EET306 Power Electronics - Lecture Notes by T.G.

Sanish Kumar, EED, GECT as on 01-07-2022 25

MODULE 2
Controlled Rectifiers (Single Phase) – Half-wave controlled rectifier with R load– Fully controlled
and half controlled bridge rectifier with R, RL and RLE loads (continuous & discontinuous
conduction) – Output voltage equation- related simple problems(5 hrs) Controlled Rectifiers (3-Phase)
- 3-phase half-wave controlled rectifier with R load – Fully controlled & half-controlled bridge
converter with RLE load (continuous conduction, ripple free) – Output voltage equation-Waveforms
for various triggering angles (detailed mathematical analysis not required) (4 hrs).

CONTROLLED RECTIFIERS
Diode rectifiers provide fixed output voltage. To obtain controlled or variable output voltages,
thyristors are used instead of diodes. Output voltage is varied by controlling the firing angle of
thyristors. Thyristor is turned on by applying a short pulse to its gate and turned off due to natural
(line) commutation.
Depending upon input supply voltage, phase-control converters can be i) single-phase
converters and ii) 3-phase converters. Each type can be subdivided into a) half-wave controlled
converter b) fully controlled converter (full converter) b) half ontrolled converter (semiconverter) and
d) dual converter.
A semiconverter is one quadrant converter and it has one polarity of output voltage and
current.
A full converter is a two quadrant converter and the polarity of the output voltage can be
either positive or negative; but the output current has one polarity only (since thyristors are
unidirectional switch).
A dual converter can be operated in 4 quadrants; and both the output voltage and current can
be either positive or negative.
SINGLE PHASE HALF-WAVE CONTROLLED RECTIFIER WITH R LOAD
Assumptions :- 1) Source voltage vs is pure sinusoidal.
2) Devices are ideal (no voltage drop during ON state)
3) Source inductance is negligible

In the positive half cycle, thyristor is in

forward blocking state and it is turned on
at an angle ωt=α by applying a gate pulse.
For α<ωt<π, load voltage is equal to the
source voltage ie. vo=vs. Load current vo/R
is in phase with load voltage. At ωt=π, load
current (hence thyristor current) falls to
zero and it is turned off (line or natural
commutation - when thyristor current falls
below holding current it is turned off). No
additional circuit is required for
commutation.

Instantaneous value of source voltage, vs  Vm sin t

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 EET306 Power Electronics - Lecture Notes by T.G.Sanish Kumar, EED, GECT as on 01-07-2022 26


Average value of output voltage, Vdc  1  Vm sin td (t )  Vm (1  cos  )
2  2
Vdc
Average value of output current, I dc 
R
Vm
Average value is maximum when α=0, Vdc max  .


RMS value of output voltage, Vrms  1 V 1 sin 2
2 
 Vm 2 sin 2 td (t )  m (    )
2  2

RMS value of output current, I rms  Vrms

R
V
Form factor, FF  rms (measure of shape of output voltage)
Vdc

Ripple factor, RF  Vrms  Vdc  (Vrms )2  1  FF 2  1

2 2
(measure of ripple content)
Vdc Vdc
Output dc power, Pdc  Vdc  I dc
Output ac power, Pac  Vrms  I rms
Rectification efficiency,   Pdc 100%
Pac
Pdc
Transformer utilization factor, TUF 
Vs  I s
Vm
RMS value of source voltage, Vs 
2
RMS value of source current, I s  I rms
Peak Inverse Voltage (Reverse blocking voltage) PIV  Vm
Displacement angle, Φ = angle between the fundamental source voltage and fundamental source
current = angle between Vs1 and Is1.
Vs1 and Is1 = RMS value of the fundamental source voltage and fundamental source current
respectively
Since source voltage is sinusoidal, Vs1=Vs.
Displacement factor or Displacement power factor DPF= cosΦ
I s1
Distortion factor, DF  (measure of distortion of the waveform) (for sine wave, DF=1)
Is
I s 2  I s12
Harmonic factor HF or Total Harmonic Distortion THD, THD  (For sine wave, HF =0)
I s1
Vs1 I s1 cos  I s1
Input power factor = PF    cos   DF  DPF
Vs I s Is
Distortion factor, DF  1
1  THD 2
Example 1: If a 1-ph half-wave converter has a purely resistive load of R and the delay angle is
   / 2 , determine a) the rectification efficiency b) the form factor FF c) the ripple factor RF, d)
TUF and e) PIV of the thyristor.
Solution : Vdc=0.1592Vm Idc=0.1592Vm/R Vrms=0.3536Vm Irms=0.3536Vm/R
Pdc=(0.1592Vm)2/R Pac=(0.3536)2/R
FF=2.221 RF=1.983 Vs=0.707Vm TUF=0.1014 PIV=Vm

