Chopper-Controlled DC Drives

By
Dr. Ungku Anisa Ungku Amirulddin
Department of Electrical Power Engineering
College of Engineering

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Outline
 Introduction
 DC – DC Converter Fed Drives
 Step Down Class A Chopper
 Step Up Class B Chopper
 Two-quadrant Control
 Four-quadrant Control
 References

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Power Electronic Converters
for DC Drives
 Power electronics converters are used to obtain
variable voltage
 Highly efficient
 Ideally lossless
 Type of converter used is depending on voltage
source :
 AC voltage source  Controlled Rectifiers
 Fixed DC voltage source
 DC-DC converters (switch mode
converters)
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DC – DC Converter Fed Drives
 To obtain variable DC voltage from fixed DC source
 Self-commutated devices preferred (MOSFETs, IGBTs,
GTOs) over thyristors
 Commutated by lower power control signal
 Commutation circuit not needed
 Can be switched at higher frequency for same rating
 Improved motor performance (less ripple, no discontinuous
currents, increased control bandwidth)
 Suitable for high performance applications
 Regenerative braking possible up to very low speeds even
when fed from fixed DC voltage source
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DC – DC Converter Fed Drives
- Step Down Class A Chopper

Motoring
Q2 Q1
 Provides positive output
Q3 Q4 T
voltage and current Ia
S
 Average power flows from
source to load (motor)
Ra
 Switch (S) operated Va
periodically with period T La
V D

Ea

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 DC – DC Converter Fed Drives
- Step Down Class A Chopper S Ia

Motoring
S is ON (0  t  ton) Ra
Ia
Va

V La
Ra D
Va
V La Ea

Ea
•Va = V Duty
•Ia flows to motor Interval
dia ( ia  )
Raia  La  E V •|Ia| increases
dt
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DC – DC Converter Fed Drives
- Step Down Class A Chopper S Ia
Motoring
S if OFF (ton  t  T) Ra
Ia
Va

V La
D
Ra
Va
ID La Ea

Ea •Va = 0 Freewheeling
•Ia freewheels through Interval
dia diode DF ( ia  )
Raia  La E 0
dt •|Ia| decreases
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DC – DC Converter Fed
- Step Down Class A Chopper
Motoring
ton
 Duty cycle   where T  chopper period
T
 Under steady-state conditions:
Motor side: Va  Ra I a  E Duty
Interval Freewheeling
Chopper side, average armature Interval
( ia  )
voltage: Va  V ( ia  )
Therefore,
V  Va  Ra I a  E
 Hence, average armature current:
V  E
Ia 
Ra T
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 DC – DC Converter Fed Drives
- Step Up Class B Chopper 
Regenerative Braking
 Provides positive output voltage and Q2 Q1
negative average output current Q3 Q4 T
 Average power flows from load (motor) to
source Ia
•Possible for speed
D above rated speed
Ra and down to nearly
Va zero speed
S La •Application:
V
Switch (S) • Battery operated
operated vehicles
periodically
Ea • Regenerated
with period T power stored in
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DC – DC Converter Fed Drives
- Step Up Class B Chopper Ia

Regenerative Braking D
Ra
S is ON (0  t  ton)
Ia Va
 Va = 0 (diode blocks V)
 ia increases due to E V S La
Ra (since E > Va)
Va  Mechanical energy
S Ea
La converted to electrical
(i.e. generator)
 Energy stored in La Energy Storage
Ea
 Any remaining energy Interval
dia
dissipated in Ra and S ( ia  )
Raia  La E
dt
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 DC – DC Converter Fed Drives
- Step Up Class B Chopper Ia
Regenerative Braking
D
S if OFF (ton  t  T) Ra
Ia  ia flows through diode Va
D and source V S La
V
Ra  ia decreases in
Va negative direction
Ea
V La  Energy stored in La &
energy supplied by
machine are fed to Duty
Ea Interval
the source
dia ( ia  )
Raia  La V  E
dt
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DC – DC Converter Fed Drives
- Step Up Class B Chopper
Regenerative Braking
Negative because
 Duty cycle   ton where T  chopper period current flows from
T motor to source
 Under steady-state conditions
Generator side: Va  E  Ra I a Energy Storage
Duty
Chopper side, average armature Interval
Interval
voltage: Va  1   V ( ia  )
( ia  )
 Therefore,
1   V  Va  E  Ra I a
 Hence, average armature current:
E  1   V
Ia 
Ra T
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DC – DC Converter Fed Drives
- Two-quadrant Control No Speed
 Combination of Class A & B choppers Reversal
 Forward motoring Q1 - T1 and D2 (Class A)

 Forward braking Q2 – T2 and D1 (Class B)
Q2 Q1
+
Q3 Q4 T
T1
V D1
• Va always +ve   always +ve
• Ia can be +ve or –ve
+ • Do not fire both switches
T2 Va together  short circuit at
D2
- supply
-

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DC – DC Converter Fed Drives
- Two-quadrant Control
 Forward motoring Q1 - T1 and D2 (Class A)
 T1 conducting: Va = V (ia )  D2 conducting: Va = 0 (ia )

