Save Energy in Your High-Power Test Applications
白皮书
Regenerative Power
Before trying to understand the term regenerative, let’s review the definition of a two-quadrant power supply. While applying a positive voltage, a two-quadrant power supply can source and sink current. A single-quadrant power supply design only supplies current. The difference becomes apparent when down-programming. Down-programming occurs when setting a power supply’s outputs to a lower voltage. A single-quadrant supply uses an internal resistor to load the output capacitor, converting the stored energy to heat. The internal resistor can handle the temporary power dissipation of the output capacitor. Connecting a single-quadrant power supply directly to a battery or large capacitor can damage the power supply because current from the external power source can damage the down-programming resistor.
A typical two-quadrant power supply combines a single-quadrant power supply with a power dissipator. A power dissipator can handle continuous power while down-programming. A dissipater uses an active control circuit, multiple resistors, and an exhaust fan to convert continuous power to heat. A twoquadrant power supply is ideal for charging and discharging large capacitors and batteries.