High-current interleaved power converter for metal processing applications

In the electro-refining and electro-winning of copper, the quality and quantity of the product is dependent upon the current density. Currently implemented solutions offer significant levels of current to multiple cells. However, these processes lack the ability to optimise the production performance on a cell-by-cell basis. A new strategy to obtain variable control of an interleaved converter’s output current whilst minimising ripple is investigated and evaluated. An output current ripple of less than 1% was achieved across a range of 50-200 A without output capacitance.