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 EET306 Power Electronics - Lecture Notes by T.G.Sanish Kumar, EED, GECT as on 01-07-2022 27

1-PHASE FULLY CONTROLLED BRIDGE RECTIFIER

(FULL CONVERTER)
SINGLE PHASE FULLY CONTROLLED RECTIFIER WITH R-LOAD (Discontinuous
Conduction mode)
During positive half cycle, thyristors T1 and T2 are in forward blocking mode. These two thryristors
are turned on at ωt=α by applying gate pulses simultaneously. The load is connected to the input
supply through T1 and T2. T1 and T2 will conduct upto ωt=π. At ωt=π , T1 and T2 are turned off since
the load current (hence thyristor current) is zero.
During negative half cycle, T3 and T4 are in forward blocking state and they are turned ON
simultaneously at ωt=π+α. Load current flows through T3 and T4 till ωt=2π. At ωt=2π, T3 and T4 are
turned OFF by natural commutation.

When T1 and T2 are conducting, source current is same as the load current and when T3 and T4 are
conducting source current is negative of the load current.

SINGLE PHASE FULL CONVERTER WITH RL-LOAD (Discontinuous conduction)

During positive half cycle, thyristors T1 and T2 are in forward blocking mode. These two thryristors
are turned on at ωt=α by applying gate pulses simultaneously. The load is connected to the input
supply through T1 and T2. At ωt=π , T1 and T2 will continue to conduct due to the stored energy in the
inductance. A part of the stored energy is fed back to the source and second part is dissipated in the
load resistance. At ωt=β, stored energy decreases to zero and T1 and T2 are turned off.
During negative half cycle, T3 and T4 are in forward blocking state and they are turned ON
simultaneously at ωt=π+α.

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 EET306 Power Electronics - Lecture Notes by T.G.Sanish Kumar, EED, GECT as on 01-07-2022 28


1 Vm
 
Average output voltage, Vdc  V sin td (t )  (cos   cos  )
m

FULL CONVERTER WITH RL-LOAD (Continuous conduction)
(Load current is continuous)
During positive half cycle, thyristors T1 and T2 are in forward blocking mode. These two thryristors
are turned on at ωt=α by applying gate pulses simultaneously. The load is connected to the input
supply through T1 and T2. At ωt=π , T1 and T2 will continue to conduct due to the stored energy in the
inductance. A part of the stored energy is fed back to the source and second part is dissipated in the
load resistance. At ωt=π+, T3 and T4 are turned on and T1 and T2 automatically turned off due to
reverse voltage applied across its anode and cathode. Here, the inductance is sufficiently large so that
the load current is continuous.

 
1 2Vm
Average output voltage, Vdc 
 V

m sin td (t ) 

cos  (Note: This equation is valid only for

continuous conduction mode)

For sufficiently large value of inductance, the load current may be assumed to be continuous and
ripple free (io=Io where io is the instantaneous value and Io is the average value of the load current).

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 EET306 Power Electronics - Lecture Notes by T.G.Sanish Kumar, EED, GECT as on 01-07-2022 29

Note : For an RL-load, average voltage is always positive. Average voltage is zero for an L-load.
Note : If α is greater than 90°, continuous conduction is not possible for an RL load. In an RL load, if
α ≤ Φ, conduction is continuous where Φ is the impedance angle (   tan 1 (  L ) ). For α > Φ, current
R
becomes discontinuous.

FULL CONVERTER WITH RLE-LOAD (Continuous conduction)

Controlled rectifiers are commonly used for the speed control of dc motors where the armature
voltage is controlled to vary the speed. DC motor is an example of RLE load where R represents the
armature resistance and L represents the armature winding inductance and E represents the back emf.

