MODULE-3

DC Chopper - basic principle of operation with waveforms- equation of output

voltage - simple problems- control strategies-constant frequency control -variable
frequency control
Types of choppers -concept of quadrant operations- circuit diagram and basic
concepts of choppers -single quadrant (Type A, Type B)-two quadrant( Type C,
Type D)-four quadrant( Type E )-Applications of chopper
Buck and boost converters-(operation with diagram only )
Cycloconverters -types- single phase to single phase step up cycloconverter
(midpointtype)

DC chopper (DC-DC converter)

The main purpose of a DC chopper is to convert a fixed DC voltage into a variable DC voltage by chopping or switching
the input voltage.

Principle of DC Chopper
 The basic principle of operation of a DC chopper involves rapidly switching the input voltage ON and OFF to
achieve the desired output voltage.
 Normally the circuit is nothing but a switch connected in series with the supplyand the load.

Duty cycle
• The control circuit determines the ON and OFF times of the switch, known as the duty cycle. The duty cycle is the ratio
of the time the switch is ON to the total time of one complete cycle (ON + OFF).
Duty cycle (D) = [TON /T]
Where T = TON + TOFF
Duty cycle (D) = [TON / TON + TOFF]

Buck converter (Step down chopper)

• Step-down chopper works as a step-down transformer on DC current.
• Here average output voltage of the chopper described above will be less than the input voltage. (Vin >Vo and Iin<I0)
 The output voltage is maintained by varying the dutycycle.
• It consists of is an inductor, a semiconductor switch (MOSFET), a diode
Mode I: (witch S1 is in closed condition)
• When a constant dc voltage is applied as input, then the current flows through closed switch S1
 vo = Vs. The load current io builds up exponentially. Inductor stores energy .
Mode 2 (When the switch is turned off at t = ton,)
 When S1 is open, then the inductor acts as the source. Hence diode FD becomes closed.
• Here, the inductor releases the energy stored in the previous mode and during releasing of energy, the
polarity of the inductor gets reversed which causes the freewheeling diode (FD) to come in forward
biased condition and allows the flow of current.
 vo = 0.
 Energy stored in the load inductance is gradually dissipated in load resistance; load current decays
exponentially.

vo = Vs (when switch S is closed)

Vo = 0 (when switch S is open)

D is the duty cycle of the chopper.

Duty cycle (D) = [TON /T]
T = TON + TOFF

STEP-UP CHOPPER

 This chopper configuration produces an average output voltage more than the input voltage (i.e., Vo>Vs).
 When the chopper is on, the inductor L is connected to the supply Vs, and voltage across inductance
vL=+Vs. Inductance gets charged.
 Diode D is reverse biased. Load is disconnected from the source.
 The inductor current iL increases linearly
 When the chopper is off, the inductor current is forced to flow though the diode and the load.
 The inductor current decreases linearly

D is the duty cycle of the chopper.

Duty cycle (D) = [TON /T]
T = TON + TOFF
 CONTROL TECHNIQUES
The average value of output voltage, Vo can be controlled by periodic opening and closing of the switches. The two
types of control strategies for operating the switches are employed in DC choppers. They are:
a) Time-ratio control (TRC)
b) Current limit control (CLC)

A. TIME-RATIO CONTROL (TRC)

ton
In the time-ratio control, the value of is varied. This can be achieved in two ways. They are
T
 variable frequency operation
 constant frequency operation.

a) Constant Frequency System (Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) control) : Chopping period T is kept
constant; ton is varied. D is varied from 0 to 1. (Width of the pulse is varied keeping the switching
frequency constant)
T 3T
In figure (a), ton  , D = 25%. In figure (b), ton  , D = 75%.
4 4
b) Variable Frequency System (Frequency Modulation Control) : ton (or toff) is kept constant, T is
varied. In figure (a), ton is kept constant, T is varied. In figure (b), toff is kept constant, T is varied.
 B. CURRENT LIMIT CONTROL
In current limit control strategy, the chopper is switched ON and OFF so that the current in the load (or in
an inductance) is maintained between two limits. When the current exceeds upper limit, the chopper is switched
OFF. During OFF period, the load current freewheels and decreases exponentially. When it reaches the lower limit,
the chopper is switched ON. Current limit control is possible either with constant frequency or with constant ton.

TYPES OF CHOPPER CIRCUITS

Choppers can be classified according to the quadrant of operation.
 For Ist quadrant operation, output voltage (armature voltage) and output current (armature current) are positive.
 In quadrant 2, dc machine is working as generator since armature current is negative (breaking operation).
Energy is returned back to the source.
 In quadrant 3, both voltage and current are negative. DC machine will operate as motor but rotating in the
opposite direction.
 In quadrant 4, armature voltage is negative and current is positive, dc machine will operate as generator (breaking).
 First Quadrant Chopper or Type A Chopper

 When the switch S is ON, vo = Vs.

 When the switch S is OFF, load current freewheels through DF and vo = 0.

Vo  DVs
Average values of both load voltage and current, i.e. Vo and Io are always positive. Power flow is always from
source to load. This chopper also called step-down chopper as average output voltage Vo is always less than input dc
voltage V.

Second Quadrant Chopper or Type B Chopper

In this chopper, the load must contain a dc source, E (for loads like battery or dc motor).

 When S2 is ON, load voltage vo is zero and the battery E drives the current through L and S2.
During ON period, inductance L stores energy.
 When S2 is OFF, the energy stored in the inductance L is returned to the source through the diode D2.
When the chopper is ON or OFF, current io flows out of the load (io is negative).

