Date : 6/08/2023

EEPC-15 POWER ELECTRONICS

MINI-PROJECT REPORT

RC-TRIGGERING CIRCUIT FOR SCR

Performed by:

Gowthamraja RM – 107121033
 RC-TRIGGERING CIRCUIT FOR SCR USING MATLAB

OBJECTIVE:
To design and implement the RC triggering circuit for SCR using MATLAB
code and perform the experiment in real life

EQUIPMENT USED:

S.No Component Range Quantity

1 Rectifier Training Circuit 5000, 100, 1,1,1
1000
2 Capacitance 1F 1
3 Diode 1
4 Thyristor 1
5 Voltmeter 1

THEORY:
An RC triggering circuit is a type of triggering circuit that uses a resistor and a capacitor to
trigger a thyristor. The resistor limits the current that flows into the thyristor gate, and the
capacitor stores charge. When the capacitor is charged to a certain voltage, it triggers the
thyristor.

The working of an RC triggering circuit can be divided into two phases:

1. Charging phase: In the charging phase, the capacitor is charged through the resistor.
The charging current is limited by the resistor, and the charging time is determined by
the value of the resistor and the capacitor.
2. Triggering phase: When the capacitor is charged to a certain voltage, it triggers the
thyristor. The trigger voltage is determined by the threshold voltage of the thyristor.

The RC triggering circuit can be used to control the firing angle of a thyristor. The firing
angle is the angle between the zero crossing of the AC input voltage and the time when the
thyristor is triggered. The firing angle can be controlled by adjusting the value of the resistor
or the capacitor.

In the negative half-cycle, capacitor C charges through diode D2 with lower plate positive to
the peak supply voltage E max .This capacitor voltage remains constant at −Emax until
supply voltage zero value. Now, as the SCR anode voltage passes through zero and becomes
positive, capacitor C begins to charge through Rv from the initial voltage −E max .When the
capacitor charges to positive voltage equal to gate trigger voltage Vgt=(Vg(min)+VD1), SCR
is triggered and after this, the capacitor holds to a small positive voltage

The components of the circuit are labeled as follows:

• SCR: This is the thyristor that is being triggered.

• R: This is the resistor that limits the current that flows into the SCR gate.
• C: This is the capacitor that stores charge.
• Vcc: This is the DC supply voltage.
• G: This is the gate input of the SCR.

The operation of the circuit is as follows:

1. The capacitor is charged through the resistor.

2. When the capacitor is charged to the trigger voltage of the SCR, the SCR is triggered.
3. The SCR conducts current until it is turned off by the next zero crossing of the AC
input voltage.

The firing angle of the SCR can be controlled by adjusting the value of the resistor or the
capacitor. A smaller value of R will result in a smaller charging time, which will result in a
smaller firing angle. A larger value of C will result in a larger charging time, which will
result in a larger firing angle.
The RC triggering circuit is a simple and effective way to trigger thyristors. It is often used in
applications where the firing angle of the thyristor needs to be controlled, such as in motor
control and power control applications.

CIRCUIT DIAGRAM:

PROCEDURE:
• Make the necessary connection as shown in the circuit diagram using the components.
• Now switch ON the AC power supply and set the voltage to 10V, 50Hz.
• Vary the resistance R1 to a very high value and set C1 to value of micro farads.
• Now observe the output from the resistance R2 which is of very less order value and
you will notice the trigger pulse.
• Now measure the voltage across the terminals of the thyristor and the load resistor R3
to verify that the thyristor is triggered using the gate pulse provided.

SIMULATION GRAPHS:

• Input Voltage
• Voltage across Thyristor

• Voltage across load resistor

• Triggering pulse voltage

INFERENCE:

The RC triggering circuit can be used to delay the turn-on of the SCR. The delay time is
determined by the values of the resistor R and the capacitor C. A larger value of R or C will
result in a longer delay.

Once the SCR is triggered, it remains in the conducting state even after the gate voltage is
removed. This is called latching. The SCR can be turned off by reducing the anode current to
a level below the holding current.

The turn-on time of the SCR in this circuit is primarily controlled by external factors, such as
the values of R and C. The load current or voltage conditions do not have a significant effect
on the turn-on time.

The voltage rating of the SCR and the components (R and C) should be chosen according to
the specific application to ensure safe and reliable operation.

RESULT:

The RC triggering circuit was able to successfully delay the turn-on of an SCR. The
conduction of the SCR could be delayed by adjusting the values of the resistor (R) and
capacitor (C). The SCR would only start conducting once the voltage across the capacitor
reached the gate triggering voltage (Vgt). This simple and affordable method caused the SCR
to latch in the conducting state, providing a reliable way to delay switching in unidirectional
AC power applications.