Power Electronics L1+L2

Power Electronics
Winter 2015
Lectures 1 and 2
Dr. Walid Atef Omran

About me
 Current:
 Assistant professor at Ain-Shams University
 Part time lecturer at the GUC
 Past:
 Planning engineer at the Independent Electricity System Operator –
Canada
 International TA developer at the University of Waterloo – Canada
 Education
 PhD title: “Performance Analysis of Grid Connected Photovoltaic
Systems” from the University of Waterloo – Canada
2
Contact Information
 Dr. Walid Atef Omran
 GUC email: walid.omran@guc.edu.eg
 Personal email: waomran@gmail.com
 Office: C3 – 315
 Office hours: you have to book an appointment
3
About You
4
About the Course
 This course will introduce you to the fundamentals of power
electronics.
 The main focus of this course is to discuss the operational aspects

of different power electronic switches and power electronic
converters.
 The course is of great importance in practical life due to the wide

application of power electronics in different engineering areas.
5
References
 Denis Fewson, Introduction to Power Electronics
 Ned Mohan, Power Electronics: A First Course
 B.K. Bose, Modern Power Electronics and AC Drives
 M.H. Rashid, Power Electronics Handbook
 B.M. Bird, K.G. King, D.A. Pedder, An Introduction to Power

Electronics
 Cyril W. Lander, Power Electronics 6

Course Outline
 Part A: Power Electronic Switches and Power losses
 Part B: Rectifiers
 Part C: Inverters
 Part D: DC Choppers
7
Course Logistics
 Lectures: Saturday 1st slot, H16
Thursdays 5th slot, H13
 Grading Scheme:
Assignments
15%
Quizzes
15% Final Exam
45%
Midterm
Project
Exam
5%
20%
8
Recommendations
 Attending the lectures and tutorials is a must in this course to
avoid facing difficulties in understanding the material.
 Taking notes is highly recommended because you will need to

remember what I say in the lecture.
 Please be on time because lectures will start on time.
 Watch out for Due Dates; assignments and reports should be

submitted on time. Late submission will be penalized.
 Don't copy the assignments; copied assignments will get zero.
 Please contact me as soon as you face any problem related to the

9
course.
Introduction
11
Introduction
 Power electronics is an established technology that bridges the power
industry with its need for fast controllers.
 The main function of power electronics is to condition the power from

a supply to suite the needs of the load.
 Power electronics emerged in the late 1950s when the silicon controlled
rectifier, known as thyristor, was developed.
 The thyristor, like other power electronic devices, is used as an

electronic switch that is much faster than the mechanical switch.
 The power electronic switch is the building block of power electronic

converters.
12
Power Electronic Converters
 There are 4 main types of power electronic converters:
 AC to DC converters (Rectifiers)
Changes from fixed AC voltage

to DC voltage with variable
magnitude.
 DC to AC converters (Inverters)
Changes from fixed DC voltage
to AC voltage with variable
magnitude and frequency.
13
Power Electronic Converters
 There are 4 main types of power electronic converters:
 DC to DC converters (DC choppers)
Changes from fixed DC voltage

to DC voltage with variable
magnitude.
 AC to AC converters (AC choppers)

Changes from fixed AC voltage
to AC voltage with variable
magnitude and frequency.
14
Power Electronic Devices
15
Power Electronic Devices
 Power electronic devices operate as electronic switches and can
be categorized into three main categories:
1. Uncontrolled electronic switches that turn on and off based on the
conditions of the circuit (power diodes).
2. Semi-controlled electronic switches that turn on based on the

conditions of the circuit and in the presence of an external signal,
but they turn off based on the conditions of the circuit (thyristors).
These devices can be also turned off by the aid of external circuits
called commutation circuits.
3. Controlled electronic switches that turn on and off based on the

conditions of the circuit and in the presence of an external signal
(e.g., IGBT, MOSFET, GTO).
16
Power Diodes
Symbol and Structure:
 A power diode is a p-n junction that is capable of handling high

voltages and currents.
 It conducts if the voltage of the anode is higher than the cathode

and is turned off when the current passing from the anode to the
cathodes falls to zero and the voltage is reversed.
ON: vAK > 0
OFF: vAK < 0 & iAK = 0

17
Power Diodes
Static I-V Characteristics:
Under steady state conditions, the diode
has two main states:
1) Reverse blocking state:

