to high-voltage terminals, a self-tuning procedure is carried out to obtain the best working frequency. This parameter allows to minimize power-electronic component stress and to maximize generator efficiency.