ELK 331E/331

Power Electronic Circuits/Güç Elektroniği Devreleri

AC Voltage Controllers

Dr. Mehmet Onur GÜLBAHÇE

AC Voltage Controllers
❑ Introduction

❑ The Single-phase AC Voltage Controller

❑ Three-phase AC Voltage Controller

❑ Induction Motor Speed Control

❑ Static VAR Control

❑ AC Cycloconverter

❑ Matrix Converter

❑ Summary

a
AC Voltage Controllers - Introduction
❑ Controls the voltage, current, and average power delivered to an ac load from an ac
source. The input voltage is ac, and the output is ac (although not sinusoidal), so the
circuit is classified as an ac-ac converter.

❑ Switches connect and disconnect the source and the load at regular intervals.

❑ Another type of control is integral-cycle control, whereby the source is connected and
disconnected for several cycles at a time.
AC Voltage Controllers - Introduction
❑ Light-dimmer circuits-Induction heating
AC Voltage Controllers - Introduction
❑ Tap Changers
AC Voltage Controllers - Introduction
❑ Tap Changers
AC Voltage Controllers - Introduction
❑ Speed Control of AC Motors
The Single-Phase AC Voltage Controller
The Single-Phase AC Voltage Controller
• This SCR connection is called antiparallel or inverse parallel because the SCRs carry current in
opposite directions.

• A triac is equivalent to the antiparallel SCRs. Other controlled switching devices can be used instead
of SCRs.

Figure 1 (a) Single-phase AC voltage controller with resistive load, (b) Waveforms
The Single-Phase AC Voltage Controller

❑ The principle of operation for a single-phase ac voltage controller using phase

control is quite similar to that of the controlled half-wave rectifier.

1. The SCRs cannot conduct simultaneously.

2. The load voltage is the same as the source voltage when either SCR is on.
The load voltage is zero when both SCRs are off.

3. The switch voltage is zero when either SCR is on and is equal to the
source voltage when neither is on.

4. The average current in the source and load is zero if the SCRs are on for
equal time intervals. The average current in each SCR is not zero because of
unidirectional SCR current.

5. The rms current in each SCR is times the rms load current if the SCRs
are on for equal time intervals.
The Single-Phase AC Voltage Controller
❑ S1 conducts if a gate signal is applied during the positive half-cycle. S1 conducts until the
current in it reaches zero.

❑ Where this circuit differs from the controlled half-wave rectifier is when the source is in
its negative half-cycle.

❑ A gate signal is applied to S2 during the negative half-cycle of the source, providing a
path for negative load current.

❑ If the gate signal for S2 is a half period later than that of S1, analysis for the negative
half-cycle is identical to that for the positive half, except for algebraic sign for the voltage
and current.
The Single-Phase AC Voltage Controller
❑ Single-phase controller with Resistive Load

Let the source voltage be :

AC Voltage Controllers
The Single-Phase AC Voltage Controller
❑ For α=0, the load voltage is a sinusoid that has the same rms value
as the source. Normalized rms load voltage is plotted as a function of in Fig. 2

Figure 2 Normalized RMS load voltage vs delay angle for a single-phase AC voltage controller with R-load
The Single-Phase AC Voltage Controller
❑ The power factor of the load:

The average source current is zero because of half-wave symmetry. The average SCR current
is:

Since each SCR carries one-half of the line current, the rms current in each SCR is:
The Single-Phase AC Voltage Controller
❑ Only odd harmonics exist in the line
current ---(half-wave symmetry).

❑ Normalized harmonic content of the line

currents vs. is shown in Fig. 3.

❑ Base current is source voltage divided by

resistance, which is the current for α=0.

Figure 3. Normalized harmonic content vs. delay angle;

Cn is the normalized amplitude.
EX:1
The single-phase ac voltage controller of Fig. 1 has a 120-V rms 60-Hz source. The load
resistance is 15Ω. Determine (a) the delay angle required to deliver 500 W to the load, (b) the
rms source current, (c) the rms and average currents in the SCRs, (d) the power factor, and (e)
the total harmonic distortion (THD) of the source current.
From Fig. 2 the delay angle required to obtain a normalized output of 86.6/120=0.72
is approximately 90°.
The Single-Phase AC Voltage Controller with RL Load

Figure 4 Single-phase ac voltage controller with an RL load and Typical waveforms.

The Single-Phase Controller with RL Load
❑ The solution for current in this equation is

The extinction angle β is the angle at which the current returns to zero, when ωt= β

The conduction angle ɣ is defined as

The Single-Phase Controller with RL Load
❑ In the interval between π and β when the source voltage is negative and the
load current is still positive, S2 cannot be turned on because it is not forward-
biased.