Assumption : Load current is continuous and ripple free io=Io

 
Average output voltage, Vdc  1 Vm sin td (t )  2Vm cos 
  

If α < 90º, Vdc is positive (rectification); α = 90º, Vdc is zero and if α > 90º, Vdc is negative (inversion).

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 EET306 Power Electronics - Lecture Notes by T.G.Sanish Kumar, EED, GECT as on 01-07-2022 30

Depending on the value of α, the average output voltage can be either positive or negative and it
provides two quadrant operation.
For α > 90°, average output voltage is negative, but the load current continues to flow in the same
direction, so output power is negative. Power flows from load to source. It is possible only for active
load, i.e., when the load has an emf source (RLE). Operation of the converter lies in I and IV
quadrants.
(For regenerative braking of dc motor, α is made greater than 90° and at the same time armature
terminals are interchanged so that the current flows from the dc machine, acting as a generator, to the
ac source. A mechanical arrangement is used for reversal of the connections.)
Connection of converter and DC motor during inversion (α > 90°) is shown below.

Note: Inversion is not possible for passive load (RL load) even if α > 90°.

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 EET306 Power Electronics - Lecture Notes by T.G.Sanish Kumar, EED, GECT as on 01-07-2022 31

RLE load with discontinuous conduction

T1 and T2 will be in forward blocking state only after the instant where Vmsinωt is equal to battery emf
E. When all the devices are off (or load current is zero), the load voltage will be equal to E. T 1 and T2
start conducting from  and the output voltage will be equal to the source voltage T1 and T2 will
conduct upto β where the load current decreases to zero. T3 and T4 are conducting from π+α. During β
to π+α, no device is conducting and hence the load voltage is E.

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 EET306 Power Electronics - Lecture Notes by T.G.Sanish Kumar, EED, GECT as on 01-07-2022 32

FOURIER SERIES

f (t )  ao   [ an cos nt  bn sin nt ]
n 1
T
1
T 0
ao  f (t ) dt

T 2
2 2
T 0 
an  f (t ) cos ntdt  f (t ) cos ntd t
2 0
T 2
2 2
T 0 
bn  f (t ) sin n tdt  f (t ) sin ntdt
2 0

an
 n  tan 1 ( )
bn
For even symmetry, f (t )  f (t ) For odd symmetry, f (t )   f (t )
(symmetrical about Y-axis) (anti-symmetrical about Y-axis)
ao  0
T /2
2
ao 
T  f (t ) dt
0
an  0
T /2
4
an   f (t ) cos ntdt T /2
4
T 0
bn 
T 
0
f (t ) sin ntdt

bn  0
For half-wave symmetry, f (t )   f (t  T / 2) For quarter-wave symmetry,
ao  0 f (t )  f (t ) & f (t )   f (t  T / 2) ES+HWS
4
T /2 ao  0 ; bn  0
an 
T  f (t ) cos ntdt ; n odd
8
T /4
0
T /2
an 
T  f (t ) cos n tdt ; n odd
4 0
bn 
T 
0
f (t ) sin ntdt ; n odd
f (t )   f ( t ) & f (t )   f (t  T / 2) OS+HWS
ao  0 ; an  0
T /4
8
bn 
T 
0
f (t ) sin ntdt ; n odd

cos( A  B)  cos( A  B)  2sin A sin B

sin 2 A  2 sin A cos A
1  cos 2 A  2 cos 2 A

Analysis of 1-phase full converter with RLE load

Distortion Factor DF, Displacement Factor DPF and Input Power Factor IPF
Assumption :
i) Load current is continuous and ripple free io=Io
ii) Source voltage is assumed to be sinusoidal
Vs = RMS value of source voltage
Vs1 = RMS value of fundamental source voltage
Since the source voltage is sinusoidal, Vs1=Vs.
Is = RMS value of source current
Is1 = RMS value of fundamental source current

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 EET306 Power Electronics - Lecture Notes by T.G.Sanish Kumar, EED, GECT as on 01-07-2022 33

Vs1 I s1 cos  I s1
Input power factor = PF    cos   DF  DPF
Vs I s Is


Source current, is (t )  ao   [an cos nt  bn sin nt ]
n 1
is(t) has half-wave symmetry. Hence, ao=0.

