DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF COMPACT SIZE POWER AMPLIFIERS PCB USING DISCRETE COMPONENTS FOR OBSTACLE AVOIDANCE SONAR

Abstract

This paper presents a compact and power-efficient power amplifier (PA) for sonar operation in unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs). The amplifier delivers 200 W of output power with a mere 0.8% total harmonic distortion (THD) at a 30 kHz center frequency for coherent transmission of sonar signals. Discrete component amplifier design with an optimized feedback network enables high- voltage operation to ±140 V with 282 V of peak-to-peak output. High-performance thermal management with heat sinks and thermal washers enables stable operation in space-restricted environments. The amplifier is 85% power efficient and compact, with a diameter of 150 mm and a height of 20 mm and is therefore well suited for use in underwater drones. Hardware verification provides superior performance compared to traditional Class D designs, including 40% less electromagnetic interference (EMI) and 5 °C less operating temperatures, without duty cycle limitations.