❑ The gate signal to S2 must be delayed at least until the current in S1 reaches
zero, at ωt=β. The delay angle is therefore at least β-π.
The Single-Phase Controller with RL Load

If α<θ, SCR is always conducting!!! (SOLID STATE RELAY)

The Single-Phase Controller with RL Load

❑ RMS load Current and power absorbed by load:

EX:
❑ For the single-phase voltage controller, the source is 120 V rms at 60 Hz, and
the load is a series RL combination with R=20Ω and L=50 mH. The delay
angle α is 90°. Determine:

(a) an expression for load current for the first half-period,

(b) the rms load current,
(c) rms SCR current,
(d) the average SCR current,
(e) the power delivered to the load, and
(f) the power factor.
Three-Phase Voltage Controller

❑ Y-Connected Resistive Load

The six SCRs are turned on in the sequence 1-2-3-4-5-6, at 60 intervals.
Gate signals are maintained throughout the possible conduction angle.
Three-Phase Voltage Controller

Load voltage for α=30°

Three-Phase Voltage Controller

Load voltage for α=30°

Load voltages and switch currents for a three-phase resistive load for α=30°;
Load voltage for α=75°
AC Voltage Controllers
Three-Phase Voltage Controller
❑The instantaneous voltage across each phase of the load is determined by which SCRs are
conducting. At any instant, three SCRs, two SCRs, or no SCRs are on. The instantaneous
load voltages are either a line-to-neutral voltage (three on), one-half of a line-to-line voltage
(two on), or zero (none on).
When three SCRs are on (one in each phase), all three phase voltages are connected to the
source, corresponding to a balanced three-phase source connected to a balanced three-phase
load. The voltage across each phase of the load is the corresponding line-to-neutral voltage.
or example, if S1, S2, and S6 are on, van =vAN, vbn = vBN, and vcn = vCN. When two SCRs are on, the
line-to-line voltage of those two phases is equally divided between the two load resistors that
are connected. For example, if only S1 and S2 are on, van =vAC/2, vcn =vCA/2, and vbn =0.
AC Voltage Controllers
Three-Phase Voltage Controller
❑ Which SCRs are conducting depends on the delay angle and on the source
voltages at a particular instant. The following are the ranges of that produce
particular types of load voltages with an example for each:

For 0<α<60:

Two or three SCRs conduct at any one time for this range of . Figure 7b
shows the load line-to-neutral voltage van for α=30. At ωt=0, S5 and S6 are
conducting and there is no current in Ra, making van=0. At ωt=π/6 (30°), S1
receives a gate signal and begins to conduct; S5 and S6 remain on, and
van=vAN. The current in S5 reaches zero at 60°, turning S5 off. With S1 and
S6 remaining on, van=vAB/2. At 90°, S2 is turned on; the three SCRs S1, S2,
and S6 are then on; and van=vAN. At 120°, S6 turns off, leaving S1 and S2
on, so van vAC/2. As the firing sequence for the SCRs proceeds, the
number of SCRs on at a particular instant alternates between 2 and 3. All
three phase-toneutral load voltages and switch currents re shown in Fig. 7c.
For intervals to exist when three SCRs are on, the delay angle must be less
than 60°.
AC Voltage Controllers
Three-Phase Voltage Controller
For 60<α<90:
Only two SCRs conduct at any one time when the delay angle is between 60° and 90°.
Load=voltage van for α =75° is shown in Fig. 7d. Just prior to 75°, S5 and S6 are conducting,
and van=0. When S1 is turned on at 75°, S6 continues to conduct, but S5 must turn off
because vCN is negative. Voltage van is then vAB/2. When S2 is turned on at 135°, S6 is
forced off, and van=vAC/2. The next SCR to turn on is S3, which forces S1 off, and van=0. One
SCR is always forced off when an SCR is turned on for in this range. Load voltages are one-
half line-to-line voltages or zero.

For 90°<α<150°:
Only two SCRs can conduct at any one time in this mode. Additionally, there are intervals
when no SCRs conduct. Figure 7e shows the load voltage van for α=120°. In the interval just
prior to 120°, no SCRs are on, and van=0. At α=120°, S1 is given a gate signal, and S6 still has
a gate signal applied. Since vAB is positive, both S1 and S6 are forward-biased and begin to
conduct, and van=vAB/2. Both S1 and S6 turn off when vAB becomes negative. When a gate
signal is applied to S2, it turns on, and S1 turns on again.

For α>150°, there is no time interval when an SCR is forward-biased while a gate signal is
applied. Output voltage is zero for this condition.
AC Voltage Controllers
Three-Phase Voltage Controller
❑ Normalized output voltage vs. delay angle is shown in Fig. 5-8. Note that a delay angle of
zero corresponds to the load being connected directly to the three-phase source. The
range of output voltage for the three-phase voltage controller is between full source
voltage and zero.

❑ Harmonic currents in the load and line for the three-phase ac voltage controller are the
odd harmonics of order 6n±1, n=1, 2, 3, . . . (that is, 5th, 7th,11th, 13th). . . . Harmonic
filters may be required in some applications to prevent harmonic currents from
propagating into the ac system.

