EEP3633 Electronics

Drives and
Application
Controlled Rectifier DC Drives
By
Ts. Dr. Ahmad Shukri Abu Hasim
Department of Electrical Power Engineering, UPNM
Contents

Power Electronics Converters for DC Drives

Controlled Rectifier Fed DC Drives
Single Phase
Two-quadrant
Four-quadrant
Three Phase
Two-quadrant
Four-quadrant
 Power Electronic Converters
for DC Drives

Speed Control Strategy:

below base speed: Va control
above base speed: flux control via Vf control
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
 Controlled Rectifier Fed DC
Drives
• To obtain variable DC voltage from fixed AC source
• DC current flows in only 1 direction
• Example of a drive system
 Controlled Rectifier Fed 

– Single-phase DC Drives
Q2 Q1

Q3 Q4 T
Two-quadrant drive
Limited to applications up to 15 kW
Regeneration (Q4) only be achieved with loads that can drive the motor in
reverse (-ve )
 Controlled Rectifier Fed
– Single-phase DC Drives
ia

+
Single-
phase
• Two-quadrant drive supply Va

For continuous current: 

• Armature voltage
2Vm
Va  cos  a 2Vm
 

where Vm = peak voltage

Va  Ea
• Armature current Ia 
Ra 90o 180o


2Vm
• Field voltage Vf  cos f
 
2Vm

 Controlled Rectifier Fed
– Single-phase DC Drives ia

Single-phase + +
supply
Ea
• Two-quadrant drive Va 

For Quadrant 1 operation:  

•  positive  Ea and Va positive

• a  90 2Vm

• Ia positive
• Rectifier delivers power to motor, Q1

i.e. forward motoring. 90o 180o



2Vm


 Controlled Rectifier Fed
– Single-phase DC Drives ia

 
Single-phase
supply Va Ea

• Two-quadrant drive + +

For Quadrant 4 operation:

•  negative  Ea negative
• a > 90  Va negative 2Vm

• Ia positive (still in same direction)
• Rectifier takes power from motor,

i.e. regenerative braking. 90o 180o

Q4
2Vm


 Controlled Rectifier Fed
– Single-phase DC Drives 

Four-quadrant drive
Q2 Q1
Converter 1 for operation in 1 and 4 quadrant
st th

Q3 Q4 T
Converter 2 for operation in 2nd and 3rd quadrant
Limited to applications up to 15 kW

+
ia
Single-phase Single-phase
Va supply
supply

Two rectifiers
connected in anti-
parallel across
motor armature
 Controlled Rectifier Fed
– Single-phase DC Drives
Four-quadrant drive
For continuous current:
Both converters are operated to produce the same dc voltage across
the terminal, i.e.: V1 V2  0
2Vm 2Vm
where V1  cos  a1 and V2  cos  a 2
 
(Vm = peak supply voltage)
Hence, firing angles of both converters must satisfy the following:
 a1   a 2  
+ 

Armature current V  Ea V1 V2
Ia  a
Ra  +
Field voltage 2V
V f  m cos  f
 Converter 1 Converter 2
 Example: Single-phase DC Drives

1. Speed of separately excited motor is controlled by a single-phase semi-

converter. The field current also controlled by semi-converter is set to
the maximum value. The AC supply voltage to the armature and field
converters is one phase with 208V, 50 Hz. Given the armature
resistance, Ra = 0.25Ω, field resistance, Rf = 147Ω and the motor
constant KV = 0.7032 V/A rad/s. The torque load is TL = 45Nm at
1000rpm. The viscous friction and no load losses are negligible. With
the inductance at armature and field circuit are sufficient to make
current at both armature and field continuous and ripple free.
Determine:
a) Field current, If
b) Delay angle of the converter in the armature circuit
c) Input power factor of the armature circuit converter
 Example: Single-phase DC Drives

2. The speed of separately excited DC motor is controlled by a single-

phase full-wave converter. The field circuit also controlled by a full
converter and the field current is set to the maximum possible value.
The AC supply to the armature and field converter is one-phase 440V,
50 Hz. The parameters of the motor are given as follows; Ra = 0.25Ω,
Rf = 175Ω, motor constant voltage, KV = 1.4V/A rad/s, armature current
corresponding to the load demand, Ia = 45A. If the delay angle of the
armature converter is αa = 600 at Ia = 45A, Determine:
a. Torque develop by the motor
b. Speed
 Controlled Rectifier Fed
– Three-phase DC Drives 

Two-quadrant drive Q2 Q1
Limited to applications up to 1500 kW
Q3 Q4 T
Regeneration (Q4) only be achieved with loads that can
drive the motor in reverse (-ve )
 Controlled Rectifier Fed
– Three-phase DC Drives ia