 In this case vAK < 0
 The p-n junction is reverse biased.
 The diode is in the OFF state.
 A very small leakage current will flow.
 If the voltage is increased till the value
VRBD, reverse breakdown (avalanche breakdown)
Actual characteristics
will occur and diode will be damaged.
18
Power Diodes
Under steady state conditions, the diode
has two main states:
2) Forward conducting state:

 In this case vAK > 0
 The p-n junction is forward biased.
 The diode is in the ON state.
 The current increases exponentially as the
voltage increases.
 The forward drop voltage, VDf, that depends
on the type of diode (VDf ≈ 0.2V – 1.5V). Actual characteristics
19
Power Diodes
Linearized model:
 The diode can be represented by a battery and a resistance during

the ON state and by an open circuit in the OFF state.
ON state OFF state
Linearized characteristics
20
Power Diodes
Ideal model:
 In the ideal case, the diode is represented as a switch, i.e., it is a

short circuit in the ON state and an open circuit in the OFF state.
ON state OFF state
Ideal characteristics
21
Thyristors (Silicon controlled
Rectifiers – SCRs)
 The thyristor has the highest power rating and the lowest
frequency of operation among all power electronics devices.
 It is a 4 layers, 3 junctions, 3 terminals, current controlled (iG),

latching device (latching: the device requires an external signal to
turn on and then the signal can be removed).
ON: vAK > 0 & iG > 0

OFF: vAK < 0 & iAK ≈ 0 (iAK < IH)
22
Under steady state conditions, the thyristor
has three main states:
1) Reverse blocking state:

 In this case vAK < 0
 J1 & J3 are reverse biased while
J2 is forward biased.
 The thyristor is in the OFF state.
 If the voltage is increased till the value Actual characteristics
VRBD, reverse breakdown (avalanche breakdown)
will occur and the thyristor will be damaged.
23
2) Forward blocking state:

 In this case vAK > 0 & iG = 0
 J1 & J3 are forward biased while
J2 is reverse biased.
 The thyristor is in the OFF state.
 If the voltage is increased till the value Actual characteristics
VFBO, forward breakdown will occur and
thyristor will start to conduct without a gate signal. This decreases the
lifetime of the thyristor. 24
3) Forward conducting state:

 In this case vAK > 0 & iG > 0
 J1, J2 & J3 are forward biased.
 The thyristor is in the ON state.
 The current increases exponentially as
the voltage increases.
 There will be forward drop voltage, VT Actual characteristics
(VT ≈ 1.2V – 2.2V)
25
Important parameters:
 Latching current (IL): is the anode current that must be reached for the
thyristor to start conducting before the gate signal is removed (i.e., if
iAK < IL the thyristor will be turned off if the gate signal is removed).
 Holding current (IH): is the minimum anode current required to keep

the thyristor in the ON state (i.e, if the thyristor is already conducting
and iAK is decreased below IH, then the thyristor will be turned off).
 Forward breakover voltage (VFBO): is the forward voltage at which the

thyristor starts to conduct when there is no gate signal.
 Reverse breakdown voltage (VRBD): is the reverse voltage which will

cause the thyristor to conduct in the reverse direction and avalanche
breakdown occurs (thyristor is damaged).
26
Thyristor turn on:
 There are 3 methods to turn on the thyristor:
1. Gate turn on: this method requires a current signal at the gate. The
gate signal can be a single short pulse, a train of short pulses or a
single long pulse based on the type of application and load.
iG
Single short Train of short Single long t

pulse pulses pulse
Shapes of gate pulses

27
Thyristor turn on:
 There are 3 methods to turn on the thyristor:
2. Break over voltage turn on: in this case the thyristor forward voltage
across the thyristor reaches the VFBO and the thyristor is turned on
without a gate signal.
3. dv/dt turn on: in the forward blocking state, J2 is a reversed p-n

junction which can be considered as a capacitor with the depletion
region representing the insulator between the two plates. Thus, if the
rate of change of voltage is high enough, the charging current passing
through the thyristor can cause it to turn on without a gate signal.
28
Thyristor turn off:
 The thyristor is turned off when iAK is reduced below IH. There
are 2 main methods for turn off:
1. Natural commutation: where the current flowing in the circuit in
which the thyristor is installed decreases naturally below IH (as in the
case of AC circuits).
2. Forced commutation: in cases where the current flowing in the circuit

doesn’t decrease naturally below IH (as in the case of DC circuits),
thus, an auxiliary circuit is used to force the current flowing through
the thyristor to decrease below IH. This circuit is called the
“commutation circuit”.
29
Linearized model:
 The thyristor can be represented by a battery and a resistance

