Inverters

DC to AC Solid State Converters

Prof. A K Kapoor

Switch-Mode DC-AC Inverter

Four quadrants of operation

Push-Pull Inverter
1ph
The output
voltage
Vo1pk
= m.Vd/n (m1)

and
Vd/n < Vo1pk <(4/).(Vd/n) ,
m>1
Vpk = 2Vd, & Ipk =
iopeak/n
Transformer saturation difficult
to avoid

The push-pull inverter can be operated in square or PWM

mode and the waveforms would be identical to those of full
bridge inverter.
In a push-pull inverter the peak switch voltage and current
ratings are:
VT = 2.Vd & IT = iopeak/n
Advantages:
1. only one series switch conducts at a time.

 Problems of push-pull inverter

Since the output current is a slowly varying current at the
fundamental output frequency, it can be assumed to be
constant during a switching interval.
When a switching occurs the current shifts from one half to
the other half of the winding.
To reduce the energy associated with the leakage reactance
of the two primary windings, very good magnetic coupling is
required between these two halves of the windings.
Low frequency transformers require large number of turns,
which results in a large leakage inductance, which is
proportional to the square of the number of turns.
This makes it difficult to operate a SPWM push pull inverter
at switching frequencies higher than approximately 1kHz

Leading p.f.
load

Voltage and current

waveforms for 1 bridge
inverter with a series RL
load
a), b) pole voltage
waveforms,
c) Load voltage, d) load
current and e) Supply
current

Equivalent circuit for a 3ph six-step inverter with a balanced wye connected
resistive load

Six step VSI 1200 operation

Vab = 3 van,+30 0
phase
advance
There is a delay of /6
between turn-off of Q1 & Q4
Conduction sequence of
switches is
61,12,23,34,45,56,61

Gating signals for 1200

conduction

2VS
n

van
cos
sin (nt )
6
6
n 1, 3, 5..... n

2VS
n

vbn
cos
sin (nt )
6
2
n 1, 3, 5..... n

2VS
n
7
vcn
cos
sin (nt )
6
6
n 1, 3, 5..... n

Comparison of output waveforms between

delta and star connections in 1800 operation

Adjustable voltage dc supply for a six step inverter using

a) A ph. Controlled rectifier and b) a diode bridge rectifier and
dc chopper

Operation of a six step inverter with direct control of inverter

frequency

Operation of a six step inverter with direct control of dc

link voltage

 I. Voltage Source Inverter (VSI)

A. Six-Step VSI
B. Pulse-Width Modulated VSI
II. PWM Methods
A. Sine PWM
B. Modified sine PWM
C. Harmonic Elimination Technique
D. Hysteresis (Bang-bang)
E. Space Vector PWM

I. Voltage Source Inverter (VSI)

A. Six-Step VSI
Six-Step three-phase Voltage Source Inverter

Fig. 1 Three-phase voltage source inverter.

Voltage Source Inverter (VSI)

Six-Step VSI

Gating signals, switching sequence and line to negative voltage

2 Waveforms of gating signals, switching sequence, line to negative vol

for six-step voltage source inverter.

Voltage Source Inverter (VSI) Six-Step VSI 180 0

operation

Switching Sequence:
561 (V1) 612 (V2) 123 (V3) 234 (V4) 345 (V5) 456 (V6)
561 (V1)

where, 561 means that S5, S6 and S1 are switched on

Fig. 3 Six inverter voltage vectors for six-step voltage

source inverter.

3-ph Bridge
Inverter
output
voltage waves
in square
wave (or Six
Step) mode

Voltage Source Inverter (VSI) Six-Step VSI

Line to line voltages (Vab, Vbc, Vca) and line to neutral voltages (Van, Vbn,

Line to line voltages

Vab = VaN - VbN

Vbc = VbN - VcN

Vca = VcN - VaN

Phase voltages

Van = 2/3VaN - 1/3VbN - 1/3VcN

Vbn = -1/3VaN + 2/3VbN - 1/3VcN

Vcn = -1/3VaN - 1/3VbN + 2/3VcN

Fig. 4 Waveforms of line to neutral (phase) voltages and line to

line voltages

Voltage Source Inverter (VSI) Six-Step

VSI

Amplitude of line to line voltages (Vab, Vbc, Vca)

Fundamental Frequency Component (Vab)1

3 4 Vdc
6
(Vab )1 (rms)

Vdc 0.78Vdc

2 2

Harmonic Frequency Components (Vab)h

: amplitudes of harmonics decrease inversely proportional

to their harmonic order

0.78
(Vab )h (rms)
Vdc
h
where, h 6n 1 (n 1, 2, 3,.....)

Voltage Source Inverter (VSI) Six-Step

VSI

Characteristics of Six-step VSI

is called six-step inverter because of the presence of six ste

the line to neutral (phase) voltage waveform

Harmonics of order three and multiples of three are

absent from
both line to line and line to neutral voltages and
consequently
Output amplitude in a three-phase inverter can be
absent from the currents
controlled by

only change of DC-link voltage (Vdc)

Voltage Source Inverter (VSI)

Pulse-Width Modulated VSI
Objective of PWM

Control of inverter output voltage

Reduction of harmonics

Disadvantages of PWM

Increase of switching losses due to high PWM frequency

Reduction of available voltage

EMI problems due to high-order harmonics

Current source Inverter

CSI

Introduction
Current-fed inverters requires a stiff constant
current source input - thus are sometimes
referred to as CSI (current source inverters or
current stiff inverters).
A large inductance can be used to change a
variable voltage input to a variable current input.
VSI-inverters and CSI-inverters are dual to each
other.

Introduction (contd)
Power semiconductor devices used in CSI
inverters must be able to withstand large
reverse voltages. Therefore, power
MOSFETs, BJTs, IGBTs, MCTs, IGCTs and
GTOs are not used.
Symmetric blocking GTOs and thyristors
can be used in CSI inverters.
Generally CSI inverters are nowadays used
in very high power applications.

1 ASCI Inverter

1ph bridge autosequentially commutated current source inverter with

series RL load

 The operation of ASCI can be divided in 4

intervals

Interval A: constant current Id flows through the load

through TH1, D1, load, D4,TH4 and Vload = R.Id Capacitors
C1 and C2 are charged to a voltage vc = +Vo from the
previous half cycle; Vo > Vload

Interval B: TH2 & TH3 are turned on, capacitor C1 and C2

apply a reverse bias to TH1 & TH4 respectively turning
them off. The load current Id continues to flow in the same
direction through TH3,C1,D1,load,D4,C2,and TH2. The
capacitors are in series with the load and discharged by the
load current Id When the capacitor voltage falls from Vo to
RId, diodes D2 and D3 conduct and the interval B ends.

Interval C: Thyristor TH2, TH3 and all four diodes are

conducting so that load is connected in parallel with both
commutating capacitors. This RLC ckt undergoes a
transient response during which load current falls to zero
and reverses. When load current attains a value Id, D1 &

Voltage and current waveforms for 1ph bridge current

source inverter