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My need is to build (or purchase, if existent) a nanopulser, but not an ordinary one: it has to have some specific characteristics.

The premise is:

  1. I have a device which acts as a variable capacitor as the environmental conditions change; its working region is in the microFarad's range (approx. 4uF...300uF)
  2. this device has to resonate at different harmonics and, once found the best one (the user decide which one, by observing the device's behaviour in response to the environmental conditions) that resonant point has to be be maintained "fixed", accordingly to the harmonic chosen, following automatically the minimal variations in the device's capacitance - if there where any - so that the resonance takes always place (like a radio tuner, with a PLL or a similar method).

The nanopulser circuit:

  • has to produce DC sharp pulses in the amplitude range of +3V...+200V (user selectable)
  • the single pulse should have a duration no longer than 100ns
  • the frequency has to be variable, in a range between 35KHz...100MHz (user selectable)
  • the pulses will drive a MOSFET, or an IGBT, giving the opportunity to output an amperage of 20A maximum (user selectable) to the LCR system which comprises the device itself coupled with a fixed inductor
  • the frequency selected has to be maintained unchanged even if the load varies in its capacitance, inductance or resistance, through an autotuning system (PLL + VCO or similar method)

The device is a sort of oxygen/hydrogen separator (not HHO) which splits different kind of water mixtures (mainly dirty ones), plus it cleans itself, thanks to the different nanopulses issued: different polluttants mixed in the processed water require different frequencies to be separated and the device's plates require different frequencies for the periodically self-cleaning process.

A similar device can be watched here: https://www.pinterest.it/pin/542331980106296417/

The device is presently operative (in its prototype stage) and it works almost as expected but it is VERY HARD to me to achieve:

  • a stable resonant frequency in the regions over 200KHz (due to the continuously capacitance changes when the different polluttants reach the cell)
  • a so narrow nanopulses (I've achieved 800ns at minimum)
  • an adequate power output with such pulses (I'm unable to surpass 1A total output)

My present circuit is this one: [![NanopulserCircuit][1]][1]

Why nanopulses? After a series of researches and case studies, it has been established that working with resonance allows to achieve:

  • a power consumption reduction
  • a better separation of pollutants from the water
  • a more precise splitting in Oxygen/Hydrogen

The final goal of this research of mine is to create a filter for sanitation which extracts from dirty, black waters (sanitation, drainage, sewer) oxygen - to be released directly in open air - and hydrogen - to be further processed by a dedicated management system.

Question

Is there a circuit (or a series of different, matchable circuits) that perform the function of nanoimpulse generation - with autotune, which is the essential part needed - as per the specifications above?

Between the nanopulser and the LC circuit (my device) there should be a circuit able to "sense" the LC's variations. How can I automatically adjust the pulser's output accordingly with the resonant point desired?