during the ON state and by an open circuit in the OFF state.
OFF state
ON state
Linearized characteristics
30
Ideal model:
 In the ideal case, the thyristor is represented as a switch, i.e., it is

a short circuit in the ON state and open circuit in the OFF state.
ON state OFF state
Ideal characteristics
31
Other Types of Thyristors
 The Gate Turn Off Thyristor (GTO) is a
type of thyristor that can be turned on by
a current signal in the gate and can be turned
off by applying a reverse current signal at the gate.
 The Triac is composed of two thyristors back to back with one

gate. Thus the current can flow in both directions in case of AC
circuits.
32
Power Transistors
NPN transistor
 The power transistor is a 3 layer, 2 junction, current controlled (iB) ,

non-latching device (i.e., if iB is removed, the device will turn off).
 In power electronics, the power transistor is used as an electronic

switch.
 For NPN transistors: ON: vCE > 0 & iB > 0
OFF: iB < 0
33
Power Transistors
The I-V characteristics for a power transistor can be divided into 4
regions:
i. Cutoff region: where iB = 0 and the
transistor is in the OFF state.
ii. Active region: where iB > 0 and the

transistor acts as a current amplifier.
iii. Quasi saturation region: is an

intermediate state between the active
and hard saturation regions.
ii. Hard saturation region: where iB > 0

and the transistor acts as power switch.
34
Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field
Effect Transistor (MOSFET)
N-channel MOSFET
 The n-channel MOSFET is composed of a p-substrate, two n regions

and a metal oxide layer (usually silicon dioxide, SiO2).
 It is a voltage controlled (vGS), non-latching device.
 When vGS is greater than a certain threshold value, an electric field is
established in the SiO2 causing the electrons in the p-substrate to be
attracted near the gate and forming an n-channel between the two n-
regions. This allows the current to flow between the drain and source.
35
ON: OFF:
VGS > VTh ⟹ E > 0 VGS < VTh ⟹ E = 0

&
VDS > 0 ⟹ ID > 0 ID ≈ 0
Note: E is the electric field established in the SiO2 36

The I-V characteristics for a MOSFET can be divided into 3 regions:
i. Cutoff region: where vGS < VTH
and the MOSFET is in the OFF state.
ii. Active region: where the current

iD depends only on vGS and the
MOSFET is represented by a
dependent current source between
the drain and the source.
iii. Ohmic region: where the MOSFET

is represented by a resistor between the drain and the source (RDS-on).
This is the case where the MOSFET operates as a power switch
37
Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor
(IGBT)
N-channel IGBT
 The IGBT combines the best properties of the MOSFET and Power
transistor as it has low power loss during conduction, high power rating
and can operate at relatively high frequencies.
 It is a voltage controlled (vGS), non-latching device.
 Its I-V characteristics is very similar to that if the MOSFET
38
Power and Frequency Ratings
39
Power Loss and Temperature Rise
15
Power Loss Power Electronic Devices
 The operation of power electronic devices is always accompanied with
several types of power losses that can be divided into:
 Switching loss: losses during turn on and turn off of the device.
 Conduction loss: losses during the conduction period of the device.
 Blocking loss: losses during the blocking state of the device (forward
blocking or reverse blocking)
 Driving loss: losses due to the control signal of the device, such as the
gate current of the thyristor (usually neglected).
 Leads loss: losses in the terminals of the device (usually neglected).
 The most dominant power losses are conduction and switching losses.
41
Power Loss Calculation
42
Power Loss Calculation
 Let the periodic time of switching be T and the frequency of switching
be fs.
1
𝑓𝑠 =
𝑇
𝑇 = 𝑡𝑂𝑁 + 𝑡𝑂𝐹𝐹 + 𝑡𝑡−𝑜𝑛 + 𝑡𝑡−𝑜𝑓𝑓
𝑡𝑂𝑁
𝐷=
𝑇
where: tON = ON time (conduction time)
tOFF = OFF time (blocking time)
tt-on = turn on time
tt-off = turn off time
D = Duty cycle 43
Switching Losses
 The instantaneous power loss during turn on is:
𝑝𝑡−𝑜𝑛 𝑡 = 𝑣 𝑡 . 𝑖(𝑡)
 The energy loss during turn on is:

𝑡𝑡−𝑜𝑛
𝑊𝑡−𝑜𝑛 = 𝑝𝑡−𝑜𝑛 𝑡 𝑑𝑡
0
 The instantaneous power loss during turn off is:

𝑝𝑡−𝑜𝑓𝑓 𝑡 = 𝑣 𝑡 . 𝑖(𝑡)
 The energy loss during turn off is:

𝑡𝑡−𝑜𝑓𝑓
𝑊𝑡−𝑜𝑓𝑓 = 𝑝𝑡−𝑜𝑓𝑓 𝑡 𝑑𝑡
0 44
Switching Losses
 The total energy loss during switching is:
𝑊𝑠𝑤 = 𝑊𝑡−𝑜𝑛 + 𝑊𝑡−𝑜𝑓𝑓
 The average power loss during switching is:

1
𝑃𝑠𝑤 = 𝑊𝑠𝑤 .
𝑇
𝑃𝑠𝑤 = 𝑊𝑠𝑤 . 𝑓𝑠
 Note: during turn on and turn off, v(t) and i(t) are approximated to be
straight lines that can be written by the equation:
𝑦 − 𝑦1 𝑦2 − 𝑦1
=
𝑥 − 𝑥1 𝑥2 − 𝑥1 45
Conduction Losses
 The instantaneous power loss during conduction is:
𝑝𝑂𝑁 𝑡 = 𝑉𝑐 . 𝐼𝑐
 The energy loss during conduction is:

𝑡𝑂𝑁
𝑊𝑂𝑁 = 𝑝𝑂𝑁 𝑡 𝑑𝑡
0
 The The average power loss during conduction is:

1
𝑃𝑂𝑁 = 𝑊𝑂𝑁 .
𝑇
𝑃𝑂𝑁 = 𝑊𝑂𝑁 . 𝑓𝑠
46
Blocking Losses
 The instantaneous power loss during blocking is:
𝑝𝑂𝐹𝐹 𝑡 = 𝑉𝑏 . 𝐼𝑏
 The energy loss during blocking is:

𝑡𝑂𝐹𝐹
𝑊𝑂𝐹𝐹 = 𝑝𝑂𝐹𝐹 𝑡 𝑑𝑡
0
 The The average power loss during blocking is:

1
𝑃𝑂𝐹𝐹 = 𝑊𝑂𝐹𝐹 .
𝑇
𝑃𝑂𝐹𝐹 = 𝑊𝑂𝐹𝐹 . 𝑓𝑠
47
Corner Frequency
 The corner frequency, fc , is defined as the frequency at which:
𝑃𝑠𝑤 = 𝑃𝑂𝑁 + 𝑃𝑂𝐹𝐹
If:
𝑓𝑠 < 𝑓𝑐 ⇒ 𝑃𝑠𝑤 < 𝑃𝑂𝑁 + 𝑃𝑂𝐹𝐹
𝑓𝑠 > 𝑓𝑐 ⇒ 𝑃𝑠𝑤 > 𝑃𝑂𝑁 + 𝑃𝑂𝐹𝐹
 Note: It is recommended to operate at fs < fc to reduce the

switching power loss because this power occurs during a very
short period of time and can damage the device.
48
Temperature Rise
 The power loss inside the device is the source of its temperature rise.
 The difference in temperature inside the device and the ambient forces
the heat power to flow outward from the device to the ambient.
 The power electronic device is usually placed on a heat sink to

maintain the temperature of the junction as low as possible by
improving the heat transfer to the ambient.
 The path of heat power flow is:

 From the device junction (J) to the device casing (C)
 From the casing (C) the heat sink (S)
 From the heat sink (S) to the ambient (A)

49
Temperature Rise
A power electronic device mounted on a heat sink
50
Temperature Rise
Thermal circuit representing
the heat flow from the device
to the ambient
 The heat flow can be represented similar to KVL as follows:
𝜃𝐽 − 𝜃𝐴 = 𝑃𝑑 𝑟𝐽𝐶 + 𝑟𝐶𝑆 + 𝑟𝑆𝐴
𝑃𝑑 = 𝑃𝑠𝑤 + 𝑃𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑 + 𝑃𝑏𝑙𝑜𝑐𝑘
where θ = temperature (oC)

r = thermal resistance of the path (oC/W)
Pd = total power dissipated in the device
Note: Pd can be estimated by any method depending on the problem
51
Temperature Rise
 If 2 devices are placed on the same heat sink, then the thermal
circuit will be as follows:
Thermal circuit representing the heat flow from