  
4 4I o
a1 
2 

I o cos tdt 

sin 
 
4 4Io
bn 
2 

I o sin td  t 

cos 

a1  sin 
1  tan 1  tan 1 ( )  
b1 cos 

Maximum value of fundamental source current = a12  b12

a12  b12 2 2Io
RMS value of fundamental source current, I s1    0.9 I o
2 
 
1
  o
RMS value of source current, I s  I 2 d t  I o

Displacement Factor, DPF= cosΦ1 = cos(-α)

Distortion factor, DF  I s1  2 2  0.9
Is 
Vs I s1 cos  I s1 2 2
Input power factor = PF    cos   cos 
Vs I s Is 
I s 2  I s12
Harmonic factor HF or Total Harmonic Distortion THD, THD   0.483
I s1
Note :
2 2Io
1   I s1   0.9 I s  Io

I s1 I s1 I s 2  I s12
DPF= cosΦ lag DF  PF   cos  THD 
Is Is
I s1

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 EET306 Power Electronics - Lecture Notes by T.G.Sanish Kumar, EED, GECT as on 01-07-2022 34

1-PHASE HALF CONTROLLED BRIDGE RECTIFIER

(SEMICONVERTER)
Continuous conduction
Two thyristors are replaced by two diodes. Half controlled bridge rectifier operates only in one
quadrant (both average voltage and current will be positive).
Assumption : Load current is continuous and ripple free io=Io
SYMMETRICAL CONFIGURATION
During positive half cycle T1 will be in forward blocking state and D1 is forward biased. At ωt=α, T1
is turned on, both T1 and D1 will conductor. Load current flows through T1, load, D1 and source.
Output voltage vo is same as the input voltage vs. Source current is is same as the load current io. After
ωt=π, D2 is forward biased and it stats conducting. D1 is reverse biased. Load is disconnected from
source and its current io flows through D2 and T1, which is known as freewheeling action. Load
voltage is zero when T1 and D2 are conducting.
At ωt=π+α, T2 is turned on, which commutates T1 and load current flows through T2 , load, D2 and
source.

1 V
Average output voltage , Vdc   Vm sin td (t )  m (1  cos  )
  
Average output voltage is never negative; it cannot operate as inverter.


Source current, is (t )  ao   [an cos nt  bn sin nt ]
n 1

is(t) has half-wave symmetry. Hence, ao=0.

 
4 2Io
a1  
2 
I o cos tdt 

sin 

4 2I
b1  
2 
I o sin  td t  o (1  cos  )

Maximum value of fundamental source current,
2Io 2 2Io 4Io  4Io 
a12  b12  sin 2   (1  cos  ) 2  1  cos   cos 2  cos
   2  2

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 EET306 Power Electronics - Lecture Notes by T.G.Sanish Kumar, EED, GECT as on 01-07-2022 35

a12  b12 2 2Io 

RMS value of fundamental source current, I s1   cos
2  2

RMS value of source current, I s  1 I o 2 dt  I o   
  
Displacement Power Factor, DPF= cosΦ = cos(α/2) lag
Distortion factor, DF  I s1  2 2 cos 
Is  (   ) 2
I s 2  I s1 2  (   )
Harmonic factor HF or Total Harmonic Distortion, THD   1
I s1 4(1  cos  )
Vs I s1 cos  I s1 2 2 
Input power factor = PF    cos   cos 2
Vs I s Is  (   ) 2
Note :
 2 2Io   
1   I s1  cos I s  Io
2  2 
I I s1 I s 2  I s12
DF  s1 PF   cos  THD 
DPF= cosΦ Is
Is I s1

Discontinuous conduction
T1 will be in forward blocking state and D1 will be forward biased only after the instant where
Vmsinωt is equal to battery emf E. When all the devices are off (or load current is zero), the load
voltage will be equal to E. T1 and D1 start conducting from α and the output voltage will be equal to
the source voltage. But, at ωt=π, D2 is forward biased and D1 is reverse biased and the load current
freewheels through T1 and D2 till ωt=β. Load voltage will be zero from ωt=π to ωt=β even though the
load voltage is not zero. From ωt=β to ωt=π+α, not devices are conducting and load voltage is same
as the battery emf E. When T1 and D1 are conducting, source current is same as load current and
when T1 and D2 are conducting, source current is zero.

