Compact Design of Matching Transformer with Long Operating Period Considering Aging Acceleration Factor and Life Span

The high power transmitter of active sonar for underwater communication regularly switches between transmit and receive modes. The matching transformer in the high-power transmitter has significant power loss only during the transmit mode. The conventional design of the transformer, considering only the handling power of the transmit mode, may result in a bulky over-spec transformer. In a long operating period, the matching transformer has high stress due to a large temperature ripple at the hot spot of the winding conductor insulation, resulting in no guarantee of the transformer's lifespan. Hence, this paper proposes a new transformer design method considering the operating duty and lifespan of a high-power transmitter for active sonar. The proposed design method consists of initial design, verification, and redesign. It can guarantee the lifespan of a transformer at the design stage by utilizing the aging acceleration factor F AA and equivalent aging acceleration factor F EQA . The effectiveness of the proposed design method is verified by manufacturing a transformer and performing related simulations.