Simulation of potential distribution in the secondary winding of low-turns-ratio Tesla transformer

The miniaturized low-turns-ratio Tesla transformer features fewer turns and a larger distance between adjacent windings, resulting in a potential distribution in its secondary winding that differs from that of the high-turns-ratio Tesla transformer. In this paper, considering the coupling process between the primary and secondary windings, an equivalent circuit model of the Tesla transformer is established by considering each turn of the winding as a unit, and its distribution parameters were extracted using the finite element method. Through circuit simulations, the voltage waveform of each turn winding during the charging process is obtained, which can provide a reference for subsequent analysis and optimization of insulation performance. The reliability of the simulation model is also verified by an experimental platform based on the Tesla transformer. The results reveal that the potential distribution in the secondary winding is evidently uneven. First, the highest turn-to-turn voltage is observed in the middle section near the high-voltage (HV) side of the winding. Second, the turn-to-turn voltage in the HV part is overall higher and varies significantly with the number of turns. Finally, the uneven potential distribution results in a stronger electric field around the HV part compared to the electric field under conditions of uniformly distributed potential.