❑ Since analysis of the three-phase ac voltage controller is cumbersome, simulation is a

practical means of obtaining rms output voltages and power delivered
to a load.
AC Voltage Controllers
Three-Phase Voltage Controller
AC Voltage Controllers
Three-Phase Voltage Controller
❑ Y-Connected RL Load
The load voltages for a three-phase voltage controller with an RL load are again
characterized by being a line-to-neutral voltage, one-half of a line-to-line voltage, or zero.
The analysis is much more difficult for an RL load than for a resistive load, and simulation
provides results that would be extremely difficult to obtain analytically. Example 5-4
illustrates the use of PSpice for a three-phase ac voltage controller.
AC Voltage Controllers
Three-Phase Voltage Controller
❑ Delta-Connected Resistive Load
A three-phase ac voltage controller with a delta-connected resistive load is shown in Fig.
5-10a. The voltage across a load resistor is the corresponding line-to-line voltage when a
CR in the phase is on. The delay angle is referenced to the zero crossing of the line-to-
line voltage. SCRs are turned on in the sequence 1-2-3-4-5-6. The line current in each
phase is the sum of two of the delta currents:

(18)

The relationship between rms line and delta currents depends on the conduction
angle of the SCRs. For small conduction angles (large ), the delta currents do
not overlap (Fig. 10b), and the rms line currents are
(19)
AC Voltage Controllers
Three-Phase Voltage Controller
Figure 10 (a) Three-phase ac
voltage controller with
a delta-connected resistive
load; (b) Current waveforms
for α=130°; (c) Current
waveforms for α=90°.
AC Voltage Controllers
Three-Phase Voltage Controller

Use of the delta-connected three-phase voltage controller requires the load to be

broken to allow thyristors to be inserted in each phase, which is often not feasible.
AC Voltage Controllers

❑ Induction Motor Speed Control

Squirrel-cage induction motor speed can be controlled by varying the voltage and/or
frequency. The ac voltage controller is suitable for some speed control applications. The
torque produced by an induction motor is proportional to the square of the applied
voltage. Typical torque-speed curves for an induction motor are shown in Fig. 11. If a
load has a torque-speed characteristic like that also shown in Fig. 11, speed can be
controlled by adjusting the motor voltage. Operating speed corresponds to the
intersection of the torque-speed curves of the motor and the load. A fan or pump is a
suitable load for this type of speed control, where the torque requirement is
approximately proportional to the square of the speed.
Single-phase induction motors are controlled with the circuit of Fig. 4a, and three-
phase motors are controlled with the circuit of Fig. 7a. Energy efficiency is poor when
using this type of control, especially at low speeds. The large slip at low speeds results
in large rotor losses. Typical applications exist where the load is small, such as single-
phase fractional-horsepower motors, or where the time of low-speed operation is
short. Motor speed control using a variable-frequency source from an inverter circuit is
usually a preferred method.
AC Voltage Controllers

❑ Static VAR Control

Capacitors are routinely placed in parallel with inductive loads for power factor
improvement. If a load has a constant reactive voltampere (VAR) requirement, a fixed
capacitor can be selected to correct the power factor to unity. However, if a load has a
varying VAR requirement, the fixed-capacitor arrangement results in a changing
power factor.
The circuit of Fig. 12 represents an application of an ac voltage controller
to maintain a unity power factor for varying load VAR requirements. The power
factor correction capacitance supplies a fixed amount of reactive power, generally
greater than required by the load. The parallel inductance absorbs a variable
amount of reactive power, depending on the delay angle of the SCRs. The net
reactive power supplied by the inductor-capacitor combination is controlled to
match that absorbed by the load. As the VAR requirement of the load changes,
the delay angle is adjusted to maintain unity power factor. This type of power
factor correction is known as static VAR control.
AC Voltage Controllers
Three-Phase Voltage Controller

Figure 11 Torque-speed curves Figure 12 Static VAR control.

for an induction motor.
AC Voltage Controllers

The SCRs are placed in the inductor branch rather than in the capacitor branch
because very high currents could result from switching a capacitor with a SCR.
Static VAR control has the advantage of being able to adjust to changing
load requirements very quickly. Reactive power is continuously adjustable with
static VAR control, rather than having discrete levels as with capacitor banks
which are switched in and out with circuit breakers. Static VAR control is becoming
increasingly prevalent in installations with rapidly varying reactive
power requirements, such as electric arc furnaces. Filters are generally required
to remove the harmonic currents generated by the switched inductance.
Summary

• Voltage controllers use electronic switches to connect and disconnect a load to an ac

source at regular intervals. This type of circuit is classified as an ac-ac converter.

• Voltage controllers are used in applications such as single-phase light-dimmer

circuits, single-phase or three-phase induction motor control, and static VAR control.

• The delay angle for the thyristors controls the time interval for the switch being on
and thereby controls the effective value of voltage at the load. The range of control
for load voltage is between full ac source voltage and zero.
Summary
• An ac voltage controller can be designed to function in either the fully on or fully
off mode. This application is used as a solid-state relay.

• The load and source current and voltage in ac voltage controller circuits may
contain significant harmonics. For equal delay angles in the positive and negative
half-cycles, the average source current is zero, and only odd harmonics exist.

• Three-phase voltage controllers can have Y- or ∆-connected loads.

• Simulation of single-phase or three-phase voltage controllers provides an efficient

analysis method.