Example 1 : A 1-phase full wave semiconverter is used to charge a 24V battery. A resistance of 5Ω is
connected in series with the battery to limit the current. A large inductor is connected for filtering.
Find the output power and input p.f. for α = 45°. Input voltage is 50V. Assume continuous and ripple
free current.

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 EET306 Power Electronics - Lecture Notes by T.G.Sanish Kumar, EED, GECT as on 01-07-2022 36


Solution : Vdc  1 Vm sin td (t )  Vm (1  cos  ) =38.42V
   
Average value of load current, I o  Vdc  E =2.88V
R
Output power, Po  Vdc  I o =110.8W
Power supplied to the battery PB  E  I o =69.12W
   =2.49A
Is  Io

2 2Io  =2.396A
I s1  cos
 2
Input PF  I s1  cos  = 0.889
Is
Example 2 : A 1-phase full converter supplies 1kW power to a resistive load at α =0°. Find the firing
angle for 0.5kW output. Input voltage = 230V.

Solution : Vdc  1 Vm sin  td ( t )  Vm (1  cos  ) = 207V
   
2
Vdc =42.85Ω
RL 
Po

For 0.5kW, required voltage, Vdc  Po  RL = 146.4V= Vm (1  cos  )


  65.54
Example 3 : Power supplied to a 230V, 1kW resistive load is to be controlled. It is controlled a) full
converter and b) semiconverter. Find the following quantities for both types of converter for 500W
output. i) Average voltage ii) RMS value of input current iii) fundamental component of input current
iv) displacement factor v) distortion factor vi) THD and vii) input power factor. Input voltage is 230V.
Assume continuous and ripple free load current.
Vdc 2 =52.9Ω
RL 
Po
a) FULL CONVERTER
For 500W output,
2V
Vdc  Po  RL =162.6V= m cos 

  38.24
Vdc
Io  =3.073A
R
2 2Io
1   = -38.24° I s1  =2.766A I s  I o =3.073A

I s1 I s1 I s 2  I s12
DPF= cosΦ=0.785 DF  PF   cos  =0.707 THD  =0.484
Is Is I s1
=0.9

b) SEMICONVERTER
For 500W output,
Vdc  Po  RL =162.6V= Vm (1  cos  )

  55.2

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 EET306 Power Electronics - Lecture Notes by T.G.Sanish Kumar, EED, GECT as on 01-07-2022 37

Vdc
Io  =3.073A
R

 2 2Io  =2.45A  
1  = -27.6° I s1  cos I s  Io =2.56A
2  2 
I s1 I s1 I s 2  I s12
DPF= cosΦ=0.886 DF  PF   cos  =0.848 THD  =0.303
Is Is I s1
=0.957

3-PHASE CONVERTERS
3-PHASE HALF-WAVE CONTROLLED RECTIFIER
(3-PULSE CONVERTER)
Delta-star connected transformer is used. (Delta-connected primary circulates triplen harmonics in the
current)
The three thyristors are in common cathode configuration, hence the thyristor with most positive
anode voltage will conduct if a firing pulse is applied.
Ta can be turned on only after ωt=30°. Hence, the reference point for firing of the thyristor T a is
t   . The reference points for Tb and Tc are t   and t   respectively.

3-pulse converter with R load

If  t   , load current is continuous and if  t   , current is discontinuous.

Ta
A
va

vb
Tb
vc
C
R vo

Tc
B

Continuous conduction ( 0     )

 150
3
Vdc 
2 
  30
Vm sin td (t )

3
Vm  cos t 30
 150

2
3
 Vm cos(  30)  cos(  150)
2
3
 Vm cos(  90  60)  cos(  90  60)
2
3
 Vm  2sin(  90)  sin(60)
2
3 3 3 3
 Vm  2 cos    Vm cos 
2 2 2
3 3
Vdc  Vm cos 
2

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 EET306 Power Electronics - Lecture Notes by T.G.Sanish Kumar, EED, GECT as on 01-07-2022 38

Discontinuous conduction (    )

180
3
Vdc 
2 
  30
Vm sin td (t )

