Lecture 4 - AC Voltage Controllers

EEE 4227: Power Electronics
AC Voltage Controllers
Contents
• Introduction
• Principle of On-Off Control
• Principle of Phase Control
• Single-Phase Controllers
• Three-Phase Controllers
• Cycloconverters
• Single-Phase Cycloconverters
• Three-Phase Cycloconverters
• Reduction of Output Harmonics
2
Introduction
If a thyristor switch is connected between ac supply and load, the power flow
can be controlled by varying the rms value of ac voltage applied to the load;
and this type of power circuit is known as an ac voltage controller.
For power transfer, two types of

control are normally used:
1. On-off control
2. Phase-angle control
In on-off control, thyristor switches
connect the load to the ac source for a
few cycles of input voltage and then
disconnect it for another few cycles. In
phase control, thyristor switches
connect the load to ac source for a
portion of each cycle of input voltage.
3
Introduction
 Since the input voltage is ac, thyristors are line commutated. Phase-
control thyristors, which are relatively inexpensive and slower than fast-
switching thyristors, are normally used.
 For applications up to 400 Hz, if TRIACs are available to meet the voltage
and current ratings of a particular application, TRIACs are more commonly
used
 Due to line or natural commutation, there is no need of extra

Commutation circuitry and the circuits for ac voltage controllers are very
simple. Due to the nature of output waveforms, the analysis for the
derivations of explicit expressions for the performance parameters of
circuits are not simple, especially for phase angle- controlled converters
with RL loads
 For the sake of simplicity, resistive loads are considered in this chapter to
compare the performances of various configurations. 4
Principle of On-Off Control
5
Principle of On-Off Control
6
Principle of Phase Control
7
Principle of Phase Control
8
Classifications of AC Voltage controllers
The ac voltage controllers can be classified into two types:
(1) single-phase controllers and
(2) Three-phase controllers.
Each type can be subdivided into
(a) unidirectional or half-wave control and
(b) bidirectional or full-wave control.
Single-phase unidirectional/ Half Wave controller
9
Single Phase AC Voltage controllers
Single-phase bidirectional/ Full wave controller with resistive load
10
Single-phase bidirectional/ Full wave controller with resistive load
11
Single-phase bidirectional/ Full wave controller with inductive load
In practice, most loads are inductive to a certain extent. A full-wave controller with an
RL load is shown in Fig. 6-6a. Let us assume that thyristor T1 is fired during the positive
half-cycle and carries the load current. Due to inductance in the circuit, the current of
thyristor T1 may not fall to zero at wt = π, when the input voltage starts to be negative.
Thyristor T1 will continue to conduct until its current i1 falls to zero at wt = β. The
conduction angle of thyristor T1 is δ= β -α.
12
Single-phase bidirectional/ Full wave controller with inductive load
As soon as the current of T1 falls to zero,

thyristor T2 (with gate pulses as shown in
Fig. 6-6c) would be turned on. However, a
continuous gate pulse increases the
switching loss of thyristors and requires a
larger isolating transformer for the gating
circuit. In practice, a train of pulses with
short durations as shown in Fig. 6-6d are
normally used to overcome these
problems.
13
Three Phase AC Voltage controllers
Three-phase bidirectional/ Full wave controller with resistive load
The unidirectional controllers, which contain de input current and higher harmonic
content due to the asymmetrical nature of the output voltage waveform, are not
normally used in ac motor drives; a three-phase bidirectional control is commonly used.
The circuit diagram of a three-phase full-wave (or bidirectional) controller is shown in Fig.
6-12 with a wye-connected resistive load. The operation of this controller is similar to that
of a half-wave controller, except that the return current path is provided by thyristors T2 ,
T4 , and T6 instead of diodes. The firing sequence of thyristors is T1, T2 , T3 , T4 , T5 , T6.
14
Three-phase bidirectional/ Full wave controller with resistive load
15
G1
G2
G3
G4
Three-phase bidirectional/
G5 Full wave controller with
resistive load
G6
Van
16
Three-phase bidirectional/
Full wave controller with
resistive load
17
Cycloconverters /Cycloinverters(CCV)
Variable Frequency Drive (VFD)
A variable output voltage at
variable frequency can be
obtained from two-stage
conversions: fixed ac to
variable dc (e.g., controlled
rectifiers) and variable de to
variable ac at variable
frequency (e.g., inverters).
This arrangement is known as
VFD.
Cycloconverters can eliminate the need of one or more intermediate

