Electronic Power Conversion

Switch mode DC-AC converters

Challenge the future 1

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8. Switch mode DC-AC converters
• Applications:
• AC motor drives
• Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPS)
• Categories of voltage-source inverters (VSI,VSC):
• PWM inverters
• Square-wave inverters
• Single-phase inverters with voltage cancellation
• Not considered: CSI (Current-Source Inverters, CSI) Source:
Wikimedia Commons CC-BY-SA

Uni-directional power Bidirectional power (regenerative)

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Switch-mode inverters – basics
• Requirement for instantaneous power flow:
• Four-quadrant operation

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Phase leg (phase arm or NL: fase tak)

• All dc-ac topologies in Chapt. 8 based on phase arm

• Point 0 is taken as reference for voltage, mostly not physically
available

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• Consider one leg of an H-bridge and vary
vcontrol slowly

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Synthesis of a Sinusoidal Output by
PWM

1
vcontrol > vtri TA+ is on è v A0 = Vd
2
1
vcontrol < vtri TA- is on è v A0 = − Vd
2

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 Spectrum
fs - switching frequency, carrier frequency
f1 - modulating frequency, fundamental frequency

Vˆcontrol
Amplitude modulation ratio: ma =
Vˆtri
fs
Frequency modulation ratio: mf =
f1

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 Details of a Switching Time Period

Control voltage can be assumed constant during a switching time-period

vcontrol Vd
’Moving average’ of vA0 : VA0 = with vcontrol < Vˆtri (1)
Vˆtri 2

where: vcontrol = Vˆcontrol sin ω1 t (2)

Vˆcontrol Vd V
From (1) and (2): VA0,1 = sin ω1t = ma d sin ω1t
Vˆtri 2 2
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Modulation frequency
• Small mf (mf< 21)
• Apply synchronous PWM to avoid subharmonics
• Use methods to eliminate specific low order harmonics
• Large mf (mf> 21)
• Good reproduction of reference wave
• Side band harmonics are small
• Switching harmonics can be eliminated with small filter

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 Overmodulation

ma > 1, Vˆcontrol > Vˆtri

Voltage spectrum:

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• Output voltage Fundamental as a Function of ma ;
• Shows the linear and the over-modulation region;
• square-wave operation in the limit

Overmodulation:

Vd
2
( )
< VˆA0 <
1
4 Vd
π 2

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Square wave operation

(Vˆ ) 4 Vd V (Vˆ )
( )
A0
= = 1.273 d VˆA0 = 1
A0
1,max π 2 2 h h

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Single-phase inverters (half bridge)
• Current sharing between capacitors;
• i0 cannot have a dc-component è no transformer saturation
problem;
• Switch utilisation:
• VT = Vd
• IT = I o

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 Full-bridge converter

Preferred to half-bridge at high power levels

v0 (t ) = v A0 (t ) − vB 0 (t ) = 2v A0 (t )
PWM with Bipolar voltage switching
Vˆ0,1 = ma Vd (ma<1)
4
Vd < Vˆ 0 ,1 < Vd (ma>1)
π

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 DC-side current
(* = “averaged” currents)

fs è ∞ , so L and C è 0

From power balance:

Vd id* (t ) = v0 (t ) i0 (t )
= 2 V0 sin ω1t ⋅ 2 I 0 sin(ω1t - φ )
= V0 I 0 cos φ - V0 I 0 cos( 2ω1t - φ )
V0 I 0 VI
id* (t ) = cos φ - 0 0 cos( 2ω1t - φ )
Vd Vd
Input current:
• DC component
• LF component of double fundamental frequency
• Strong HF components (steep slopes)
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Full-bridge converter –
PWM with unipolar voltage switching
• Double control voltage
• Same output voltage and
magnitude as bipolar switching
• Lower ripple current
(about 50%)
• Less harmonics

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Square wave operation – output
voltage control

π
2
(Vˆ0 ) h =
π ∫πv
−
2

2
0 cos( hθ ) dθ

4
= Vd sin( h β )
πh

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 Voltage and current ripple
Apply superposition:

v0 (t ) = v01 (t ) + vripple (t )

i0 (t ) = i01 (t ) + iripple (t )

Fundamental (phasors):

V01 = E01 + jω1LI01

Ripple current:

1 t
iripple (t ) =
L ∫ 0
vripple (ζ ) dζ +k

(b): largest ripple during

zero crossing of voltage

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 Switch utilisation ratio (SUR)
total apparent converter power S
SUR = q = total number of
qVT ⋅ IT switches
Example:
Full bridge square-wave with sinusoidal current and output current I0
P0
SUR =
∑
switches
PT