3
Vm  cos t 30
180

2
3
 Vm cos(  30)  cos180
2
3
 Vm 1  cos(  30)
2
vo
Tc Ta Tb Tc Ta Tb
 = 30
vA vB vC vA vB vC

t

vo

 = 60
vA vB vC vA vB vC

t

3-PHASE FULLY CONTROLLED BRIDGE RECTIFIER

(FULL CONVERTER OR SIX PULSE CONVERTER)
3-phase half-wave converter is rarely used because it introduces dc component in the supply current
which leads to saturation of the magnetic core of the transformer. It has relatively poor ripple factor.
In the six-pulse converter, each thyristor conducts for 120°. Input current is bidirectional and
output has 6 pulses/cycle. All the six thyristors are divided into two groups. Upper group (T1, T3 & T5)
produces positive pulses in the output. Lower group (T2, T4 & T6) produces negative pulses.
Upper group can be considered as a 3-pulse converter with common cathode configuration,
and lower group can be treated as a 3-pulse converter with common anode configuration.
A thyristor from upper group can be turned on when its anode voltage is greater than the other
two phase voltages. Firing angle of T1 is measured from 30° (reference point) of phase voltage v A.
Reference angle for firing of T1, T3 & T5 are 30°, 150° and 270° respectively.
A thyristor from lower group can be turned on when its cathode is most negative. Reference angle
for firing T2, T4 & T6 are 90°, 210° and 330° respectively.
When a thyristor of upper group is conducting, then one thyristor from lower group must conduct
for return path.

3-PHASE FULL CONVERTER WITH RLE LOAD (CONTINUOUS CONDUCTION)

Assumption Load current is assumed to be continuous and ripple free (i o=Io)

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 EET306 Power Electronics - Lecture Notes by T.G.Sanish Kumar, EED, GECT as on 01-07-2022 39

In continuous conduction mode, each device will be conducting for 120°. T1 will be in forward
blocking mode when its anode voltage is maximum positive which occurs after t   . Hence, T1
can be triggered only after t   . Similarly, T2, T3, T4, T5 and T6 can be triggered after
t  ,150, , 270,  respectively. If firing angle is α, each device is fired in the following
sequence. T1 will conduct for 120° and it is turned off automatically when T3 is fired.

Device Instant of Instant of

turning ON turning OFF
T1        120
T2        120
T3        120
T4        120
T5        120
T6        120

Let firing angle be α = 30°. Since reference angle for T1 is 30°, T1 is turned on at  t      60 . T2,
T3, T4, T5 and T6 are fired at  t  ,180, , 300,  . Since each device is conducting for
120°, T1 stops conducting at  t      180 .
Device Instant of Instant of
turning ON turning
OFF
T1 6 180
T2  240
T3 18 300
T4  360
T5  420
T6  480
During 0-60°, T5 and T6 are conducting and the load voltage will be vo=vC-vB=vCB. Similarly, the load
voltages in each duration are as shown below.

Duration Devices Load

ON voltage
0-60° T5T6 vCB
60°-120° T1T6 vAB
120°-180° T1T2 vAC
180°-240° T3T2 vBC
240°-300° T3T4 vBA
300°-360° T5T4 vCA

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 EET306 Power Electronics - Lecture Notes by T.G.Sanish Kumar, EED, GECT as on 01-07-2022 40

AVERAGE OUTPUT VOLTAGE - Continuous Conduction

Note : If v A  Vm sin(t ) & vB  Vm sin(t  120) , v AB  3Vm sin(t  30)
Average value of output voltage is
  90
6
Vdc 
2 
  30
3Vm sin(t  30)d (t )

= 6 3Vm [ cos(t  30)] 90

30
2
= 6 3Vm [cos(  60)  cos(  120)]
2
6 3Vm
= [cos(  90  30)  cos(  90  30)]
2

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 EET306 Power Electronics - Lecture Notes by T.G.Sanish Kumar, EED, GECT as on 01-07-2022 41

= 6 3Vm 2  sin(  90)  sin(30) (Note: cos( A  B )  cos( A  B )  2 sin A sin B )

2
6 3Vm 1 3 3Vm
=  2  cos    cos 
2 2 
3 3
Vdc  Vm cos 

If α=90°, average output voltage is zero.

vL  = 90
vo vAB vAC vBC vBA vCA vCB vAB vAC vBC vBA vCA vCB vAB

t

For RLE load, if α is greater than 90°, average value of output voltage is negative. Since load current
is positive, power will flow from load to source. This is called inversion. Inversion is possible only if
the load is RLE type (active load) and α is greater than 90°.