+
• For continuous current: 3-phase
supply Va
• Armature voltage
3VL-L, m 
Va  cos a

where VL-L, m = peak line-to-line voltage
3VL-L, m
Va  Ea 
• Armature current Ia 
Ra

3VL-L, m 90o 180o
• Field voltage Vf  cos  f

3VL-L, m

(assuming a three-phase supply is used for 

field excitation)
 Controlled Rectifier Fed 
– Three-phase DC Drives
Q2 Q1
Four-quadrant drive
Q3 Q4 T
Converter 1 for operation in 1 and 4 quadrant
st th

Converter 2 for operation in 2nd and 3rd quadrant

Ia +ve, Ia -ve,
Va +ve or -ve Va +ve or -ve
Converter 1 Converter 2

+
ia
3-phase 3-phase
supply Va
supply


Two rectifiers
connected in anti-
parallel across
motor armature
15
 Controlled Rectifier Fed
– Three-phase DC Drives
Four-quadrant drive +
ia
For continuous current:
3VL L , m Va
Va  cos  a



Converter 1 Converter 2
where VL-L, m = peak line-to-line voltage.
 a1   a 2  
 Similar to single-phase drive:

Converter 2: Converter 1: 0   a1  90

90   a 2  180 
Ia -ve, Ia +ve,
 a1     a 2 Va +ve  a 2     a1
Va +ve
Q2 Q1
T
Q3 Q4

0   a 2  90 Converter 2: Converter 1: 90   a1  180

Ia -ve, Ia +ve,
 a1     a 2 Va -ve Va -ve
 a 2     a1
 Controlled Rectifier Fed
– Three-phase DC Drives
• For continuous current:
Va  Ea
• Armature current Ia 
Ra
3VL-L, m
• Field voltage Vf  cos f

L1
• Disadvantages:
• Circulating current + ia
• Inductors L1 and L2 Va
added to reduce
circulating currents

• Slow response
L2
Converter 1 Converter 2
 Controlled Rectifier Fed

– Three-phase DC Drives
Q2 Q1
Four-quadrant drive Q3 Q4 T
One controlled rectifier with 2 pairs of contactors
M1 and M2 closed for operation in 1st and 4th quadrant
R1 and R2 closed for operation in 2nd and 3rd quadrant

ia R1
M1
ia
3-phase
supply
+ Va -
R2 M2
 Rectifier Fed DC Drives Problems

1. Distortion of Supply
Controlled rectifier introduces harmonics to supply
currents and voltages which cause:
heating and torque pulsations in motor
resonance in power system network – interaction between
rectifier RL with capacitor banks in system
Solution - eliminate most dominant harmonics by:
install LC filters at input of converters – tuned to absorb most
dominant harmonics (i.e. 5th and 7th harmonics)
Use 12-pulse converter – consists of two 6-pulse controlled
rectifiers connected in parallel
Selective switching of supply input using self-commutating
devices (eg. GTOs, IGBTs) in the converter
 Rectifier Fed DC Drives Problems
12-pulse converter – consists of two 6-pulse controlled rectifiers
connected in parallel
 Rectifier Fed DC Drives Problems

2. Low supply power factor

• Power factor related to firing angle  of rectifier
• Low power factor especially during low speed operations
• Solution:
• Employ pulse-width modulated (PWM) rectifiers using
GTOs, IGBTs
• High power factor
• Low harmonic supply currents
• Low efficiency - high switching losses (disadvantage)
 Rectifier Fed DC Drives Problems

3. Effect on motor
Ripple in motor current – harmonics present (most dominant
is 6th harmonic)
causes torque ripple, heating and derating of motor
solution: extra inductance added in series with La
Slow response
Discontinuous current may occur if
La not large enough
Motor is lightly loaded
Effect of discontinuous current
Rectifier output voltage increases  motor speed increases
(poor speed regulation under open-loop operation)
 Three-Phase Full-Converter

Reference:
Rashid, M.H, Power Electronics: Circuit, Devices and
Applictions, 3rd ed., Pearson, New-Jersey, 2004
 Waveforms and Conduction Times
3  / 2
Vo ( dc )   vab d 
  / 6 
3  / 2  
  3 Vm sin     d
  / 6   6
3 3Vm
 cos 


3  / 2 2 2  
  / 6
Vo ( rms )  3Vm sin     d
 6 
1 3 3
 3 Vm  cos 2
2 4

Reference:
Rashid, M.H, Power Electronics:
Circuit, Devices and Applictions,
3rd ed., Pearson, New-Jersey, 2004