Driving Power Supply for Ultrasound Piezoelectric Transducers

Piezoelectric actuators are widely used in several applications and are becoming increasingly attractive in aircraft and industrial contexts, mainly when efficient and economical energy conversion is required. One of these applications is the Avionic Piezoelectric Deicing System. Since piezoelectric actuators exhibit a distinct capacitive behavior in almost all frequencies, designing their driving power supply presents a major challenge, especially for deicing applications requiring high operational frequency. This article discusses and analyzes the comparison between three converter topologies for piezoelectric applications. The comparison is based on specific criteria, such as varying the operating frequency with the load variation, soft-switching operation, and reactive energy compensation. Based on this comparison, the chosen converter was developed and realized in the laboratory.