4
Output: V01,max = Vd ,max ; I0
π 2

Switch T: VT = Vd ,max ; I T = 2 I 0,max

4
Vd ,max ⋅ I 0,max
P0 V01,max ⋅ I 0,max
=π 2
1
SUR = = =
q PT q Vd ,max ⋅ 2 I 0,max 4 Vd ,max ⋅ 2 I 0,max 2π

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 Effect of blanking time
• Blanking time (dead time) tΔ to avoid shoot-through

tΔ
+ Vd (i A > 0 )
Ts
ΔVAN =
tΔ
- Vd (i A < 0 )
Ts

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Effect of blanking time (2)

ΔVAB = ΔVAN − ΔVBN

2 tΔ
+ Vd (i 0 > 0 )
Ts
ΔVAB =
2 tΔ
- Vd (i 0 < 0 )
Ts

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Voltage versus Current Source
• 1) VSI with unipolar or bipolar modulation
• Behaves as voltage source
• 2a) Current mode modulation:
• VSI with hysteresis modulation
• Behaves as current source
• Variable switching frequency
• Constant current ripple amplitude

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Voltage versus Current Source (2)
• 2b) VSI with Fixed frequency current control (triangular modulation
with feedback)

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Rectifier mode operation
• Phasor representation for fundamental:
VAn = E A + VL VL = jω L s I s VAn − E A
where IA =
jω Ls
• The phase and amplitude of vAn(t) can be set through the input
signal vcontrol of the modulator
dis
vL = Ls
dt
dis
vL = Ls
dt

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 Figure  2  shows  a  single-­‐phase  inverter  connected  to  a  
single  phase  induc6on  motor  with  counter  emf  e0.  
i1
   
The  output  voltage  v0  of  the  inverter  is  obtained  by  
bipolar  voltage  switching  modula6on  scheme.  To  obtain  
a  low  distor6on  linear  modula6on  is  applied  (no  
overmodula6on;  ma<1).  

Given  is  further:    

Vd  =  350V    

  Figure 2  (DC  link  voltage)  
ω1      (fundamental  frequency  of  vo  and  e0)  
ω1,nom      =2π50  rad/s    (nominal  value  of  ω1)  
V01,nom    =230  V    (nominal  rms  value  of  fundamental  of  v0)  
e0        (counter  emf)  
L  =  30  mH      (inductance  of  machine)  
fs=7.5  kHz      (switching  frequency)  
At  nominal  speed  and  nominal  voltage  the  input  power  of  the  loaded  drive  is  2kW  at  cos  φ1=0.8.  

(a)  Draw  the  relevant  circuit  6me  diagrams  to  show  the  opera6on  of  the  inverter.  Indicate  which  switch  is  on  at  what  
6me  period.  Sketch  equivalent  circuit  models  to  calculate  the  fundamental  component  of  the  current  io  and  the  ripple  
component  of  the  current  io.  Calculate  the  maximum  value  of  the  peak-­‐to-­‐peak  current  ripple  in  io  that  is  caused  by  the  
switching.  
(b)  Calculate  the  rms  value  of  the  fundamental  of  io  when  the  machine  runs  at  rated  speed  and  rated  power.  Sketch  a  
phasor  diagram  with  the  phasors  of  e0,  v0  and  i0.  
(c)  Calculate  the  modula6on  ra6o  ma  such  that  the  machine  runs  at  nominal  speed  and  nominal  voltage.  
(d)  What  will  change  in  the  answers  to  problems  b)  and  c)  if  unipolar  switching  is  used  instead  of  bipolar  switching?    
(e)  Calculate  the  low-­‐frequency  (<1  kHz)  peak-­‐to-­‐peak  voltage  ripple  ∆Vd  assuming  that  the  current  i1  is  constant  and  
C=1mF.    
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Given  is  a  single-­‐phase  full  bridge  inverter  opera6ng  in  a  square-­‐wave  mode.  The  dc-­‐voltage  is  244V  and  
the  frequency  of  the  output  voltage  that  supplies  a  motor  load  is  47Hz.    The  inductance  is  L  =  100  mH.  
Calculate  the  peak  value  of  the  ripple  in  the  output  current.  

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Image credits

• All uncredited diagrams are from the book “Power Electronics:

Converters, Applications, and Design” by N. Mohan, T.M.
Undeland and W.P. Robbins.
• All other uncredited images are from research done at the EWI
faculty.

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