Lecture (1)

Revision on Basic of Power Electronic Components

Introduction
Why do we need power electronics? The power sources and loads are comes
in various types of forms, we need power electronics to transfer the power from the
source to the load, while changing the form of the power.

The types of power are DC (Direct Current) and AC (Alternating Current):

 Wave form over time for source or load as:

DC- Constant AC- Change

 Examples of DC power source are Photovoltaic (PV) solar panels and

Battery.

Dr. Heba Mahmoud Soufi 22-10-2020

  Examples of AC power source are the outputs of generation station,
transmission and distribution station as well as sockets (plugs).

The Symbols as:

+ ve

-ve
, ,

DC- Source AC- Source

Some of power electronics components used to convert (change) the power

from one form to another are:

1- AC- to - DC:
 It’s called the Rectifier
 Applications as:
a- Battery charger (as in Laptop, etc.).
b- Welding (in some cases)
c- DC Power Supplies (as in Computers, Electric Bicycle, etc.)
2- DC- to - DC:
 it’s called the Converter
 Applications as:
a- Portable battery pack
b- Chopper
3- DC- to - AC:
 It’s called the Inverter
 Applications as:
a- PV solar power to grid system (with complicated electronic system
for voltage and frequency control).

Dr. Heba Mahmoud Soufi 22-10-2020

 b- Uninterruptible Power Supply (used with critical loads as hospital,
etc.)
4- AC – to - AC:
 It’s called the Converter
 Applications as:
a- Wind power system (with complicated electronic system for voltage
control and frequency control).
b- Lighting Control
c- Domestic and Industrial Heating
d- Speed Control (as in Fan, Pump or Hoist Drives)
e- Static AC Switches (Temperature Control, Transformer Tap
Changing, etc.)

To study the power electronics, so we will talk about three basics:

 Power:
1- Generation
2- Transmission
3- Distribution
 Electronics: (deal with high power)
1- Solid State Devices (means semiconductor devices ; such as semiconductor
diodes, transistors, and integrated circuits)
2- Electronics Circuit
3- Signal Process
 Control:
1- Steady State Characteristics
2- Dynamic Characteristics

Power can be generated by Fossil Fuel, Nuclear or Renewable as (Solar,

Wind, Hydroelectric, etc). Example for Fossil Fuel as:
100 KW M-E E-E 16 KW
delivered
35%
Fuel Turbine Generation Transmission Load

output with lost

84 KW that is Lost 16%
65%

Dr. Heba Mahmoud Soufi 22-10-2020

 How to save this power lost? By using power electronic roll with controlling
at the sides of generation, transmission and load to improve the complete process.

Power Electronic Components

The power electronic components are from the semiconductors materials as
silicon (Si) or germanium (Ge), it has atoms with 4 electrons in the last path (not 3
electrons as conductor or greater than 4 electrons as insulation) as well as valency
is 4. If we used the semiconductors materials without treating it will as a
resistance, but to configure the P-type and the N-type by the doping process.

Atom

Valency -4

The doping process is by injection the exotic (other) material with different
valency. The heavy doping is by injection 1 of exotic material to 1000 of
semiconductor and the light doping is by injection 1 of exotic material to
1000000000 of semiconductor.

To configure the P- Type is by injection material with valency 3 as Boron,

Indium, and Aluminum. One electron is transferred from the valency-4 atoms to
the hole of valency-3 atoms (change the location of the hole), while the majority
carriers are holes.

To configure the N- Type is by injection material with valency 5 as

Phosphorus, Antimony, and Arsenic. One free electron is transferred from the
valency-5 atoms to the last path of valency-4 atoms, while the majority carriers are
electrons.

Dr. Heba Mahmoud Soufi 22-10-2020

 Electron
V-4
V-4

Atom Atom

Atom Hole (+ ve) Atom Free Electron

(- ve)
V-3 V-5
V-4 V-4

Atom Atom

1-Diodes
The diode is one of the rectifier devices, the types of a rectifier circuit for a
single-phase, and a three-phase as the below chart.

Types of Rectifiers

Single Phase Three phase

Half Fully Fully Half Uncontrolled

Uncontrolled Controlled Controlled Controlled Controlled

Half Wave Full Wave Half Wave Full Wave Full Wave by Full Wave by
Half Wave Full Wave Half Wave Full Wave
Four SCR Six SCR

One Diode Two Diodes with Two Diodes with Three Diodes Three Diodes Six Diodes
Four Diodes One SCR Two SCR Three SCR
Center Tap T.F. with Three SCR

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 The diode is P-N Junction configure by injection the semiconductor material
from one side by valency 3 material (P-type) and from the other side by valency 5
material (N-type), which conduct the current in one direction only (rectification).