+ +
T1 T1 D1
D1
ia ia
V V
+ +
D2 D2
T2 T2
Va Va
 
- -

Average Va = 1V,
1 = (ton T1 / T ), 2 = 0 Average
Va Ea

T1 chopping T2 always •Average Va positive

ON & OFF OFF •Average Va made larger
than back emf Ea
EEEB443 - Control & Drives •Ia positive 14
Dr. Ungku Anisa, July 2008
DC – DC Converter Fed Drives
- Two-quadrant Control
 Forward braking Q2 – T2 and D1 (Class B)
 D1 conducting: Va = V (ia )  T2 conducting: Va = 0 (ia )

+ +
T1 T1 D1
D1
ia ia
V V
+ +
D2 D2
T2 T2
Va Va
 
- -

Average Va =(1 - 2)V,

1 = 0, 2 = (ton T2 / T ) Average
Ea
Va

T2 chopping •Average Va positive

T1 always
ON & OFF •Average Va made smaller
OFF than back emf Ea
•Ia negative (motor acts as
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generator)
DC – DC Converter Fed Drives
- Two-quadrant Control
 For fast transition from motoring (Q1) to braking
(Q2) and vice versa, both T1 and T2 are controlled
simultaneously, i.e. within a period T:
 T1 in ON and T2 is OFF between time 0 < t ≤ ton
 If Ia is positive (Va > E), current flows from supply to motor via T1
 If Ia is negative (E > Va), current flows from motor to supply via D1

 T1 is OFF and T2 is ON between ton < t ≤ T

 If Ia is positive, current circulates via D2
 If Ia is negative, current circulates via T2

 Duty ratio is given by:   ton T 1 where T  chopper period

T
 Average armature voltage is: Average Va =V
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DC – DC Converter Fed Drives
- Two-quadrant Control: Example

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DC – DC Converter Fed Drives
- Four-quadrant Control
 Operation in all four quadrants
 Va and Ia can be controlled in magnitude and polarity
 Power flow can be in either direction 

 Speed and torque can be reversed Q2 Q1

Q3 Q4 T
D1 D3
T1 T3
+ Va -
ia
Note:
Polarity of Va and
T4
direction of Ia
T2
D2 indicated are
D4
assumed
positive.
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DC – DC Converter Fed Drives
- Four-quadrant Control
 When a switch is on (i.e. ‘ON state’) it may or may not
conduct current depending on the direction of ia
 If a switch conducts current, it is in a conducting state
 Converter has two legs (Leg A & Leg B)
Leg B
 Both switches in each
leg, are alternately + D1 D3
switched T1
+ V -
T3
a
 If T1 = ON, T4 = OFF ia
Vdc
 If T4 = ON, T1 = OFF
T4 T2
D4 D2

-
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DC – DC Converter Fed Drives
- Four-quadrant Control 
 Positive Current (Ia > 0)
Q2 Q1
 Va = Vdc when T1 and T2 are ON
Q3 Q4 T
 Current increases
 Q1 operation
 Va = 0 when current
freewheels through +
T2 and D4 T1
D1 D3
T3
+ Va -
 Current decreases
ia
 Va = -Vdc when D3 and D4 Vdc
conducts current T4
D2 T2
 Current decreases D4
-
 Energy returned to supply
 Q4 operation
T3 and
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DC – DC Converter Fed Drives
- Four-quadrant Control 
 Negative Current (Ia > 0)
Q2 Q1
 Va = -Vdc when T3 and T4 are ON
 Current increases in negative direction Q3 Q4 T
 Q3 operation
 Va = 0 when current
freewheels through
T4 and D2 +
D1 D3
 Current decreases T1 T3
+ Va -
 Va = Vdc when D1 and D2
Vdc ia
conducts current
 Current decreases
T4 T2
 Energy returned to D4 D2
supply -
 Q2 operation
T1 and
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DC – DC Converter Fed Drives
- Four-quadrant Control
 For both positive and negative current, output voltage can
swing between:
 Vdc and -Vdc
 Vdc and 0
 Four quadrant chopper has two legs, so it requires two
switching signals (one for each leg)
 Depending on relationship between the two switching signals,
4-quadrant chopper has two switching schemes:
 Bipolar switching
 Unipolar switching
 Switching scheme determines output voltage swing between
Vdc and -Vdc or Vdc and 0.

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DC – DC Converter Fed Drives
 Operation of DC motor drive depends on:
 Direction of Ia (determined by torque, i.e. motoring or
braking)
 Polarity of Va and Ea (determined by speed, i.e. forward or
reverse)
 the duty cycle of the DC-DC Converter (either two-quadrant
or four-quadrant)
 Open loop control is achieved by changing the duty
cycle manually as and when required

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References
 Rashid, M.H, Power Electronics: Circuit, Devices and
Applictions, 3rd ed., Pearson, New-Jersey, 2004.
 Dubey, G.K., Fundamentals of Electric Drives, 2nd ed., Alpha
Science Int. Ltd., UK, 2001.
 Krishnan, R., Electric Motor Drives: Modeling, Analysis and
Control, Prentice-Hall, New Jersey, 2001.
 Nik Idris, N. R., Short Course Notes on Electrical Drives,
UNITEN/UTM, 2008.
 Ahmad Azli, N., Short Course Notes on Electrical Drives,
UNITEN/UTM, 2008.

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