Chopper-Controlled DC

Drives

2
Outline
• Introduction
• DC – DC Converter Fed Drives
• Step Down Class A Chopper
• Step Up Class B Chopper
• Two-quadrant Control
• Four-quadrant Control

3
Applications of DC drives
• Subway cars
• Trolley buses
• Battery operated vehicles
• Marine hoists
• Forklifts, etc
Range
Few watts to thousands of kW
Conventional schemes to get variable DC
voltage from a fixed DC
• Resistance Control
• Motor generator set
Eg. Ward Leonard system
Power Electronic Converters
for DC Drives
 Power electronics converters are used to obtain variable voltage
 Highly efficient
 Ideally lossless
 Type of converter used is depending on voltage source :
AC voltage source  Controlled Rectifiers
Fixed DC voltage source
 DC-DC converters (switch mode converters)

6
Control strategies
• Time-ratio Control
Here the duty ratio is varied. Two ways of it are
Constant Frequency Operation
Variable Frequency Operation
• Current Limit Control
Constant Frequency Operation
Variable Frequency Operation
Limitations of FM
Current Limit Control

• In the current limit control strategy, the switch in dc-dc converter

(chopper) is turned ON and OFF, so that the current is maintained
between two (upper and lower) limits.
DC – DC Converter Fed Drives
 To obtain variable DC voltage from fixed DC source
 Self-commutated devices preferred (MOSFETs, IGBTs,
GTOs) over thyristors
 Commutated by lower power control signal
 Commutation circuit not needed
 Can be switched at higher frequency for same rating
 Improved motor performance (less ripple, no discontinuous
currents, increased control bandwidth)
 Suitable for high performance applications
 Regenerative braking possible up to very low speeds
even when fed from fixed DC voltage source

13
DC – DC Converter Fed Drives
- Step Down Class A Chopper

Motoring
• Provides positive output Q2 Q1

voltage and current Q3 Q4 T

S Ia
• Average power flows from
source to load (motor)
Ra
• Switch (S) operated Va
periodically with period T
V La
D

Ea

14
 DC – DC Converter Fed Drives
- Step Down Class A Chopper Ia
S
Motoring
S is ON (0  t  ton) Ra
Ia
Va

V La
Ra D
Va
V La Ea

Ea
•Va = V Duty
•Ia flows to motor Interval
dia
Raia  La  E V •|Ia| increases ( ia  )
dt
15
DC – DC Converter Fed Drives
- Step Down Class A Chopper Ia
S
Motoring
S if OFF (ton  t  T) Ra
Ia
Va

V La
D
Ra
Va
ID La Ea

Ea •Va = 0 Freewheeling
•Ia freewheels through Interval
dia diode DF ( ia  )
Raia  La E 0
dt •|Ia| decreases
16
Chopper controlled DC drive equations
DC – DC Converter Fed
- Step Down Class A Chopper
Motoring
ton
Duty cycle   where T  chopper period
T
Under steady-state conditions:
Motor side:
V  Ra I a armature
Chopper side, aaverage
E Duty
Interval Freewheeling
voltage: ( ia  ) Interval
Therefore, ( ia  )

a  V
Hence, averageVarmature current:
V  Va  Ra I a  E

V  E
Ia 
Ra T
18
DC – DC Converter Fed Drives
- Step Up Class B Chopper 
Regenerative Braking
 Provides positive output voltage and Q2 Q1
negative average output current Q3 Q4 T
 Average power flows from load (motor) to
source Ia
•Possible for speed
D above rated speed
Ra and down to nearly
Va zero speed
S La •Application:
V
Switch (S) • Battery operated
operated vehicles
periodically
Ea • Regenerated
with period T power stored in
battery 19
 DC – DC Converter Fed Drives
- Step Up Class B Chopper
Ia

Regenerative Braking D
Ra
S is ON (0  t  ton)
Ia  Va = 0 (diode blocks V) Va
 ia increases due to E V S La
Ra (since E > Va)
Va  Mechanical energy
S converted to electrical Ea
La (i.e. generator)
 Energy stored in La
Energy Storage
Ea  Any remaining energy
dissipated in Ra and S Interval
dia ( ia  )
Raia  La E
dt
20
 DC – DC Converter Fed Drives
- Step Up Class B Chopper Ia
Regenerative Braking
D
S if OFF (ton  t  T) Ra
Ia • ia flows through Va
diode D and S La
source V V
Ra
• ia decreases in
Va negative direction Ea
V La • Energy stored in La
& energy supplied
by machine are fed Duty
Ea to the source Interval
dia ( ia  )
Raia  La V  E
dt
21
DC – DC Converter Fed Drives
- Step Up Class B Chopper
Regenerative Braking
 Duty cycle ton Negative because
 where T  chopper period current flows from
T motor to source
 Under steady-state conditions
Generator side: Va  E  Ra I a Energy Storage
Chopper side, average armature Duty
Interval
Interval
voltage: ( ia  )
( ia  )
 Therefore, Va  1   V

1 average
 Hence,  V  armature
Va  E current:
Ra I a

E  1   V
Ia 
Ra T
22
DC – DC Converter Fed Drives
- Two-quadrant Control
No Speed
• Combination of Class A & B choppers
Reversal
• Forward motoring Q1 - T1 and D2 (Class A)

