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Department
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Electrical
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Cycloconverters
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Prof. Dr.
Department
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Electrical
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 CYCLOCONVERTERS

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U  A device which converts input power at one frequency to
output power at a different frequency with one stage

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conversion is called a cycloconverter.

T  In a cycloconverter, the ac power at one frequency is

converted directly to an ac power at another frequency
JAMSHORO without any intermediate dc stage.

Department  The technique of cycloconversion was known in Germany in

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Electrical the 1930’s, when Mercury-arc rectifiers were used to convert
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power from 50 Hz to 16-2/3 Hz for railway transportation
 Operating Principle of Cycloconverter
 Single-phase to Single-phase Cycloconverter

M  Three-Phase to Single-Phase Cycloconverter

U  Three-Phase to Three-Phase Cycloconverter

E Newer Types of Cycloconverters:

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 Matrix Converter
 Single-Phase to Three-Phase Cycloconverters
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 Single-phase to Single-phase Cycloconverter

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 Three-phase to Single-phase Cycloconverter

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 Three-phase to Three-phase Cycloconverter

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 CYCLOCONVERTERS
Types of cycloconverters

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U  Step-down cycloconverters
E  Step-up cycloconverters
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 Single-phase Step-down Cycloconverter

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 Input output Time Thyristor
Frequen frequency Interval turn on
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1 P1

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25 Hz 2 P2
fo/fi=1/2 3 N1

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4 N2
1 P1

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2 P2
50 Hz
3 P1

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12.5 Hz 4 P2
fo/fi=1/4
5 N1
JAMSHORO 6 N2
7 N1
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 Single-Phase to Single-Phase Step-
Down Converter
Mid point cycloconverter (Discontinuous load current)

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Line commutation
is used
Department Voltage & current waveforms for step-down
of cycloconverter with discontinuous load
Electrical
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fo = 1/4 fs
 Single-phase Step-up Cycloconverter

Forced commutation

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is used

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cycloconverters that
have fo/fi>1 frequency

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relation are called step-
up cycloconverters

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fo = 6fs
 Single-Phase Bridge type Step-down Cycloconverter
 This converter consists of back-to-back connection of two full-wave rectifier circuits.
two-pulse two-quadrant bridge converters

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 Thyristors P1 to P4 belongs to positive group converter. While, N1 to N4 belongs to
negative group converter.

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 when one of the converters operates the other one is disabled, so that there is no current
circulating between the two rectifiers.

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 Single-Phase Bridge type Step-down Cycloconverter

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U Note that the

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firing angles are
named as αP for

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the positive
converter and αN
for the negative
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 Single-Phase Bridge type Step-down Cycloconverter

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 Single-Phase Bridge type Step-down Cycloconverter

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Input output Time Thyristor
Frequen frequency Interval turn on
cy
1 P1

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fo/fi=1/2
2
3
P2
N1

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1
N2
P1 P2

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50 Hz
2 P3 P4

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fo/fi=1/4
3
4
P1 P2
P3 P4
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5 N1 N2
6 N3 N4
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 Single-Phase Bridge type Step-up Cycloconverter

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  Applications of Cycloconverter:

i. Variable frequency speed control of high power ac

drives

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iii. Static VAR generation

T iv. For converting variable-speed alternator voltage to

constant frequency output voltage for use as power supply in
JAMSHORO aircraft or shipboard

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of v. constant frequency power supplies
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 Three-phase to Single-phase Cycloconverter

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E the cycloconverter can operate in four quadrants: (+v, +i) and (-v, -i)
rectification modes and (+v, -i) and (-v, +i) inversion modes

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 The three-phase cycloconverters are mainly used in ac machine drive systems
running threephase synchronous and induction machines. They are more
advantageous when used with a synchronous machine due to their output power

U factor characteristics. A cycloconverter can supply lagging, leading, or unity power

factor loads while its input is always lagging. A synchronous machine can draw any

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power factor current from the converter. This characteristic operation matches the
cycloconverter to the synchronous machine. On the other hand, induction machines
can only draw lagging current, so the cycloconverter does not have an edge

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compared to the other converters in this aspect for running an induction machine.
However, cycloconverters are used in Scherbius drives for speed control purposes
driving wound rotor induction motors.
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 2. Blocked Mode and Circulating Current Mode:

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 The operation of the cycloconverters is explained above in ideal terms. When the load
current is positive, the positive converter supplies the required voltage and the
negative converter is disabled. On the other hand, when the load current is negative,

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then the negative converter supplies the required voltage and the positive converter is
blocked. This operation is called the blocked mode operation, and the cycloconverters
using this approach are called blocking mode cycloconverters.
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 However, if by any chance both of the converters are enabled, then the supply is
short-circuited. To avoid this short circuit, an intergroup reactor (IGR) can be
connected between the converters as shown in Fig. 9. Instead of blocking the
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converters during current reversal, if they are both enabled, then a circulating current
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is produced. This current is called the circulating current. It is unidirectional because
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the thyristors allow the current to flow in only one direction. Some cycloconverters
allow this circulating current at all times. These are called circulating current
 4.2.1 Integral Pulse Modulated (1f-3f) Cycloconverters [4]:
The input to these cycloconverters is single-phase high frequency sinusoidal or square waveforms
with or without zero voltage gaps. Every half-cycle of the input signal, the control for each phase
decides if it needs a positive pulse or a negative pulse using integral pulse modulation. For integral
pulse modulation, the command signal and the output phase voltage are integrated and the latter
result is subtracted from the former. For a positive difference, a negative pulse is required, and vice

M versa for the negative difference. For the positive (negative) input half-cycle, if a positive pulse is
required, the upper (lower) switch is turned on; otherwise, the lower (upper) switch is turned on.
Therefore, the three-phase output voltage consists of positive and negative half-cycle pulses of the

U input voltage. Note that this converter can only work at output frequencies which are multiples of
the input frequency.

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 4.2.2 Phase-Controlled (1f-3f) Cycloconverter [5]:
 This cycloconverter converts the single-phase high frequency

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sinusoidal or square wave voltage into three-phase voltages using
the previously explained phase control principles. The voltage
command is compared to a sawtooth waveform to find the firing
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instant of the switches.
Depending on the polarity of the current and the input voltage, the

T next switch to be turned on is determined. Compared to the

previous one, this converter has more complex control but it can
JAMSHORO work at any frequency.

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 M  Blocking Mode Cycloconverters:
 Circulating Current Cycloconverters
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E  (see detail: cycloconverter tutorial----
T waqar ME folder )
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 M
U Matrix
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Converter
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 Matrix converter (also known as PWM
Cycloconverter hand book of rashid p 326 )

 The matrix converter is a fairly new converter topology, which

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was first proposed in the beginning of the 1980s.

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 Matrix converter operates as a Generalized Solid-State
Transformer with significant improvement in voltage and input
current waveforms resulting in sine-wave input and sine-wave
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output.
A matrix converter consists of a matrix of 9 switches connecting

T the three input phases to the three output phases directly.

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 However, no two switches from the same phase should be on at
the same time, otherwise this will cause a short circuit of the
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input phases.
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 Matrix converter (also known as PWM
Cycloconverter hand book of rashid p 326 )

 These converters are usually controlled by PWM to produce

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three-phase variable voltages at variable frequency.

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 This direct frequency changer is not commonly used because of
the high device count, i.e. 18 switches compared to 12 of a dc
link rectifier-inverter system. However, the devices used are
E smaller because of their shorter ON time compared to the latter.

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 Matrix converter

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Department
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Department
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