INTRODUCTION TO POWER

ELECTRONICS


Power Electronics is a field which combines
Power (electric power), Electronics and Control
systems
Power engineering deals with the static and
rotating power equipment for the generation,
transmission and distribution of electric power.
Electronics deals with the study of solid state
semiconductor power devices and circuits for
Power conversion to meet the desired control
objectives (to control the output voltage and
output power).

Power Electronics???
Power electronics
may be defined as
the subject of
applications of solid
state power
semiconductor
devices (Thyristors)
for the control and
conversion of
electric power.


BRIEF HISTORY OF POWER
ELECTRONICS


The first Power Electronic Device developed
was the Mercury Arc Rectifier during the year
1900.
Then the other Power devices like
metal tank rectifier,
grid controlled vacuum tube rectifier,
ignitron, phanotron, thyratron and
magnetic amplifier,
were developed & used gradually for power
control applications until 1950.

The first SCR (silicon controlled rectifier) or
Thyristor was invented and developed by
Bell Labs in 1956 which was the first PNPN
triggering transistor.
The second electronic revolution began in
the year 1958 with the development of the
commercial grade Thyristor by the General
Electric Company (GE).
Thus the new era of power electronics was
born. After that many different types of power
semiconductor devices & power conversion
techniques have been introduced.

POWER ELECTRONIC
APPLICATIONS


COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Heating Systems Ventilating, Air
Conditioners, Central Refrigeration, Lighting,
Computers and Office equipments,
Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPS),
Elevators, and Emergency Lamps.
DOMESTIC APPLICATIONS
Cooking Equipments, Lighting, Heating, Air
Conditioners, Refrigerators & Freezers,
Personal Computers, Entertainment
Equipments, UPS.


POWER ELECTRONIC
APPLICATIONS

INDUSTRIAL APPLICATIONS
Pumps, compressors, blowers and fans.
Machine tools, arc furnaces, induction
furnaces, lighting control circuits, industrial
lasers, induction heating, welding
equipments.
AEROSPACE APPLICATIONS
Space shuttle power supply systems,
satellite power systems, aircraft power
systems.

POWER ELECTRONIC
APPLICATIONS
TELECOMMUNICATIONS
Battery chargers, power supplies (DC
and UPS), mobile cell phone battery
chargers.
TRANSPORTATION
Traction control of electric vehicles,
battery chargers for electric vehicles,
electric locomotives, street cars, trolley
buses, automobile electronics including
engine controls.
POWER ELECTRONIC
APPLICATIONS
UTILITY SYSTEMS
High voltage DC transmission (HVDC),
static VAR compensation (SVC),
Alternative energy sources (wind,
photovoltaic), fuel cells, energy storage
systems, induced draft fans and boiler
feed water pumps.


POWER SEMICONDUCTOR
DEVICES

Power Diodes.
Thyristors.
Power BJTs.
Power MOSFETs.
Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors
(IGBTs).
Static Induction Transistors (SITs).


Thyristors Types

Forced-commutated Thyristors (Inverter
grade Thyristors)
Line-commutated Thyristors (converter-
grade Thyristors)
Gate-turn off Thyristors (GTO).
Reverse conducting Thyristors (RCTs).
Static Induction Thyristors (SITH).
Gate assisted turn-off Thyristors (GATT).
Light activated silicon controlled rectifier
(LASCR) or Photo SCRs.
MOS-Controlled Thyristors (MCTs).

Types of Power Electronic
Converters
Diode Rectifiers
It converts AC input voltage into fixed DC
voltage . The input voltage mat be single
phase or three phase AC supply.
AC to DC converters/Phase controlled converters
The phase controlled rectifier provides a
variable d.c. load voltage from a fixed
voltage and frequency a.c. source.

Types of Power Electronic
Converters
DC to DC Converters / DC Choppers
The D.C. to D.C. chopper provide
variable D.C. load voltage from a fixed
D.C. source voltage
DC to AC Converters / Inverters
The d.c. to a.c. inverters produce a
variable a.c. voltage and requency
from a fixed voltage d.c. source.
Types of Power Electronic
Converters
AC to AC Converters
These provide variable A.C. load
voltage from a fixed A.C. source voltage

They are of two types
AC voltage controller
Cycloconverter
(DC to DC
CONVERTERS)

The functions of dcdc converters
to convert a dc input voltage into a dc output
voltage
to regulate the dc output voltage against load
and line variations;
to reduce the ac voltage ripple on the dc output
voltage below the required level;
to provide isolation between the input source
and the load (isolation is not always required);
to protect the supplied system and the input
source from electromagnetic interference (EMI);
to satisfy various international and national
safety standards.
Main Types
The dcdc converters can be divided
into two main types:
1, Hard-switching pulse width
modulated (PWM) converters,
and
2, Resonant and soft-switching
converters.
The PWM converters
The PWM converters have been very
popular for the last three decades
The output voltage of dc choppers is
controlled by adjusting the on time of a
switch which in turn adjusts the width of a
voltage pulse at the output.
This is so called pulse-width modulation
(PWM) control.
The dc choppers with additional filtering
components form PWM dcdc converters.
Advantages of PWM converters
Advantages of PWM converters include
low component count,
high efficiency,
constant frequency operation,
Relatively simple control and commercial
availability of integrated circuit controllers,
and
ability to achieve high conversion ratios for
both step-down and step-up application
Disadvantage of PWM
converters
A disadvantage of PWM dcdc
converters is that PWM rectangular
voltage
current waveforms cause turn-on and
turn-off losses in semiconductor devices
which limit practical operating
frequencies to a megahertz range.
Rectangular waveforms also inherently
generate EMI.
Basic DC Choppers
Basic dcdc converter
topologies
Four basic dcdc converter topologies
presented in Sections are
1, buck,
2,boost,
3, buckboost, and
4, C` uk converters.
Buck converter
The step-down dc
dc converter,
commonly known as
a buck converter
During ON time
V
L
= V
S
-V
O

During OFF time
V
L
= -V
O










Waveform
Boost Converter
The step-up dcdc
converter, commonly
known as a boost
converter
During ON time
V
L
= V
S

During OFF time
V
L
= V
S
-V
O


Waveform
Buck Boost Converter
Output is either
higher or lower than
the input voltage
During ON time
V
L
= V
S

During OFF time
V
L
= -V
O


Wave form
Cuk Converter
Output is either
higher or lower
than the input
voltage
During ON time
V
L1
= V
S
V
L2
= V
C1
-V
O

During OFF time
V
L2
= -V
O
V
L1
= V
S
-V
O

Waveforms