• Forward braking Q2 – T2 and D1 (Class B)
Q2 Q1
+
Q3 Q4 T
T1
V D1
• Va always +ve   always +ve
• Ia can be +ve or –ve
+ • Do not fire both switches
T2 Va together  short circuit at
D2
- supply
-

26
 DC – DC Converter Fed Drives
- Two-quadrant Control
 Forward motoring Q1 - T1 and D2 (Class A)
 T1 conducting: Va = V (ia ) • D2 conducting: Va = 0 (ia )

+ +
T1 T1 D1
D1
ia ia
V V
+ +
D2 D2
T2 T2
Va

Va 
- -

Average Va = 1V,
1 = (ton T1 / T ), 2 = 0 Average
Va Ea

T1 chopping T2 always •Average Va positive

ON & OFF OFF •Average Va made larger
than back emf Ea
27
•Ia positive
DC – DC Converter Fed Drives
- Two-quadrant Control
 Forward braking Q2 – T2 and D1 (Class B)
 D1 conducting: Va = V (ia ) • T2 conducting: Va = 0 (ia )

+ +
T1 T1 D1
D1
ia ia
V V
+ +
D2 D2
T2 T2
Va

Va 
- -

Average Va =(1 - 2)V,

1 = 0, 2 = (ton T2 / T ) Average
Ea
Va

T2 chopping •Average Va positive

T1 always
ON & OFF •Average Va made smaller
OFF than back emf Ea
•Ia negative (motor acts as 28
generator)
DC – DC Converter Fed Drives
- Two-quadrant Control
 For fast transition from motoring (Q1) to braking
(Q2) and vice versa, both T1 and T2 are controlled
simultaneously, i.e. within a period T:
 T1 in ON and T2 is OFF between time 0 < t ≤ ton
 If Ia is positive (Va > E), current flows from supply to motor via T1
 If Ia is negative (E > Va), current flows from motor to supply via D1
 T1 is OFF and T2 is ON between ton < t ≤ T
 If Ia is positive, current circulates via D2
 If Ia is negative, current circulates via T2
 Duty ratio is given by: ton T 1
 where T  chopper period
T
 Average armature voltage is: Average Va =V
29
DC – DC Converter Fed Drives
- Four-quadrant Control
• Operation in all four quadrants
• Va and Ia can be controlled in magnitude and polarity
• Power flow can be in either direction

• Speed and torque can be reversed
Q2 Q1

Q3 Q4 T

D1 i D3
T1 a T3
+ Va - Note:
Polarity of Va and
direction of Ia
T4 D2 T2 indicated are
D4
assumed
positive.
30
 DC – DC Converter Fed Drives
- Four-quadrant Control
• When a switch is on (i.e. ‘ON state’) it may or may not
conduct current depending on the direction of ia
• If a switch conducts current, it is in a conducting state
• Converter has two legs (Leg A & Leg B)
• Both switches in each
Leg B
leg, are alternately
switched +
• If T1 = ON, T4 = OFF i
T1 D1a D3
T3
+ Va -
• If T4 = ON, T1 = OFF Vdc

T4 D2 T2
D4

- 31
Leg A
Quadrant I operation
Q1-Forward motoring
Q2 - Forward regeneration
Q2 - Forward regeneration
Q3- Reverse Motoring
Q4- Reverse Braking
DC – DC Converter Fed Drives
- Four-quadrant Control 

 Positive Current (Ia > 0) Q2 Q1

 Va = Vdc when T1 and T4 are ON
Q3 Q4 T
 Current increases
 Q1 operation
 Va = 0 when current
freewheels through +
T4 and D1 T1
D2 D4
T3
+ Va -
 Current decreases ia
 Va = -Vdc when D1 and D4 Vdc
conducts current
T2 T4
D3
 Current decreases D1
-
 Energy returned to supply
 Q4 operation
T3 and
T2 off 38
DC – DC Converter Fed Drives
- Four-quadrant Control 
 Negative Current (Ia > 0) Q2 Q1
 Va = -Vdc when T3 and T2 are ON
 Current increases in negative direction Q3 Q4 T
 Q3 operation
 Va = 0 when current
freewheels through
T2 and D3 +
D2 D4
 Current decreases T1 T3
+ Va -
 Va = Vdc when D3 and D2 Vdc
ia
conducts current
 Current decreases T2 T4
D3
 Energy returned to D1
supply -
 Q2 operation
T1 and
T4 off 39
DC – DC Converter Fed Drives
- Four-quadrant Control
 For both positive and negative current, output voltage can
swing between:
 Vdc and -Vdc
 Vdc and 0
 Four quadrant chopper has two legs, so it requires two
switching signals (one for each leg)
 Depending on relationship between the two switching signals,
4-quadrant chopper has two switching schemes:
 Bipolar switching
 Unipolar switching
 Switching scheme determines output voltage swing between
Vdc and -Vdc or Vdc and 0.
40
DC – DC Converter Fed Drives
• Operation of DC motor drive depends on:
• Direction of Ia (determined by torque, i.e. motoring or
braking)
• Polarity of Va and Ea (determined by speed, i.e. forward or
reverse)
• the duty cycle of the DC-DC Converter (either two-quadrant
or four-quadrant)
• Open loop control is achieved by changing the duty
cycle manually as and when required

41