Thyristor Converters

Reference:
• Ned Mohan. Power Electronics – A First Course. Hoboken,
NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2012. (chapter 13)
• Daniel W. Hart. Power Electronics. New York, NY: McGraw-
Hill, 2011. (chapter 5)

1
Introduction to Thyristor
Thyristor, also known as Silicon Controlled Rectifier
(SCR), is 4-layer device of p-n-p-n junction.

G = gate
A = anode
Thyristor symbol K = cathode
2
Thyristor as “Controlled Diode”
Thyristor conditions:

off/blocked on/konduksi

Two requirements to activate thyristor:

1. Anode is positive with respect to cathode
2. There is small current flowing to gate for at least several
ms
3
Large Thyristor

Thyristor valve stacks for Pole 2 of the HVDC Inter-Island

between the North and South Islands of New Zealand.
4
Large Thyristor
Valve hall containing
thyristor valve stacks used
for long-distance
transmission of power from
Manitoba Hydro dams

5
How Thyristor Works
Consider the following simple circuit,

Thyristor circuit with

resistive load

6
How Thyristor Works
The voltage and current waveforms will be

where

7
How Thyristor Works
Let us complicate the circuit,

Thyristor circuit with resistive

load and series inductance
8
How Thyristor Works
The waveforms

9
Single-Phase Thyristor Converter

Full-bridge thyristor converter

(a) typically-used schematic
(b) re-drawn, series inductance Ls is neglected
10
Single-Phase Thyristor Converter
Waveform for figure (b):

11
Single-Phase Thyristor Converter
Average value of voltage across DC-side:

Input current is shifted an angle a with respect to

input voltage, and the fundamental-frequency
component is1(t ) has a peak value of

12
Single-Phase Thyristor Converter
Assuming no power loss in thyristor converter, the
power drawn from AC-side is

In this converter, the current is unidirectional, but the

dc-side voltage can be controlled and can be of either
polarity.

13
Single-Phase Thyristor Converter
The power flow can be controlled by the delay angle
a,

Effect of the delay angle a

14
Single-Phase Thyristor Converter
Example:
Draw the waveforms for the full-bridge thyristor
converter if it’s operating with the delay angle a
equal to
a. 600
b. 900
c. 1200
d. 1500

15
Single-Phase Thyristor Converter

Single-phase thyristor converter in an inverter mode with a = 1500

16
Single-Phase Thyristor Converter
From Fourier analysis, the harmonics h of is can be
expressed in terms of the fundamental frequency
component as,

Reactive power drawn by converter is

17
Single-Phase Thyristor Converter
If we account series inductance Ls , the circuit will be

18
Single-Phase Thyristor Converter
And the waveforms will be

19
Single-Phase Thyristor Converter
The volt-radians needed to change the inductor
current from (- Id ) to (+ Id ) can be calculated by
integrating the inductor voltage vL (= Ls . dis /dt ) from
a to (a + u ), as follows,

Voltage drop due to inductance,

20
Single-Phase Thyristor Converter
This voltage is lost from the DC-side average voltage
in the presence of Ls . Therefore, the average voltage
is smaller than when Ls is neglected,

We should note that the voltage drop in the presence

of Ls doesn’t mean a power loss in Ls ; it simply
means a reduction in the voltage available on the DC-
side.

21
Single-Phase Thyristor Converter
Example:
In a single-phase thyristor converter including Ls , (a)
derive the expression for the commutation angle u,
and (b) calculate it if Vs(rms) = 120 V, Ls = 5 mH, Id =
10 A, and a = 300. Frequency f = 60 Hz.

22
AC Voltage Controller
• Purpose: controls the voltage, current, and average
power delivered to an AC load from an AC source.
• Examples of application:
• Induction motor speed control
• Static VAR compensator in transmission line
• Control scheme:
• Phase control
• Integral-cycle control

23
AC Voltage Controller
Resistive load

Circuit and waveforms

24
AC Voltage Controller
Resistive load
Rms value of output voltage:

Load power factor:

25
AC Voltage Controller
Resistive load
Rms value of output voltage:

Load power factor:

26
AC Voltage Controller
Resistive load

27
AC Voltage Controller
Resistive load
Average thyristor current:

Rms thyristor current:

28
AC Voltage Controller
Resistive load

Normalized harmonic
content vs delay angle;
Cn is the normalized
amplitude.
29
AC Voltage Controller
Resistive load
Example:
The single-phase ac voltage controller has a 120-V
rms 60-Hz source. The load resistance is 15 .
Determine (a) the delay angle required to deliver 500
W to the load, (b) the rms source current, (c) the rms
and average currents in the SCRs, (d) the power
factor, and (e) the total harmonic distortion (THD) of
the source current.

30