Industrial Electronics

Topic 17 – S C R

A Introduction

1 SCR is simply a three terminals diode. They act as a switch, conducting

when their gate receives a current pulse, and continue to conduct for as
long as they are forward biased.

In this topic, we will discus on the principle operation of a SCR and its
application.

B SILICON CONTROL RECTIFIER

1 (a) It has three terminals: the anode, cathode and gate.

(b) Fig 17.1 is the symbol of the SCR

Anode

Gate

Cathode

Fig. 17.1 Schematic symbol and terminal names of an SCR

2 BASIC SCR OPERATION

1) Basically an SCR is a diode, but it cannot conduct without any signal fed
to its gate, even with positive voltage applied to its anode.

2) There are two methods to operate an SCR. They are:

a) force conduction;

b) application of a proper triggering voltage.

3) Force Conduction

a) The SCR can be forced to conduct by applying a voltage higher

than its allowed maximum anode voltage.

b) This method of conduction is called force conduction.

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Topic 17 – S C R

4) Normal Conduction

a) An SCR operates the same way as a diode, except that it requires

a positive gate pulse to conduct.

b) Without the gate voltage the SCR will not conduct, as shown in Fig
17.2a.

Anode RL
No No
Gate Load
Current S1 Current

DC
Gate Cathode
Power
RG Source

DC gate voltage

Fig. 17.2a SCR operation in dc circuit – Initial state

c) When S1 is closed, a positive pulse is applied to the gate and the

SCR starts to conduct, as shown in Fig 17.2b.

Anode RL
Gate
Current Load
S1 Current

DC
Gate Cathode
Power
RG Source

DC gate voltage

Fig. 17.2b SCR operation in dc circuit – Conduction state

d) Removal of the gate pulse does not turn off the SCR.

e) To turn off the SCR, place a shorting wire across the SCR anode
and cathode terminals, as shown in Fig 17.2c.

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Topic 17 – S C R

Shorting
No Anode Wire
Current A
RL
No Load
Gate Current
Current S1 G
DC
C
Power
RG Source

DC gate voltage

Fig. 17.2c SCR operation in dc circuit - Gate turn-off

f) This reduces the current through the SCR below the rated holding
current (IH).

g) This turns off the SCR, and it will not be turned on again until S 1 is
closed.

h) Opening the anode load circuit, as shown in Fig 17.2d, can also
turn off the SCR.

S2

Anode RL
No No
Gate Load
Current S1 Current

DC
Gate Cathode
Power
RG Source

DC gate voltage

Fig. 17.2d SCR operation in dc circuit – Anode turn-off method

i) In this case, opening switch S2 will reduce the load current to zero.

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Topic 17 – S C R

3 SCR OPERATING CHARACTERISTICS

1) Fig 17.3 shows the operating curve of the SCR.

Fig. 17.3 Typical SCR VI characteristic curves

2) With no gate current (IG = 0) and a small anode-cathode voltage,

only a small leakage current flows in the SCR.

3) If the anode-cathode voltage is increased beyond the maximum

forward blocking voltage, the SCR will breakdown into forward
conduction.

4) The SCR is almost always operated with an anode-cathode voltage

less than the forward breakdown voltage rating.

5) The SCR is then turned on with a small gate current known as the
gate trigger current (IGT).

6) A lower anode-cathode voltage requires a higher gate trigger

current. In Fig 17.3, IGT2 is greater than IGT1.

7) Once fired, the SCR will remain in conduction as long as the anode
current is not allowed to drop below the holding current value.

4 SCR RATINGS
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Topic 17 – S C R

1) Forward breakover voltage (VBR(F))

a) The voltage at which the SCR switches on. The value

of VBR(F) is maximum when IG = 0.

2) Reverse breakdown voltage (VBR(R))

a) The value of reverse voltage from cathode to anode at

which the SCR breaks into avalanche region and
begins to conduct heavily.

3) Holding current (IH)

a) The minimum current through the anode to cathode

terminal required for maintaining the SCR on state.

4) Gate trigger current (IGT)

a) The minimum gate current needed to switch the SCR

on.

5) Gate trigger voltage (VGT)

a) The minimum gate voltage required for triggering the

gate trigger current.

6) Average forward current (IF(AVG))

a) The maximum average on-state current the SCR may

conduct.

C SNUBBER NETWORK

1) A SCR can be switched into conduction by a sharp increase of the off-

state voltage.

2) A snubber network as shown in Fig17.4, consisting of a series resistor

Rs and capacitor Cs connected across the SCR can be used to protect
a SCR from sharp increases in the off-state voltage.

3) The charging capacitor momentarily places the voltage across the

resistor.
Rs Cs
4) The energy contained in the sharply rising portion of the voltage
waveform is then dissipated in the resistor.
VAK
Switch
L

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R
VB
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Topic 17 – S C R

Fig. 17.4 The snubber circuit

D AC-TO-DC CONVERTER

1 Half-wave phase control circuit

1) An ac-to-dc converter is widely used for obtaining variable dc voltage

from a constant ac voltage and frequency source.

2) The variable dc voltage is then used for the speed control of dc motors.

3) Fig 17.5 shows a half-wave phase control circuit.

a) During the positive half-cycle the SCR will not conduct if no

gate signal is applied.

b) The SCR will only conduct if a positive pulse is applied to

its gate.

c) The pulse can be applied as soon as the anode becomes

positive so that the SCR will conduct for the entire positive
half cycle (the full 180).

d) The application of the pulse can also be delayed by an

arbitrary firing delay angle  as shown in Fig 17.5a.

