INVERTERS
An inverter converts DC power into AC power at desired voltage and
frequency.
Industrial applications of inverters include adjustable-speed AC drives,
induction heating, aircraft power supplies, UPS systems, and HVDC transmission
lines.
Line-commutated inverters need an existing AC supply for commutation,
meaning they can't work as isolated AC voltage sources or variable frequency
generators.
Force-commutated inverters, however, provide independent AC output with
adjustable voltage and frequency, making them more versatile.
DC input to the inverter can come from power supply networks, alternators,
batteries, fuel cells, photovoltaic arrays, or MHD generators.
A DC-link converter consists of an AC-to-DC rectifier and DC-to-AC inverter.
Inverters are classified into voltage source inverters (VSI) and current source
inverters (CSI).
VSI: Has a stiff DC voltage source at its input, with small or negligible
impedance.
CSI: Fed with adjustable current from a high impedance DC source,
resulting in output currents that aren't load-dependent.
VSIs using thyristors often need forced commutation, while those using GTOs,
power transistors, MOSFETs, or IGBTs employ self-commutation for controlled
turn-on/off.
SINGLE-PHASE VOLTAGE SOURCE INVERTERS
Single-phase voltage source inverters (VSIs) are of two types: (i) half-bridge
inverters and (ii) full-bridge inverters.
Half-Bridge Inverter:
Consists of two SCRs, two diodes, and a three-wire DC supply.
For 0 < t ≤ T/2, thyristor T1 conducts, providing voltage V/2 to the load.
For T/2 < t ≤ T, thyristor T2 conducts, providing voltage V/2 to the load.
Output voltage is alternating with amplitude V/2 and frequency 1/T Hz.
Frequency can be adjusted by controlling T.
A drawback is the requirement for a three-wire DC supply.
Full-Bridge Inverter:
Consists of four SCRs and four diodes, doubling the number of components
compared to the half-bridge inverter.
Output voltage and power are doubled compared to the half-bridge inverter.
When T1, T2 or T3, T4 conduct, the load voltage is V.
Frequency can be controlled by varying the period.
It is crucial that two SCRs in the same branch don't conduct simultaneously
to avoid short-circuiting the source.
General Operation:
For resistive loads, the thyristors alone suffice.
For non-resistive loads, feedback diodes (in antiparallel with thyristors)
allow current flow when the main thyristors are turned off.
THREE-PHASE INVERTERS
- Three-phase inverters are more common for providing adjustable-frequency
power in industrial applications than single-phase inverters.
- They take DC supply from a battery or typically from a rectifier.
- A basic three-phase inverter is a six-step bridge inverter, requiring a minimum of
six thyristors.
- A "step" refers to the change in firing from one thyristor to the next in sequence.
- For one cycle (360°), each step is 60° in a six-step inverter, meaning the
thyristors are gated at 60° intervals.
- The output produces a three-phase AC voltage.
- Fig. 8.19(a) shows the circuit of a three-phase bridge inverter with six thyristors
and six diodes.
- Inverters today often use Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors (IGBTs) in place of
thyristors, but the basic configuration remains the same.
- A large capacitor at the input terminals maintains constant DC voltage and
suppresses harmonics fed back to the source.
- The inverter consists of three half-bridge inverters arranged side by side.
- The three-phase load is typically star-connected.
- There are two gating patterns for the thyristors:
1. **180° conduction mode**: Each thyristor conducts for 180°.
2. **120° conduction mode**: Each thyristor conducts for 120°.
- In both modes, gating signals are applied and removed at 60° intervals, requiring
a six-step bridge inverter.
THREE-PHASE INVERTER, EACH SCR CONDUCTS FOR 180° PER
CYCLE.
- In the three-phase inverter, each SCR conducts for 180° per cycle.
- Thyristor pairs in each arm (T1, T4), (T3, T6), and (T5, T2) are turned on in
180° intervals.
- T1 conducts for 180°, followed by T4 for the next 180°.
- In the upper group (T1, T3, T5), thyristors conduct at 120° intervals.
- If T1 fires at 0°, T3 fires at 120°, and T5 at 240°.
- The same pattern applies to the lower group (T4, T6, T2).
- The firing sequence of the thyristors is shown in a table (Fig. 8.20):
- Row 1: T1 conducts for 180°, followed by T4 for the next 180°.
- Row 2: T3 starts 120° after T1, followed by T6 for 180°.
- Row 3: T5 starts 120° after T3, followed by T2 for 180°.
- The firing sequence is: T1, T2, T3, T4, T5, T6, repeating in this cycle.
- In each step of 60°, only three SCRs conduct:
- One from the upper group, and two from the lower group, or vice versa.
- The circuit model for each step (I-IV) is illustrated in Fig. 8.21.
- In **Step I** (T5, T6, T1 conducting), terminals a and b are connected to the
positive bus, and terminal c to the negative bus.
- The load voltage is Vab = Vcb = Vs in magnitude.
120-DEGREE MODE THREE-PHASE VSI
- The 120-degree mode three-phase VSI uses the same circuit as Fig. 8.19.
- In this mode, each thyristor conducts for 120° of a cycle.
- Like the 180° mode, the 120° mode inverter has six steps, each 60° in duration, to
complete one AC voltage cycle.
- **Thyristor Firing Sequence**:
- T1 conducts for 120°, followed by a 60° interval where neither T1 nor T4
conducts. T4 is turned on at 180° for 120°.
- Similar sequences occur for T3 and T6, as well as for T5 and T2.
- The thyristor firing sequence remains the same as in the 180° mode.
- **Difference from 180° Mode**:
- In the 120° mode, only **two thyristors conduct** during each step (one from
the upper group, one from the lower group).
- In the 180° mode, three thyristors conduct during each step.
- **Circuit Models**:
- **Step I**: T6 and T1 conduct, connecting load terminal a to the positive bus
and terminal b to the negative bus, while terminal c is not connected.
- The line-to-neutral voltages are determined accordingly.
- The load voltages and line voltages are plotted for each step.
- Phase voltages show one positive and one negative pulse (each 120°) per cycle.
- Line voltages have six steps per cycle.
- The gating sequence for each thyristor is represented in Fig. 8.22 and is
consistent with the described operation.
