Power Electronics

3/25/23 ECEg----- |Year V Semester I |Biomedical Engineering| Gashaye G. 1

 CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION TO
POWER ELECTRONICS
3/25/23 ECEg |Year V Semester I |Biomedical Engineering| Gashaye G. 2
 1.1 Concepts of Power Electronics
 The first Power Electronic Device developed was the Mercury Arc Rectifier during the year 1900.

 Power Electronics is a field which combines Power (electric power), Electronics and Control systems.

 Power engineering deals with the static and rotating power equipment for the generation, transmission
and distribution of electric power.

 Electronics deals with the study of solid state semiconductor power devices and circuits for Power
conversion to meet the desired control objectives (to control the output voltage and output power).

 Power electronics may be defined as the subject of applications of solid state power semiconductor
devices (Thyristors) for the control and conversion of electric power.

 Power Electronics is a subject that deals with the application of electronics principles into situations
(deals with the apparatus and equipment's working on the principles of electronics) that are rated at
power level rather than signal level.

3/25/23 ECEg --- |Year V Semester I |Biomedical Engineerin| Gashaye G. 3

 1.1 Concepts of Power Electronics
 Power electronics is basically a branch of electrical engineering which is extensively used
in the processing and controlling of high voltages and currents in large industrial
equipment, household equipment, and so on.
 All the areas, from space applications to household electronic equipment, need a steady
and dependable electric power with the desired conditions or specifications. Power supply
in one form is transformed into another form by processing the energy using controlled
mechanisms supplying regulated and controlled power and power semiconductor
switches.
 To deliver power that supports a variety of needs, there exists a branch of electrical
engineering called power electronics; this branch basically deals with the processing of
high voltages and currents.

3/25/23 ECEg |Year V Semester I |Biomedical Engineering | Gashaye G. 4

 1.1 Concepts of Power Electronics
 Why the power electronics (Solid State) required over electromechanical power switching?
 To convert electrical from the source to load with:
 highest efficiency,
 Suitability for variable power supply
 highest availability
 highest reliability
 No moving parts
 lowest cost,
 smallest size
 least weight.

3/25/23 ECEg --- |Year V Semester I |Biomedical Engineerin| Gashaye G. 5

 1.2. Power Supply
 The power supply unit is the part of the hardware that is used to convert the power provided from the
outlet into usable power to many parts inside an electrical device.
 The power supply is an electrical device used to give electrical supply to electrical loads.
 The main function of this device is to change the electrical current from a source to the accurate voltage,
frequency and current to supply the load.
 Sometimes, these power supplies can be named to as electric power converters. Some types of supplies are
separate pieces of loads, whereas others are fabricated into the appliances that they control.
 The Power supply circuit is used in various electrical & electronic devices.
 The power supply circuits are classified into different types based on the power they utilize for providing
for circuits or devices.
 There are two basics types of power supply
1. DC power Supply
2. AC power Supply
3/25/23 ECEg --- |Year V Semester I |Biomedical Engineerin| Gashaye G. 6
 1.2. Power Supply
1.2.1. The DC power Supply also classified into two
i. DC linear power supply: linear power supplies were designed with transformers first converts the high
voltage AC into lower-voltage AC provide an unregulated low-level dc voltages via a rectifier and capacitor
filters. DC linear power supply also classified into two,

Unregulated DC Linear Power Regulated DC Linear Power Supply

Supply
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 1.2. Power Supply
a. Unregulated DC Linear Power Supply: Unregulated power supplies contain a step-down
transformer, rectifier, filter capacitor, and a bleeder resistor.
 The main disadvantage is that the output voltage is not constant. It will vary with the input
voltage and the load current, and the ripple is not suitable for electronic applications.
Because unregulated power supplies do not have voltage regulators built into them, they typically
are designed to produce a specific voltage at a specific maximum output load current.
 These are typically the block wall chargers that turn AC into a small trickle of DC and are often
used to power devices such as household electronics.
The DC voltage output is dependent on an internal voltage reduction transformer and should be
matched as closely as possible to the current required by the load.
With an unregulated DC power supply, the voltage output varies with the size of the load.
 It typically consists of a rectifier and capacitor smoothing, but no regulation to steady the voltage.

3/25/23 ECEg --- |Year V Semester I |Biomedical Engineerin| Gashaye G. 8

 1.2. Power Supply

Figure: Block Diagram — Unregulated Linear Supply

3/25/23 ECEg --- |Year V Semester I |Biomedical Engineerin| Gashaye G. 9

 1.2. Power Supply
b. Regulated Linear Power Supply: it is same as the unregulated linear power supply
except that a 3-terminal regulator is used in place of the bleeder resistor.

 The main aim of this supply is to provide the required level of DC power to the load.

 Different applications require different levels of attributes voltages, but nowadays the
DC power supplies provide an accurate output voltage.

 And this voltage is regulated by an electronic circuitry so that it provides a constant

output voltage over a wide range of output loads.

 A regulated DC power supply is essentially an unregulated power supply with the

addition of a voltage regulator.