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Devesh
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    What the heck is this thing called a nanopulse? Is it some name you have invented? – Andy aka Aug 17 '18 at 10:12
  • Hallo Andy! Oh, well, no... nothing invented. Look here https://www.researchgate.net/figure/20ns-Nanopulse-obtained-from-the-Nanopulser-III-RESULTS-AND-ANALYSIS_fig4_251991507 or search for battery desulphatation. It is a word explaining, in this case, the generation of an electric impulse of a very narrow bandwith. Nothing special indeed. – Devesh Aug 17 '18 at 10:17
  • Ah it's a trade name. – Andy aka Aug 17 '18 at 10:19
  • No Andy, it is not a trade name, it is more like this https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultrashort_pulse a pulse in the nanoseconds range. – Devesh Aug 17 '18 at 10:22
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    So, as I'm really not understanding all that much about the device you want to control with it, can you confirm that you want: A pulse generator, with a pulse repetition rate of up to 100 MHz, but a pulse length of 100 ns? That's not pulses anymore, that's just a constant "on". – Marcus Müller Aug 17 '18 at 10:55
  • Using a resonant load will tend to stretch any short pulses you manage to make. – Neil_UK Aug 17 '18 at 10:55
  • @MarcusMüller: the pulse length is fixed, preferably under 100ns (you can see it as a sort of "duty cycle"), its repetition rate may change from 35KHz to 100MHz, depending on the user decision (and application: pollution separation, oxy/hydrogen generation or plate cleaning) – Devesh Aug 17 '18 at 11:01
  • @Neil_UK: I am aware of and I'm looking for a solution to overcome that. – Devesh Aug 17 '18 at 11:02
  • I have edited the post, adding an image of a similar device of mine and the schematic of the present circuit (which requires the autotune feature). At the "pulse" pin, I inject a signal from my frequency generator. And at the "9.6V" pins I feed the power to be sent - through the "output" pins - to the device. – Devesh Aug 17 '18 at 11:06
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    @Devesh but you literally *can't* have a pulse that is 100 ns long (or even longer) repeat with 100 MHz. Draw the signal. It's a constant. So either your 100ns is too long or 100 MHz is too high. Which one is it? – Marcus Müller Aug 17 '18 at 11:09
  • @MarcusMüller: it is obvious that at 100MHz the pulse cannot be longer than 10ns... that frequency is my upper limit (by design). In all other working frequency ranges (sub-megahertz) the pulse should be no longer than 100ns (anyway, the shorter, the best for me). – Devesh Aug 17 '18 at 11:20
  • The short pulses into a resonant load is not something to be overcome, it's a designed in feature. I'm not clear that the mechanisms by which this thing is supposed to work, and supposed to be better than other approaches, are fully understood. – Neil_UK Aug 17 '18 at 11:34
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    @Devesh no, it's not *obvious* unless you state something like "the duty cycle has to be limited to 10%, and a pulse never longer than 100ns", and correct me, you're not saying that. – Marcus Müller Aug 17 '18 at 11:49
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    Also, bad news: your MOSFET driver has a rise and fall time of 4ns; that leaves you with a best-case 2ns of "proper pulse amplitude" in a 10ns pulse. Your reality will be far worse. I think your question would really benefit if you added a list to the end that summarizes *all* constraints for the pulse generator you have, and puts everything into numbers as far as possible! – Marcus Müller Aug 17 '18 at 12:01
  • @Neil_UK: first of all thank you for being so precise. I'm trying, first, to overcome the language barriers which are present between our mother tongues: it is not so immediate for me to explain in the correct terms my needs, that's why I have included a schematic in the post. – Devesh Aug 17 '18 at 12:03
  • The device must operate at resonance in a wide range of environmental conditions: when the conditions change, the resonance changes accordingly. These variations are of two kinds (or stages): the first kind of variation is the results the user wants to achieve: a) separate the polluttants from the water; b) separate the water molecule in its fundamental components (oxygen/hydrogen); c) clean the device's plates. – Devesh Aug 17 '18 at 12:04
  • The second kind of variation affects only the points "a)" and "b)": during the separation phase "a)" the resonant point differs in relation to polluttants (e.g.: if you want to "detach" the oil from the water, you have to resonate the device at 75Khz, if you want to separate heavy metals from the water - like in the osmosis process - you have to resonate at 550Khz, and so on). – Devesh Aug 17 '18 at 12:05
  • During the separation phase "b)", electrolysis, three subsequent phases (with three different pulse trains) are needed to "align" first the water molecules, then to create a cavitation and then to split them in two, with the less power consumption, this is achieved resonating the device up to 100MHz. The self-cleaning phase for the plates is achieved resonating the device at each specific polluttant's resonant point. – Devesh Aug 17 '18 at 12:05
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    @Devesh but that's totally irrelevant for the pulse generator, isn't it? – Marcus Müller Aug 17 '18 at 12:06
  • @MarcusMüller: sorry Marcus, what is totally irrilevant? I'm trying to explain to Neil_UK the overall working process which can lead to a viable solution. Sorry if I've been too verbose... – Devesh Aug 17 '18 at 12:09
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    nono, sorry, I mean, that's good! But: I'm really trying to *understand* what your specifications for the *pulse generator* are. It's hard for me to extract that information from the overall wealth of system description you're giving! – Marcus Müller Aug 17 '18 at 12:16
  • @MarcusMüller: about the bad news...without the load (my device) the traces on my scope are near to perfect: the timings and the curves are as expected. The real big problem come to play when the LC circuit (the device, which is essentially a variable capacitor) and the inductor, which is a coil with a nanoperm core, bifilar wound, to allow a natural resonance at different frequencies, is connected. – Devesh Aug 17 '18 at 12:19
  • @MarcusMüller: don't worry, no excuses needed here. The specifics are the 4 listed in my question, under the paragraph "The nanopulser circuit:". – Devesh Aug 17 '18 at 12:21
  • @MarcusMüller: please consider this: my schematic already do the most part of the job. Changing the voltage and the amperage at the MOSFET's terminals will allow me to create the pulses I need in the amplitude and frequency (or repetition rate) I want, relatively to the signal I inject at the "pulse" pin of the schematic. – Devesh Aug 17 '18 at 12:26
  • Everything is satisfactory except that the variable LOAD (the device) alter the output parameters when connected so I have to "correct", "bias", "balance" the system in a way that I called "autotune". Between the nanopulser and the LC circuit (my device) there should be a circuit able to "sense" the LC's variations and automatically adjust the pulser's output accordingly with the resonant point desired. – Devesh Aug 17 '18 at 12:33

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