two devices placed on the same heat sink
52
Temperature Rise
 The heat flow can be represented similar to KVL as follows:
𝜃𝐽1 − 𝜃𝑆 = 𝑃𝑑1 𝑟𝐽𝐶1 + 𝑟𝐶𝑆1
𝜃𝐽2 − 𝜃𝑆 = 𝑃𝑑2 𝑟𝐽𝐶2 + 𝑟𝐶𝑆2
𝜃𝑆 − 𝜃𝐴 = 𝑃𝑑1 + 𝑃𝑑2 𝑟𝑆𝐴
Note: If the two devices are identical and are operating exactly in the same
conditions (in the conduction, blocking and switching states) then:
Pd1 = Pd2
θJ1 = θJ2
53
Temperature Rise
 The thermal resistance between the casing and heat sink depends on:
 The surface roughness between the casing and the heat sink
 The pressure between the two surfaces
 The type of insulation
 The thermal resistance between the heat sink and ambient depends on:
 The material of the heat sink
 The surface condition of the heat sink (shiny or black)
 Dimensions of the heat sink
 Type of cooling (natural, air forced, oil cooling
54

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Power Electronics

Dr. Walid Atef Omran

 GUC email: walid.omran@guc.edu.eg

 Personal email: waomran@gmail.com

 Office hours: you have to book an appointment

 The main focus of this course is to discuss the operational aspects

 The course is of great importance in practical life due to the wide

 Ned Mohan, Power Electronics: A First Course

 B.K. Bose, Modern Power Electronics and AC Drives

 M.H. Rashid, Power Electronics Handbook

 B.M. Bird, K.G. King, D.A. Pedder, An Introduction to Power

 Cyril W. Lander, Power Electronics 6

 Taking notes is highly recommended because you will need to

 Please be on time because lectures will start on time.

 Watch out for Due Dates; assignments and reports should be

 Don't copy the assignments; copied assignments will get zero.

 Please contact me as soon as you face any problem related to the

 The main function of power electronics is to condition the power from

 The thyristor, like other power electronic devices, is used as an

 The power electronic switch is the building block of power electronic

Changes from fixed AC voltage

Changes from fixed DC voltage

 AC to AC converters (AC choppers)

2. Semi-controlled electronic switches that turn on based on the

3. Controlled electronic switches that turn on and off based on the

 A power diode is a p-n junction that is capable of handling high

 It conducts if the voltage of the anode is higher than the cathode

OFF: vAK < 0 & iAK = 0

1) Reverse blocking state:

2) Forward conducting state:

 The diode can be represented by a battery and a resistance during

ON state OFF state

 In the ideal case, the diode is represented as a switch, i.e., it is a

ON state OFF state

 It is a 4 layers, 3 junctions, 3 terminals, current controlled (iG),

ON: vAK > 0 & iG > 0

1) Reverse blocking state:

2) Forward blocking state:

3) Forward conducting state:

 Holding current (IH): is the minimum anode current required to keep

 Forward breakover voltage (VFBO): is the forward voltage at which the

 Reverse breakdown voltage (VRBD): is the reverse voltage which will

Single short Train of short Single long t

Shapes of gate pulses

3. dv/dt turn on: in the forward blocking state, J2 is a reversed p-n

2. Forced commutation: in cases where the current flowing in the circuit

 The thyristor can be represented by a battery and a resistance

 In the ideal case, the thyristor is represented as a switch, i.e., it is

ON state OFF state

 The Triac is composed of two thyristors back to back with one

 The power transistor is a 3 layer, 2 junction, current controlled (iB) ,

 In power electronics, the power transistor is used as an electronic

 For NPN transistors: ON: vCE > 0 & iB > 0

ii. Active region: where iB > 0 and the

iii. Quasi saturation region: is an

ii. Hard saturation region: where iB > 0

 The n-channel MOSFET is composed of a p-substrate, two n regions

VGS > VTh ⟹ E > 0 VGS < VTh ⟹ E = 0

Note: E is the electric field established in the SiO2 36

ii. Active region: where the current

iii. Ohmic region: where the MOSFET

 Conduction loss: losses during the conduction period of the device.

 Leads loss: losses in the terminals of the device (usually neglected).

𝑇 = 𝑡𝑂𝑁 + 𝑡𝑂𝐹𝐹 + 𝑡𝑡−𝑜𝑛 + 𝑡𝑡−𝑜𝑓𝑓