Power Electronics

Lecture # 22

 Contents of Today`s Lecture:

 Three phase half wave thyristor controlled rectifier
 Performance parameters of a three phase Half- wave converter:

1. Three phase half wave thyristor controlled rectifier:

Three phase converters provide higher average output voltage and are more efficient, active and powerful
as compared to single phase converters because there come three peaks during each 2π period. Also, the
frequency of the ripples on the output voltage is higher as compared to single phase rectifiers, so the
filtering requirements for smoothing out load voltage and load current are simpler. These converters are
used in high-power, variable speed drives. This is a two quadrant converter. The circuit diagram is as
under.

Description:

When thyristor T1 is fired at angle π/6 +α, phase voltage Van is most positive at this point, so Van appears
across the load until thyristor T2 is fired. When T2 is fired at 5π/6 +α, thyristor T1 is reverse biased,
because at this instant phase voltage Vb is most positive, and we can see from the figure above that phase
b is connected with thyristor T2, so T2 will become forward biased at this instant (5π/6 +α) and the phase
voltage Vbn will appear across the load until we fire thyristor T3 at 3π/2 +α. At this instant T2 is turned
off because Vcn is most positive at this instant 3π/2 +α, so T3 will become forward biased and Vcn will
appear across the load until T1 is fired again at the start of next cycle.

For a resistive load and α > π/6, the load current would be discontinuous. While for inductive load,
current through the inductive load will be continuous, as throughout the period 2π, any of the three
thyristors is on. It can be seen from the waveform below that the output or load current will be continuous
in case of inductive load.

Load current

Inductive load

Load current

Resistive load

Performance parameters of a three phase Half- wave converter:

In case of inductive Load:

1) Vdc = ∫ where π/6 is the instant from which we can start conduction or commutation
 √
 Vdc = where α = 0  (firing angle)

At α = 0 ;
√
Vdc,max =

2) VN = Vdc/ Vdc,max

√ √
VN = /

 VN = cosα

3) Vrms = √ ∫

√
 Vrms = √ Vm √

In case of resistive Load:

1) Vdc = ∫

 Vdc =

At α = 0;

Vdc,max = 3Vm√ /2

2) VN = Vdc/ Vdc,max

 VN = 1+cos(α +π/6) / √

3) Vrms = √ Vm √

Example 10.5 : Do it yourself