converters. A cycloconverter is a direct frequency changer that converts ac
power at one frequency to ac power at another frequency by ac-ac
conversion, without an intermediate conversion link.
The majority of cycloconverters are naturally commutated and the maximum output
frequency is limited to a value that is only a fraction of the source frequency. These are
known as step-down cycloconverter.
As a result the major applications of cycloconverters are low speed, ac motor drives
frequencies from 0 to 20 Hz. 18
Single Phase Cycloconverter (Step-down)
7
8
5 6
P converter N converter
output er frequency input er 1/3 T0 19

Three Phase/Single Phase Cycloconverter
(Step-down)
P converter N converter
20
(Step-down)
21
(Step-down)
22
Single Phase Cycloconverter (Step-up)
The working principle of a step-up cycloconverter is based on switching of thyristors in a
proper sequence. The thyristor acts as a power switch. These switches are arranged is a
specific rhythm so that the output power is available for both the positive and negative half
of the input power supply. Forced commutation technique is used to turn OFF the
conducting thyristor.
The circuit consists of a single phase
transformer with mid tap on the
secondary winding and four
thyristors. Two of these thyristors P1
& P2 are for positive group. Here
positive group means when either
P1 or P2 conducts, the load voltage
is positive. Other two thyristors N1
& N2 are for negative group. Load is
connected between secondary
winding mid-point O and terminal A.
The load is assumed resistive for
simplicity. Assumed positive
direction for voltage and current are
marked in the circuit diagram.
23
24
During the positive half cycle of input supply voltage, positive group thyristors P1 & N2 are
forward biased for ωt = 0 to ωt = π. As such SCR P1 is fired to turn it ON at ωt = 0 such that
load voltage is positive with terminal A positive and O negative. The load voltage, thus,
follows the positive envelop of the input supply voltage. At some time instant ωt = ωt1, the
conducting thyristor P1 is force commutated and the forward biased thyristor N2 is fired to
turn it ON. During the period N2 conducts, the load voltage is negative because O is positive
& A is negative this time. The load or output voltage traces the negative envelop of the
supply voltage. This is shown in figure below.
At ωt = ωt2, N2 is force commutated and P1 is turned ON. The load voltage is now positive
and follows the positive envelop of the supply voltage. At ωt = π, terminal “b” is positive
with respect to terminal “a”; both SCRs P2 & N1 are therefore forward biased from ωt = π to
ωt = 2π. AT ωt = π, N2 is force commuated and forward biased SCR P2 is turned ON. The
load voltage is positive and follows the positive envelop of supply voltage.
In this manner, SCRs P1, N2 for the first half cycle; P2, N1 in the second half cycle and so on
are switched alternately between positive and negative envelops at a high frequency. This
results in output frequency fo more than the input supply frequency fs. In our example of
figure-2, note that there is a total of 6 cycles of output in one cycle of input supply. This
means that frequency of output voltage is 6 times of input frequency i.e. fo = 6fs.
25
Reduction of Output Harmonics
We can notice from Figs. above that the output voltage is not purely sinusoidal, and as a
result the output voltage contains harmonics. The output voltage of cycloconverters is
basically made up of segments of input voltage(s) and the average value of a segment
depends on the delay angle for that segment. If the delay angles of segments were
varied in such a way that the average values of segments correspond as closely as
possible to the variations of desired sinusoidal output voltage, the harmonics on the
output voltage can be minimized.
26
Questions?
Confusions!
27

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EEE 4227: Power Electronics

For power transfer, two types of

 Due to line or natural commutation, there is no need of extra

Single-phase unidirectional/ Half Wave controller

As soon as the current of T1 falls to zero,

Cycloconverters can eliminate the need of one or more intermediate

output er frequency input er 1/3 T0 19

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