 This allows the voltage to stay stable regardless of the amount of current consumed by
the load, provided the predefined limits are not exceeded.

3/25/23 ECEg --- |Year V Semester I |Biomedical Engineerin| Gashaye G. 10

 1.2. Power Supply

Figure: Block Diagram — Regulated Supply

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 1.2. Power Supply
UNREGULATED REGULATED

• Simple circuitry • Voltage is consistent

• Durable • Available in high quality power supplies
• Noise filtering
• Adjustable output voltage or current
• Precision tuning

• Voltage varies with load  Complex

current draw  More expensive
• Designed for fixed output
current or voltage

3/25/23 ECEg --- |Year V Semester I |Biomedical Engineerin| Gashaye G. 1

 1.2. Power Supply

ii. DC switching Mode Power Supply (SMPS): switched-mode power supplies are rapidly supplanting
linear supplies across the full spectrum of circuit applications. The SMPS has a rectifier, filter capacitor,
series transistor, regulator, transformer, but is more complicated than the other power supplies

3/25/23 ECEg --- |Year V Semester I |Biomedical Engineerin| Gashaye G. 13

 1.2. Power Supply
Linear power supply Switching Mode power supply
• Safe and reliable • Small size, lightweight
• Small residual ripple • Wide input voltage range
• Less noise
• High efficiency
• Good line & load regulation
• Less expensive than linear
• Stable

• Poor efficiency • Complex circuitry

• Large heatsinks • Mains pollution
• Large size & heavy • Higher noise
• Expensive

3/25/23 ECEg --- |Year V Semester I |Biomedical Engineerin| Gashaye G. 14

 1.2. Power Supply

 The AC voltage is rectified to an unregulated DC voltage, with the series transistor and the regulator.
 This DC is chopped to a constant high-frequency voltage which enables the size of the transformer to be
dramatically reduced and allows for a much smaller power supply.
 The disadvantages of this type of supply are that all of the transformers have to be custom-made and the
complexity of the power supply does not lend itself to low production or economical low power
applications.

3/25/23 ECEg --- |Year V Semester I |Biomedical Engineerin| Gashaye G. 15

 1.2. Power Supply
Comparison Between Switching Power Supply and Linear Power Supply
Items Linear Power Supply Switching Power Supply

Efficiency Low ( 25 ~ 50% ) High ( 65 ~ 90% )

Size Large (big transformer and heat sink) Small ( 1/4 ~ 1/10 of linear power supply )
Weight Heavy (heavy transformer and heat sink) Light ( 1/4 ~ 1/10 of linear power supply)
Complicated (rectification, conversion, pulse-width control,
Circuit Simple (transformation, rectification, and stabilization)
transformation, rectification, feedback control and regulation)

Stability High ( 0.001 ~ 0.1% ) Normal ( 0.1 ~ 3% )

Ripple( P-P ) Small ( <10mV ) Large ( 10mV ~200mV )

Transient
Fast( 10us ~ 1ms ) Normal ( 0.5 ~ 10ms )
Response

Cost Low for small power rating; high for high power rating. Normal (difference of each topologies is decreasing rapidly)

High reliability due to fewer parts. But reliability decreases as the

Reliability Reducing temperature rise to improve reliability.
temperature rise on parts.

Power source of low voltage tolerance, programmable power source, Power source built in all kinds of machine, device with DC input, power
Applications
power source below 10W, variable power sources for lab. application source requiring small size and high efficiency

Small components; all parts of S.P.S. with power rating up to thousands

Assembly Transformer too big to be fit onto P.C.B.
of wattage being able to be fit onto P.C.B.

3/25/23 ECEg --- |Year V Semester I |Biomedical Engineerin| Gashaye G. 16

 1.2. Power Supply

1.2. 2. AC Power Supply

AC-power supply can get from ac power sources.
AC power sources are produced by inverting DC sources and AC generators.
AC power is typically derived from the local power company grids, either as single or three-phase source
The different AC voltages are generated by using a transformer.
 The transformer may have multiple windings or taps, in which case the instrument uses switches to select
the different voltage levels.
 Alternatively, a variable transformer (adjustable autotransformer) can be used to continuously vary the
voltages.
 Some variable AC supplies are included meters to monitor the voltage, current, and/or power.

3/25/23 ECEg --- |Year V Semester I |Biomedical Engineerin| Gashaye G. 17

 1.3. Applications Of Switching Power Supply
 Some typical applications of Power Electronics are given below:
 industrial processes in the chemical, paper and steel industries;
 domestic and theatre lighting;
 motor drives from food mixers and washing machines through to lifts and locomotives
 power supplies for laboratories and uninterruptible power for vital loads;
 generation and transmission control;
 heating and ventilating of homes and office blocks.
 Power electronics are used in industries since the industries have a huge installation of
high-power motors that are controlled by power electronic drives, for instance, cement
mills, rolling mills, compressor pumps, fans, elevators, textile mills, blowers,
elevators, etc.

3/25/23 ECEg ---- |Year V Semester I | Biomedical Engineerin | Gashaye G. 18