What is a thyristor?
This is a semiconductor device which acts as a switch. The semiconductor rectifier material either works
as a conductor when current flows in one direction or as an insulator when it attempts to flow in the
other. If the voltage being applied is the standard sinusoidal AC form only half of the waveform will be
conducted, therefore current flows during half cycles only. To deliver maximum power to the load both
halves of the AC waveform must be conducted and two silicon controlled rectifiers (SCRs) used,
connected in an anti-parallel (back to back) configuration.
allow for any fluctuations in voltage supply or temperature, etc. This means we are not switching at the
units maximum which results in a longer thyristor life.
Three phase (3PH) systems are normally used for larger power consuming loads. The voltage between
any two legs of a three system is a sinusoidal AC waveform but the voltage waveform between each
successive pair of legs will be displaced in time by 120 electrical degrees from the other two. This
corresponds to 6.67 milliseconds for a 50Hz system. Assuming the load is 12kW but connected to 3 phase
we would have 12000 watts over the voltage, times by the square root of 3 or 1.73 for convenience. So
the current would be 12000 / 415 X 1.73 = 16.8 amps.
to help choose the right thyristor power controller for your application. Remember: we have the right
product for all applications.