ELEC4614 Power Electronics

Lecture 10. Effect of source inductance on phase

controlled AC-DC converters.
10.1 Overlap in single-phase, CT fully-controlled converter
Ls i T1 iL
1

ip R
vi vo
L
V m ax sin  t
vs

Ls T2

i2

Figure 10.1 Single-phase C-T converter with source

inductance

The presence of source inductance means that

commutation of load current from one thyristor to the
next, as they are triggered with a firing angle , can not
be instantaneous. This source inductance, Ls, is invariably
because of the inductance of the supply lines and the
leakage inductance of the input transformer. For this
circuit, the overlap of conduction for the duration 
makes the output voltage zero (which is the mean of the
overlapping input voltages) during this period .

Lecture 10 - Overlap in 1 F. Rahman

single-phase AC-DC converters
ELEC4614 Power Electronics
Ls T1 iL

i1
R
ip vi vo
L
V m a x s in  t
vs

Ls T2

i2

Figure 10.2 Waveforms in the converter of figure 10.1,

commutation overlap and commutation notches, for α = 45.
Lecture 10 - Overlap in 2 F. Rahman
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ELEC4614 Power Electronics

Figure 10.3 Waveforms in the converter of figure 10.1,

commutation overlap and commutation notches, for α =
130.
The part of the input voltage waveform which is missing
from the output voltage is given by
di
Vmax sin t  Ls (10.1)
dt
  Id


Vmax sin  t  d  t    Ls

0
di (10.2)

where Vmax is the peak of the input AC voltage and Id is

the DC level of the output (load) current.

Lecture 10 - Overlap in 3 F. Rahman

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Note that in each half cycle of the above waveform, the
input current through the incoming thyristor rises from
zero to Id in time /, starting from the instant of firing.
Thus, integrating equation 10.2,

Vmax  cos      cos     Ls I d

 Ls
cos      cos  Id (10.3)
Vmax

The commutation or overlap angle  can be found from

expression 10.3. It increases with load current Id at any
firing angle. The output DC voltage is then given by
1  
Vd 
 

Vmax sin  t  d  t 

1  

 
Vmax sin  t d  t 
(10.4)
2Vmax  Ls
 cos   Id
 

Lecture 10 - Overlap in 4 F. Rahman

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 = 30
Vd

Id
 = 120

(a)

Figure 10.4(a) Variation of Vd with Id and firing angle α.

  = 30

Id

Figure 10. 4(b) Variation of overlap angle  with Id and

firing angle α.

Lecture 10 - Overlap in 5 F. Rahman

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10.1.2 Overlap in single-phase, fully controlled bridge
converter

Without overlap, thyristors T1 & T4 or T3 & T2 conduct

alternately for 180 (assuming continuous conduction).
With overlap due to source inductance all four thyristors
conduct during commutation of current through thyristor
pairs .
The part of the input voltage waveform which is missing
from the output during overlap is given by
di
Vmax sin  t  Ls (10.5)
dt
As before
  Id


Vmax sin  t  d  t    Ls

Id
di  2 Ls I d

2 Ls
cos      cos   Id (10.6)
Vmax

Note that during overlap, the input current i, which flows

through Ls, changes by 2Id. The overlap angle  can be
found from the above expression. The angle  increases
when larger load current is commutated.
The DC output voltage of the converter with overlap is
given by

Lecture 10 - Overlap in 6 F. Rahman

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ELEC4614 Power Electronics
1   1  
Vd 
 

Vmax sin t d t  
 

Vmax sin t d t 

2Vmax 2 Ls
 cos   Id (10.7)
 

Vd  = 30

 = 125


 = 30

Id
Figure 10.6(a) Variation of Vd and commutation angle with
load current and firing angle for the converter of figure 10.5.
Lecture 10 - Overlap in 7 F. Rahman
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vo
is Ls T1 T3
ip Id
vs= Vd
vp Vmaxsint vsi Load

T2 T4

(a)

vo

iL

vp
vp
ip
ip

v si

v s -v si

(b)

Lecture 10 - Overlap in 8 F. Rahman

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ELEC4614 Power Electronics

vs
vs
-vs

vo

iL

vp
vp ip
ip

vsi

vs-vsi

 =145o
(c)
Figure 10.5 (a) Single-phase, F-C, bridge converter with
source inductance and its waveforms; (b) for α = 45.
(c) for α = 145.

Lecture 10 - Overlap in 9 F. Rahman

single-phase AC-DC converters
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10.1.3 Overlap in single-phase, half-controlled bridge
converter
In this converter, the output voltage waveform can not
become negative at any time, because of the freewheeling
diode Df. This diode would be forward biased when the
vo tends to go negative by the action of the inductance of
the load. The commutation of the load current through the
thyristors and the diodes occur in two stages. At first, the
load current commutates to the freewheeling diode (Df) at
the zero crossings of the input voltage. When an incoming
thyristor is triggered, the freewheeling load current
commutates from the freewheeling diode to this thyristor.
The part of the input voltage waveform missing from the
output is thus dropped across the source inductance due to
the load current rising to Id during the commutation
overlap angle  when a thyristor is triggered.
Consequently, the overlap angle  and the DC output
voltage Vd for this converter with source inductance Ls are
given by,

1   Id

 
Vmax sin  td(  t )  Ls di
 0

 Ls
cos      cos   Id
 Vmax (10.8)

Lecture 10 - Overlap in 10 F. Rahman

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ELEC4614 Power Electronics
The DC output voltage is given by

1    
Vd  
 

Vmax sin  td(  t ) 


Vmax sin  td(  t )


Vmax  Ls
 Vd  1  cos    Id (10.9)
 

Because of the removal of the lagging part of is into Df,

the fundamental component of is lags the input voltage
waveform by an angle smaller than . This means that the
converter with a higher input displacement factor and
hence higher input power factor. This is one advantage of
this converter, in addition to reduction of cost (due to
fewer thyristors and gate drive circuits. However, this
converter can not produce negative DC output voltage,
hence, it can not regenerate into the AC source.

Lecture 10 - Overlap in 11 F. Rahman

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vo
is Ls T1 T3
ip Id
vs= Vd
vp Vmaxsint vsi Df Load

D2 D4

Figure 10.6 Single-phase H-C converter

500
vs
-5 0 0

vo

iL

iD f

vp
ip

v si

v s -v si

Figure 10.7 Waveforms in the H-C converter with source

inductance; for  = 45.
Lecture 10 - Overlap in 12 F. Rahman
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vs

vo

iL

iDf

vp ip

vsi

vs-vsi

0  2 3

Figure 10.8 Waveforms in the H-C converter with source

inductance; for α = 145.

Lecture 10 - Overlap in 13 F. Rahman

single-phase AC-DC converters