Anode Symbol

Conduction
P-Type
Blocking

N-Type
K

Cathode

The current - voltage characteristic and the modeling of the ideal P-N
Junction as:

The current - voltage characteristic and the modeling of the real P-N
Junction are as following. The model of it’s consisting of a DC voltage source.
This voltage is equal to 0.7 V for silicon (Si) or 0.3 V for germanium (Ge).

Dr. Heba Mahmoud Soufi 22-10-2020

 The operation of the diode can be summarized in form of an I-V diode
characteristics graph. The DC voltage source is useful to overcome the barrier
(depletion) layer for passing the holes/electrons at the forward connection. As
forward bias voltage is raised, the depletion region continues to reduce in width,
and more carriers recombine. This results in an exponential rise of current. It can
be concluded that a diode acts only when forward biased.

The negative terminal of the battery attracts majority carriers (holes) in P-

region and the positive terminal attracts electrons in the N-region and pulls them
away from the junction. This results in a decrease in the concentration of charge
carriers near the junction and the width of depletion region increases. As reverse
bias voltage is raised, the depletion region continues to increase in width and no

Dr. Heba Mahmoud Soufi 22-10-2020

current flows for the reverse connection until the voltage reach to breakdown
value, while the diode breaks down and it becomes conductor but with damaging
it.

Zener Diodes
A Zener diode is a special type of rectifying diode that permits current to
flow in either a forward or reverse direction. The diode is a special heavily doped
p-n junction, designed to conduct in the reverse direction when reach to a reverse
breakdown voltage without damaging it.

The Zener diode behaves just like a conventional diode consisting of a

silicon PN junction and when biased in the forward direction, that is Anode
positive with respect to its Cathode, it behaves just like a normal diode passing the
rated current.

However, unlike a conventional diode that blocks any flow of current

through itself when reverse biased, that is the Cathode becomes more positive than
the Anode, as soon as the reverse voltage reaches a reverse breakdown value, the
Zener diode begins to conduct in the reverse direction.

Dr. Heba Mahmoud Soufi 22-10-2020

Zener Diodes I-V Characteristics
From the I-V characteristics curve below, we can see that the Zener diode
has a region in its reverse bias characteristics at the breakdown point; the
negative voltage is almost constant regardless of the large changes in current
flowing through the diode. When the large changes in the Zener diodes current
remain between the breakdown current and its maximum current rating
, the negative voltage is almost constant.

The voltage point at which the voltage across the Zener diode becomes
stable is called the “Zener voltage - Vz”, this voltage can range from 1.2 V to 200
V depending on its application. The Zener voltage can be very accurately
controlled (to less than 1% tolerance) in the doping stage of the semiconductor for
the diode.

The fact that the voltage across the diode in the breakdown region is almost
constant over a wide range of voltage source change, that an important
characteristic/a feature of the Zener diode as it can be used in the simplest types
of voltage regulator applications.

Dr. Heba Mahmoud Soufi 22-10-2020

The Zener diode regulator
We remember that, the DC output voltage from the half or full-wave
rectifiers contains ripple overlapped onto the DC voltage. By connecting a Zener
diode across the load as shown below, a more stable (with low ripple) output
voltage can be produced.

Series resistor ( ), is connected in series with the Zener diode to limit the
current flow through the diode, with the voltage source ( ) being connected
across the combination. The Zener diode is connected with its cathode terminal
connected to the positive rail of the DC supply so it is reverse biased and will be
operating in its breakdown condition. Here the Zener diode is connected across the
load ( ).

We can choose the Zener diode with a suitable breakdown voltage to work
as a voltage regulator in our circuit. For example, we want that the voltage across
a load in our circuit does not exceed, let’s say, 12 volts. Then we can select a
Zener diode with a breakdown voltage ( ) of 12 volts and connect it across the
load. Then even if the input voltage exceeds that value, the voltage across the load
will never exceed 12 volts. Depending on our requirement, we choose the suitable
Zener diode with a Zener breakdown voltage near to the voltage we require
across the load ( ).

Dr. Heba Mahmoud Soufi 22-10-2020

 When the voltage across the diode reaches the Zener breakdown voltage, a
significant amount of current starts flowing through the diode. As the load is in
parallel to the diode, the voltage drop across the load is also equal to the Zener
breakdown voltage. The Zener diode provides a path for the current to flow (as a
short circuit path) and hence the load gets protected from excessive currents. Thus
the Zener diode serves two purposes here: Zener diode as a voltage regulator as
well as it protects the load from excessive current.

Dr. Heba Mahmoud Soufi 22-10-2020