Recap of Fourier Series for power electronics

Anandarup Das
Associate Professor
Room-402A, Department of Electrical Engineering, IIT Delhi.
anandarup@ee.iitd.ac.in
Fourier series properties
• Periodic waveform can be written as, 𝑓(𝑡) = 𝑎0 + σ 𝑎𝑛 cos(𝑛 𝜔𝑡) + σ 𝑏𝑛 sin(𝑛 𝜔𝑡)
1 𝑡1 +𝑇
• Here, 𝑎0 = ‫𝑡׬‬ 𝑓 𝑡 𝑑𝑡
𝑇 1
2 𝑡1 +𝑇
• 𝑎𝑛 = ‫𝑡׬‬ 𝑓 𝑡 cos(𝑛𝜔𝑡) 𝑑𝑡
𝑇 1
2 𝑡1 +𝑇
• 𝑏𝑛 = ‫𝑡׬‬ 𝑓 𝑡 𝑠𝑖𝑛(𝑛𝜔𝑡) 𝑑𝑡
𝑇 1

ANANDARUP DAS, INDIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, DELHI, INDIA. FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY, NOT TO BE COPIED. 2
Fourier series properties
• If the waveform has odd symmetry (i.e., 𝑓(𝑡) = −𝑓(−𝑡)),
𝑇
4 2
• 𝑎𝑛 = 0 and 𝑏𝑛 = ‫𝑓 ׬‬ 𝑡 sin 𝑛𝜔𝑡 𝑑𝑡
𝑇 0
• If the waveform has even symmetry (i.e., 𝑓(𝑡) = 𝑓(−𝑡)),
𝑇
4 2
• 𝑏𝑛 = 0 and 𝑎𝑛 = ‫𝑓 ׬‬ 𝑡 cos 𝑛𝜔𝑡 𝑑𝑡
𝑇 0
𝑇
• If the waveform has half wave symmetry (i.e., 𝑓 𝑡 = −𝑓( + 𝑡)), then even terms do
2
not exist.
𝑇 𝑇
4 2 4 2
• For odd n, 𝑏𝑛 = ‫𝑓 ׬‬ 𝑡 sin 𝑛𝜔𝑡 𝑑𝑡 and 𝑎𝑛 = ‫𝑓 ׬‬ 𝑡 cos 𝑛𝜔𝑡 𝑑𝑡
𝑇 0 𝑇 0

ANANDARUP DAS, INDIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, DELHI, INDIA. FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY, NOT TO BE COPIED. 3
Fourier Series analysis of Quasi Square Wave
𝜔𝑡

• The periodic waveform can be written as, 𝑓(𝑡) = 𝑎0 + 𝑎𝑛 cos(𝑛 𝜔𝑡) + 𝑏𝑛 sin(𝑛 𝜔𝑡) where a0 =0.
• The waveform has odd symmetry (i.e., 𝑓(𝜔𝑡) = −𝑓(−𝜔𝑡)), thus 𝑎𝑛 = 0.
• It also has half wave symmetry (i.e., 𝑓(𝜔𝑡 + 𝜋) = −𝑓(𝜔𝑡)), thus only odd terms in bn is present.

4 𝜋−𝛼 4𝐼
• Hence, 𝑏𝑛 = ‫׬‬ 𝐼 sin(𝑛 𝜃)𝑑𝜃 = cos(𝑛 𝛼), n=odd.
2𝜋 𝛼 𝑛𝜋

4𝐼
• Therefore, the current waveform can be written as: 𝑓(𝑡) = σ cos(𝑛 𝛼) sin(𝑛 𝜔𝑡), n=odd
𝑛𝜋

ANANDARUP DAS, INDIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, DELHI, INDIA 4

 Harmonic Spectrum of Input current
𝑖𝑎
𝜋
• Assume 𝛼 =
6
• The current waveform is written as,
4𝐼
σ cos(𝑛 𝜋/6) sin(𝑛 𝜔𝑡)
𝑛𝜋

4𝐼 𝜋
• Fundamental peak magnitude: cos( ) = 1.1𝐼
𝜋 6

• Triplen harmonics are absent. Harmonics

presented are at 5,7,11,13,17,19… in general
6𝑛 ± 1 harmonics are present.

ANANDARUP DAS, INDIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, DELHI, INDIA 5

RMS value
𝑖𝑎

5𝜋
1
• The rms value of the current is 𝐼𝑟𝑚𝑠 = ‫׬‬ 𝜋
6
𝐼𝑑2 𝑑𝜃 = 0.816 Id
𝜋
6
4𝐼𝑑
• The rms value of the fundamental is 𝐼1𝑟𝑚𝑠 = cos( 𝜋/6) = 0.78 Id
2𝜋

ANANDARUP DAS, INDIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, DELHI, INDIA. FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY, NOT TO BE COPIED. 6