vL  = 120
vo vAB vAC vBC vBA vCA vCB vAB vAC vBC vBA vCA vCB vAB

t

Line Commutated Inverter:-

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 EET306 Power Electronics - Lecture Notes by T.G.Sanish Kumar, EED, GECT as on 01-07-2022 42

When full converter is operating as line commutated inverter, firing angle α is increased above 90°
and the connections of the armature terminals of the DC motor are interchanged so that induced emf
reverses the polarity. DC machine will act as generator (regeneration). During inversion, average
output voltage (armature voltage) is negative but the armature current is positive.

3-PHASE HALF CONTROLLED BRIDGE RECTIFIER (3-PHASE SEMICONVERTER)

Freewheeling mode of operation of bridge connected rectifiers can be realized by replacing half of its
thyristors with diodes.
3-phase semiconverter with RLE load
Assumption : Load current is continuous and ripple free

Note : A diode will be forward biased when its cathode is most negative; therefore, D1 is forward
biased from 90° to 210°. D2 will be forward biased from 210° to 330°. D3 is forward biased from 330°
to 450°. (Each diode conducts for 120°)
Assume α = 30°
At α = 30° (ωt=60°) T1 is turned on. At that instant D3 is forward biased, so load current flows
through T1 and D3, and load voltage is equal to vAB. At ωt=90°, D1 becomes forward biased, current is
transferred from D3 to D1. As a result vAC appears across the load. T1 continues to conduct until
ωt=180°. At this point, T2 is turned on, which commutates T1. As a result, voltage vBC appears for next
30°.
α = 30°
0-60° T3D3 vCB
60°-90° T1D3 vAB
90°-180° T1D1 vAC
180°-210° T2D1 vBC
210°-330° T2D2 vBA
330°-360° T3D2 vCA

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 EET306 Power Electronics - Lecture Notes by T.G.Sanish Kumar, EED, GECT as on 01-07-2022 43

The circuit has continuous operation (load voltage is continuous) for α<60° and discontinuous
operation for α>60°.
α = 90°
At α = 90° (ωt=120°) T1 is turned on. At that instant D1 is forward biased, so load current flows
through T1 and D1, and load voltage is equal to vAC. At ωt=210°, D2 becomes forward biased, current
is transferred from D1 to D2. Now, T1 and D2 conduct simultaneously to provide freewheeling path for
load current. As a result, output voltage drops to zero. It continues until ωt=240° when T 2 is turned
on. Now load current flows through T2 and D2, and output voltage is made equal to vBA.
Note : The load voltage has only 3 pulses per cycle.
α = 90°
0-90° T3D3 vCB
90°-120° T3D1 0
120°-210° T1D1 vAC
210°-240° T1D2 0
240°-330° T2D2 vBA
330°-360° T2D3 0

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 EET306 Power Electronics - Lecture Notes by T.G.Sanish Kumar, EED, GECT as on 01-07-2022 44

Note : If α>60°, output voltage is discontinuous.

AVERAGE OUTPUT VOLTAGE
For    , during one pulse, T1D3 and T1D1 conducts, both vo=vAB and vo= vAC occur.
For    , for one pulse, T1D1 and T1D2 conducts, vo= vAC only occurs.

Note : If v A  Vm sin(t ) & vB  Vm sin(t  120) , vAB  3Vm sin(t  30) and
v AC  3Vm sin(t  30)
For    ,
Average value of output voltage is

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 EET306 Power Electronics - Lecture Notes by T.G.Sanish Kumar, EED, GECT as on 01-07-2022 45

 150
3  
90
Vdc    3V sin( t  30 ) d ( t )   3Vm sin(t  30) d (t ) 
2  30
m
90 
 150
3 3Vm  
90
   sin(t  30) d (t )   sin(t  30) d (t ) 
2  30 90 
3 3Vm
 (1  cos  )
2
For    ,
Average value of output voltage is
3  
210
Vdc    3Vm sin(t  30) d (t ) 
2   30 
3 3Vm  210

   sin(t  30) d (t ) 
2   30 
3 3Vm
 (1  cos  )
2
3-phase semiconverter can operate only in one quadrant since average load voltage is always positive
for all values of α.

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