Unit 5 Part 1 AC-AC Converters

ac/ac Converters
• Single-stage ac/ac power conversion is possible by connecting two silicon-controlled rectifiers (SCRs) in anti-
parallel manner or a single triac between source and load and by varying the SCR firing angle.
• The root mean square (rms) value of output voltage is controlled to deliver variable-output power. This type of
power conversion finds application in industrial heating, illumination control, fan speed control, and transformer
tap changing.
ac/ac power converters can be put into three categories:
1. ac voltage regulators
2. Cycloconverters
3. ON–OFF controls
All of the above converters are supplied from constant frequency and constant voltage supply lines. With ac
voltage regulators, the amplitude of the output voltage can be varied, but its frequency remains at line
frequency. In the case of a cycloconverter /ON–OFF control scheme, both the amplitude and frequency of the
output voltage can be varied.
1
ac Voltage Regulators
In ac voltage converters, the output voltage amplitude can be conveniently varied without any change in frequency.
Depending on the control scheme, there are two configurations:
1. Phase angle control
2. Pulse-width modulation
These methods differ in operation and type of devices employed, and each scheme has some advantages over the
other.
Phase Angle Control

The principle of phase angle control in a single-phase
circuit is represented in Fig.
As shown in the figure, there are two SCRs connected in

an anti-parallel manner between the source and load. To
start with, a resistive load is considered.
2
During the positive half-cycle, T1 is triggered at α, making v0 the same as vs. At ωst = π, both v0 and i0 go to zero, and
T1 is turned OFF by natural commutation. Similarly, T2 is fired at π+α and is naturally commutated at 2π. The
waveforms are given in Fig.
Referring to the output voltage wave shape, the rms value of load voltage can be derived as follows:
3
Load is now assumed to be inductive in nature. Let R and L
represent the load:
where β is the angle at which current falls to zero. The

solution is given in Equation and is reproduced below:
In the Equation, Z is the load impedance and is , and φ is the

load power factor angle and is . The output current is plotted
in Fig.
4
The angle β can be evaluated by substituting at ωst = β and i0(t) = 0 in Equation. The value of β depends upon the
relative value of R and ωsL. With increasing values, β reaches π+α, and there is no voltage control possible at the
output.
Hence, it should be mentioned that in the phase angle control scheme, voltage control is effective only up to α < φ,
thereby imposing a stringent constraint.
In other words, the load power factor is an important parameter that decides the amplitude of load voltage (i.e., the
value of β) and the voltage control range. This is demonstrated in Fig.(e).
For low-power applications, a single triac can replace the two thyristors. Then the circuit becomes very compact and
economical.
Such a configuration is commonly employed for speed control of domestic fans, commercially known as electronic
fan regulators.
5
Pulse-Width Modulation
The pulse-width modulation (PWM) technique is performed
with an ac chopper, which is another ac/ac converter that
converts fixed voltage line frequency into variable ac voltage
without a change in frequency.
The simple schematic is shown in Fig.

Where two switches are employed; one switch, S1, is in series
with load and the other switch, S2, shunts the load.
The switches are realized using self-commutating devices such

as insulated-gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs) or power metal-
oxide semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs).
When switch S1 is closed, v0 = vs, and once S2 is switched ON,

v0 = 0. It may be noted that S2 can be dispensed with resistance
load; further simultaneous closing of S1 and S2 must be avoided
to prevent short-circuiting of the source voltage.
The practical implementation of switches S1 and S2 is shown in
Fig. The use of a diode rectifier along with each IGBT permits
bi-directional conduction of IGBTs.
6
The operation is explained with the help of Fig. Here,
a resistance load is considered, and hence S2 does not
have a freewheeling function.
The IGBT-1 is gated between α and π − α during the

positive half-cycle, making v0 = vs during this period.
This device is gated again in the negative half-cycle
from π + α to π − α.
This produces one voltage pulse per half-cycle, which

possesses half- and quarter-wave symmetries and
leads to fewer harmonics.
The load current waveform resembles that of load

voltage.
7
Figure shows ac chopper waveforms with R-L load. In this case,
the triggering pattern of IGBT-1 is retained, as was seen with R
load, but at ωt = π − α, when IGBT-1 is turned OFF, IGBT-2 is
gated for freewheeling of the load current.
The rms value of output voltage can be derived as follows:
8
The PWM technique can be used with an ac
chopper in which the two IGBTs are switched
ON/OFF sequentially so that the output voltage
comprises several voltage pulses per cycle. This is
illustrated in Fig., where there are seven voltage
pulses per half-cycle.
The gating signal Vgs1 alone is shown, and Vgs2 is

the complemented version of Vgs1. The output
voltage and current waveforms in Fig. show that
there are far fewer harmonic components. This is
the major advantage that an ac chopper has over
the phase angle control scheme.
9
Cycloconverters
A cycloconverter is an ac/ac power converter supplied from fixed-frequency, fixed-voltage ac mains

and provides a lower frequency ac voltage at the output. A bridge-type cycloconverter is shown in Fig.
Here, there are two ac/dc converters labeled as C-1 and C-2.
10
The operation of the circuit can be explained with
the help of waveforms depicted in Fig. Here Fig.
(a) shows the supply voltage waveform, and C-1 is
gated for the one cycle of vs, and C-2 is made to
conduct for the second cycle;
if this sequence continues, the output voltage

appears as shown in Fig.(b) and the output
frequency is now f1/2. The waveforms in Fig.(c)
shows the output frequency at f1/3.
Output voltage control can be achieved by

implementing phase angle control on C-1 and C-2,
leading to variable-voltage, low-frequency output
voltage as given in Fig.(d).
Cycloconverters are used for low-speed operation

of ac motor drives.
11
On–Off Control
ON–OFF control is also called integral cycle control. The

power circuit for this scheme is the same as the one shown
in Fig (Circuit diagram of an ac voltage controller with R
load), but the triggering sequence is different and is shown
in Fig.
The SCRs T1 and T2 are continuously triggered for a finite
duration, which is an integral multiple of the period of
input supply. Thus, during Ton, the load is connected to
the source, and it is disconnected during T – Ton.
By suitably controlling , the load voltage can be
controlled. Load voltage and current waveforms are
shown in Fig. The rms value of the load voltage is
derived below:
12
The interval Ton corresponds to multiple of π and hence, sin(ωsTon )=0.
Hence,
While this scheme can be effectively employed for temperature or illumination control, it is not suitable
for induction motor control because considerable speed fluctuations can hamper many industrial
applications.
13

Unit 5 Part 1 AC-AC Converters

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ac/ac Converters

ac/ac power converters can be put into three categories:

Depending on the control scheme, there are two configurations:

1. Phase angle control

Phase Angle Control

As shown in the figure, there are two SCRs connected in

where β is the angle at which current falls to zero. The

In the Equation, Z is the load impedance and is , and φ is the

The simple schematic is shown in Fig.

The switches are realized using self-commutating devices such

When switch S1 is closed, v0 = vs, and once S2 is switched ON,

The IGBT-1 is gated between α and π − α during the

This produces one voltage pulse per half-cycle, which

The load current waveform resembles that of load

The rms value of output voltage can be derived as follows:

The gating signal Vgs1 alone is shown, and Vgs2 is

A cycloconverter is an ac/ac power converter supplied from fixed-frequency, fixed-voltage ac mains

if this sequence continues, the output voltage

Output voltage control can be achieved by

Cycloconverters are used for low-speed operation

ON–OFF control is also called integral cycle control. The

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