SCR
Load
SCR
Trigger
circuit

Fig. 17.5 Half-wave phase control circuit

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Topic 17 – S C R

Fig. 17.5a Load waveform with delay angle ‘’

e) As soon as the SCR is triggered into conduction, it will

continue to conduct until the end of the positive half-cycle.

f) The SCR will not conduct during the next negative half-cycle.

g) The conducting angle decreases with an increase in the

firing angle.

h) It should be noted that the average power delivered to the

load depends on the phase angle of the conducting period.

i) Larger phase angle of the conducting period means a higher

average power, and a smaller phase angle of the conducting
period means a lower average power.

j) Thus the phase of the firing delay angle control the amount
of power delivered to the load.

2 Full-wave phase control circuit

Fig 17.6 shows how two SCR can be combined with a center-tapped
transformer to accomplish full-wave power control.

Fig. 17.6 Full-wave phase control circuit

(a) When the secondary winding is in its positive half cycle,

SCR1 conducts.

(b) When the secondary winding is in its negative half cycle,

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Topic 17 – S C R

SCR2 conducts.

(c) The current through the load always flows in the same
direction, just as in a full-wave dc power supply.

(d) Fig 17.6a shows waveforms of load voltage and ac line

voltage for a firing delay angle of about 45.

(e) The delayed angle can be small or large depending on

the power requirement of the load.

Fig. 17.6a Supply voltage and load voltage waveforms

3 APPLICATION OF AC-TO-DC CONVERTER

3.1 Half-wave dc motor speed control circuit.

a) The circuit shown in Fig 17.7 is a simple single-phase half wave dc

motor speed control circuit.

SCR
R1
47 k D2
AC
12v
AC
Speed
C
Adjust R2
0.02F
Pot 1 k
25 k

D1 Arm.
Armature

Fig. 17.7 Half-wave dc motor speed control circuit

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Topic 17 – S C R

b) The SCR acts as a half-wave rectifier.

c) The anode and the gate voltage are taken from the mains supply
source.

d) The 25 K variable resistor is used to vary the speed of the motor.

e) When the wiper of the variable resistor moves up, the voltage at
the gate is nearly equal to the ac input voltage.

f) The firing delay angle will be very small and the conducting angle
will be large.

g) Hence the average power delivered to the motor is large.

%
h) The speed of the motor increases.
of Full
Rated Speed
i) When the wiper moves down, the gate voltage is nearly equal to
zero.

j) The lower gate voltage will increase the firing delay angle.

k) Larger delay firing angle will result in a shorter conducting angle.

l) Hence, lower average power is delivered to the motor.

m) The speed of the motor decreases.

n) Fig 11.7a shows the graph of the relationship between motor

Firing
speed and firing delay angle.
Delay
Angle (deg)

Fig. 11.7a Graph of shaft speed versus firing delay angle

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Topic 17 – S C R

(o) As can be seen, it is impossible for the motor to attain 100 % of its
full rated speed because the system can deliver only half-wave
power to the motor.

3.2 Full-wave dc motor speed control circuit

Fig 17.8 shows a single phase full-wave speed control circuit.

AC Field

Fig. 17.8 Full-wave dc motor speed control circuit

a) The bridge rectifier provides a pulsating dc voltage to the circuit.

b) The pulsating dc voltage will provide a charging current to the

capacitor C via the armature winding, diode D 2, and speed-
adjustment potentiometer.

c) The capacitor C will be charged until the voltage across it reaches

the breakover voltage of the Shockley diode.

d) At that instant, the Shockley diode conducts, allowing gate current

to flow.

e) The gate current will trigger the SCR into conduction.

f) The resistance of the speed-adjust potentiometer sets the

charging rate of C; which determined the firing delay angle.

g) Diode D3 provides a circulating path for the back-emf induced in

the armature winding at the end of each half-cycle, when the SCR
turns off.

h) R1 and D1 provide a discharging path for C when the Shockley

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Topic 17 – S C R

diode turns off.

i) The capacitor C will discharge via D1, R1 and the field coil winding.

E AC VOLTAGE CONTROLLER

1) AC phase control is used to obtain variable ac voltage from a

fixed ac input.

2) The applications of ac line voltage controllers include the

following:

a) Lighting controls

b) Transformer tap changing

c) Speed control of induction motor

3) The basic form of the ac phase control circuit is shown in Fig

17.9.

Load
Control

Control

Fig. 17.9 AC full-wave voltage control circuit

F DC-TO-AC INVERTER

1) The dc-to-ac inverters are used to convert the following types of

input voltages:

a) DC battery to fixed or variable frequency ac voltage

(single-phase or three-phase).

b) AC input voltage rectified to dc, then inverted back to

single-phase or three-phase fixed or variable frequency
output voltage.

2) The applications of inverters are the following:

a) Generation of 50 HZ, fixed voltage ac from a dc

source, such as dc obtained in wind power, solar
generation, or from batteries.
b) Speed control of three-phase induction and

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Topic 17 – S C R

synchronous motors.

c) Uninterrupted power supply (UPS).

3) The basic circuit of a single-phase parallel capacitor commutated

inverter is shown in Fig 17.10.

Fig. 17.10 Single-phase parallel capacitor commutated inverter

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Topic 17 – S C R

G DC-TO-DC CONVERTER

1) A dc chopper circuit is used to convert fixed dc voltage to a

variable dc voltage.

2) A dc chopper is used to control the speed of a dc motor from a

battery or dc supply.

3) The basic circuit diagram of the dc chopper and its output voltage
waveform is shown in Fig 17.11.

Fig. 17.11 Basic dc-dc chopper circuit

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