Since Vo is positive and Io is negative, power flow is always from load to source. Since the power flows from the load
of lower voltage to source of higher voltage, type B chopper is also known as step-up chopper.

Two Quadrant Type C Chopper (I & II Quadrants)

Two quadrant chopper is formed by connecting Type A and Type B choppers in parallel. Output voltage is always
positive because of the presence of freewheeling diode D1 across the load and the load current may be positive or
negative.
 If the switch S1 is operated ON and OFF and S2 is kept OFF, the system operates as a step-down
chopper. The output voltage Vo is either Vs (when S1 is on) or zero (when S1 is off and D1 conducts). The average
value of the output voltage is positive and the output current io flows in the positive direction. The chopper, therefore,
operates in the first quadrant.

S1
+ io
Vs
D1 vo
E

First Quadrant Ope-ration

switch S2 is operated ON and OFF and S1 is kept OFF, the system operates as a step-up chopper with E
as source. (if the load is a dc machine, it operates in the regenerative braking mode). The output voltage Vo is either
zero (when S2 is on) or Vs (when S2 is off and D2 conducts). The average value of the output voltage is positive, but
the output current now flows in the negative direction. The chopper then operates in the second quadrant.

Note : S1 and S2 should not be operated simultaneously which leads to short circuit across the dc source.

Two Quadrant Type D Chopper (I & IV Quadrants)

In this chopper, load current is always positive and load voltage may be positive or negative.

Output voltage is vo=Vs when S1 and S2 are ON and vo=-Vs

when S1 & S2 are OFF and D1 & D2 are conducting. Average output voltage Vo is positive when chopper ON time ton
is more than OFF time toff.
Average output voltage Vo is negative when chopper ON time ton is less than OFF time toff.
Load current always flows in positive direction.
 vo vo

V V
t t
-V ton toff -V ton
toff
T io T
io
I2 I2
I1 I1
t
 Four Quadrant Type E Chopper

QUADRANT
S1 I S2 & S3 are kept OFF;
L S4 is kept ON;
io E
S1 is operated ON & OFF
+ vo - Vo and Io are positive
D2 S4

S1, S3 & S4 are kept OFF;

S2 operated ON and OFF

Vo is positive and Io is negative

E is reversed

S1 & S4 are kept OFF;

S2 is kept ON;

S3 is operated ON & OFF

Vo and Io are Negative

E is reversed

S1, S2 & S3 are kept OFF;

S4 is operated ON & OFF

Vo is negative is and Io positive

 Problems
Q1- A step down chopper has input voltage of 440V and output voltage of 220V. If the total time
period of thyristor chopper is 300μs, then compute its duty cycle (D) and turn ON time (TON).

Solution:-
Given that Vin =440V, Vo=220V, T=300 μs
a) Since Vout = D.Vin

Duty cycle (D) = Vout / Vin

= 220 / 440 = 0.5 %
b) Since Duty cycle (D) = [TON /T]

ON time (TON) = DT

= 0.5 x 300 μs = 150 μs

Q2- A step down chopper has input voltage of 660V and output voltage of 220V. If the total time
period of chopper is 450 μs, then compute its duty cycle (D) and turn ON time (TON).

Solution:-
Given that Vin =660V, Vo=220V, T=450 μs
a) Since Vout = D.Vin

Duty cycle (D) = Vout / Vin

= 220 / 660 = 1/3 %
b) Since Duty cycle (D) = [TON /T]

ON time (TON) = DT

= 1/3 x 450 μs = 150 μs.

Q3- step up chopper has input voltage of 220V and output voltage of 660V. If the total time period of
thyristor-chopper is 300μs, then compute its duty cycle (D) and turn ON time (TON).

Solution:-
Given that Vin =220V, Vo=660V, T=300 μs
a) (1-D) = Vin / Vout
=220 / 660
= 1/3
Therefore, D = 1- (1/3) = 2/3 %
b) Since Duty cycle, D = TON/T
TON = DT

= 2/3 x 300 μs = 200 μs.

Q4- A step up chopper has input voltage of 220V and output voltage of 440V. If the total time period
of chopper is 400μs, then compute its duty cycle (D) and turn ON time (TON).
Solution:-
Given that Vin =220V, Vo=660V, T=400 μs
a) (1-D) = Vin / Vout
=220 / 440 = 0.5
Therefore, D = 1- (0.5) = 0.5 %
b) Since Duty cycle, D = TON/T
TON = DT
= 0.5 x 400 μs = 200 μs
 CYCLOCONVERTER
• Cycloconverter is device which converts input AC power at one frequency to output power
at a different frequency.
• The output frequency is more than the input frequency for this cycloconverter.

Single phase to single phase step up cyclo converter (midpoint type)

 During the positive half cycle of input supply voltage, positive group thyristors P1 & N2
are forward biased for ωt = 0 to ωt = π.
 SCR P1 is fired to turn it ON at ωt = 0, The load voltage, thus, follows the positive
envelope of the input supply voltage.
 At 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 . The load or output voltage traces the negative envelop of the supply voltage
 At ωt = ωt2, N2 is force commutated and P1 is turned ON. The load voltage is now
positive and follows the positive envelope of the supply voltage.
This process is repeated in the positive half cycle.
 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.
 When P2 is turned on, the load voltage is positive
 To make the load voltage negative P2 is force commutated and N1 is triggered
This process is repeated in the negative half cycle
The frequency of output wave form is greater than input voltage and it is determined by
proper switching of SCRs