a ae'-"l.

--iu;u,
,
4.12. 2. Resi stanc e and Resi stanc e-Ca pa'c tt.~ nc·~ Firin g Circ uits
e are presented
. · Rand RC firing circu its are not in co~m ercia l use these days. Thes
They off~r sunp)e
for.th e sake of highl ightin g the basic principl~~ <:>f~riggering the SCRs .
econo mical firing circu its [3]. ' ·
its -are the s" '
· . _ (a) Resis tance firi~ ci~cuits.. As "~tated ,~b~ve., ~sist ance trigg er circu
.
and most econo mical . ·They however~ .. suffe r· from a ·
limit ed range ,of firing angle contr ol (0~ to 90°), great ',, ;---vO~
' depe nden ce on temp eratu re a"nd diffe rence in I Q

· l>er_formance betw een indiv idu~ SCRs. ,. : LOAD

' • • I

, Fig. 4. 53 show s the, most basic resis tance

trigg ering circu it. R 2 is. the varia ble resist ance,' R.. • is ••
' ti • ••
1 '• •

the stabi lizing resist ance. In case R 2 is zero, gate ·

,

cme nt'm ay ~ow from sourc e, throu gh load,' Ri, 1:) and',
Vs= VmsinU Jt
gate to-· catho de. This curre nt shoul d . not excee d
maxi mum -'perm issib le gate . cur~e ~t. ·1;;,,_: R 1 ca~
there fore, be ~ound from the relati on, ._ . ·
vm vm Vg
.R -5.lgm or R1?::. I --~·· - .,..(4.20 a)
1 gm
wher ~ Vin = maxi mWI!. yalue of sourc e voltag e
. It is thus seen that funct ion _ofR 1-°i~ to limit the _·. Fig. 4.53. Resist ance
firing _ _
gate curre nt to a sa~e value as R 2 is varied . • ·
it d
Resis tan~e -R . shoul d. have such ·a .value that maxi mum volta g~ drop across nd
is zero: U er
excee d maxi mum possi ble gate volta~ e Vgm. This can happ en only wnen R 2
condi tion, · · · · ·
V . .
: R1: R.R s vgm
Rs Vgm ·R1
. . . .. . Ym-V cm . D
or
..As re~is tance s R1, Jl_2 are· Ia:~e , gate ·~~g er circu it draw s a smal l curr~
nt. Dia::de
is half-wa
~e ~ow of curre nt ~unn g po~itive half_cyc~~ only, i.e. gate volta ge v6
The ~pl\ tud~~ of this de pulse can be con~o lled by-va rying R 2_. , -. ..
. .
 · · Dyristors . [Art. 4.12] _- · ~1

· The potentiometer setting R2 determines the gate voltage amplitude.- When R2 is large,
current i_is small and the voltage across R, i.e. 'v = iR is als~ small as shown in Fig. 4.54.(a).
As VD {peak of gate voltage Vg) is less than Vge ,. (gate trigger voltage),.SCR will not tum on.
Therefore, load voltage v0 = O, i0 = O and supply voltage v appears as vT across SCR as shown .
. in Fig. 4.54 (a). Note that trigger circuit consists of resi;tances only, _v, is therefore-~in phase
with source ¥oltage u,. In Fig. 4.5~ (b), R 2. is acijusted sue~ that v,P = Vge, This gives the yalue
of tiring angle as 90°. The various current and voltage w~veforms are shown in Fig. 4.54 (b).
In.Fig._4.54 (c~, v,P > Vge, As.soon as v1beco~~s ·eq~afto _V,, .for the first time SCR_is .turned
· on. The res~stance triggering cannot give tiring angle beyond 90°. Increasing v1 above Vge
· turns on the SCR at fi~ng angles less than, 90°. When~, reaches v,, for the first time, SCR
v, is re~~c~·d, to almost zero (abou~ 1 V), val~e ·as ~hown: !t_m~y
fires, ga~e ~~s~s .c:ont~ol and _

~1 • · .. ,, , .. r , r ··

, wt
I '
:· , '. • .. ., : ""'I , • • i. t ' ., ,
I
I • 1 ' ' • ..~ 4' I• i .. ..i.

I- ..
i l v.
. ' .. I I : ,.
~ I
r.•• . . ' II ,._ '
'
I '
I
I
' • " ' '
_, •
' •
'
Vg " .
. :I ' .: ., • Vgp -Vgt
- ••
I _· Vgp>Vgt . _ :
I
: :· : . :--~ -~-·-~~ , _.
I :
•"' • • r
g Vgt I I ' I I ' --;---:,--' •

L : :; :·, I :• .. J'
I I ~

r •'• ,I
I

tJ • f
I

wt l ~ ·' "" • i .1 , , :, •.wt ·

·, ·1
.,.- J • ' • ,. • ' • • I
~~,__~'--'~----,,-+--
. :' ....
Ii .' I , - :· ' I V '
~~
Vgp_,,' I I ,1 .. 'I
Vo ....., : :,. .. , , . I •

. v0 : ; .' · ! : , ..-. ; ·j :. : ·:.\

- _, · :,
,,.
I /
I
.... ': .....
._.,. I
t ~-,1 ~,- :Wt
I
:, , a I ·'
-
I
I
• .
• '
•• :wt
i
J
• ' 1 wt io , . . .. : ;' ::; ,- to . ''
J 'I I o•.lf
I ' •
'
o I
I ''
l ·. : 210 : •wt · : wt
wt. •i
I v· • : r ' I
I
' ; .,
- 1 i.&.- I -
Vr I
,' ;, ! ~ r
I
·1, r . wt :
w '
• •
·.'
•
; , ,.I.

, i· , • Q::90° · , . _; :-- . -: __C1<90° : ·,.: -: · ,.,

·' (a) . r I (b) . • ' : . ~ r - - '
' ' (c) ··. 1 ':',: - ' • :

Fig. 4.54.' Resistance firing of an SCR in a ·half-wave circuit with de load .. ,-

, l
.· ~ ..
.. ~ _• . . :
(a) No ... triggering
,
of
•
SCR (b) a= 90° (c) a< 90°4.. . , ': ,
.· _ • ,-
.. •
. ...
- 1 • • • • • t
, .r •

· . also be seen that firing an~le c~ never be equal to zero d~~ee ~owever _la~ge ~~ may be ;
.it can, of course, be brought nearer (2~-4°) to zero degree firmg angle. A relatiQns:µip between
peak gate voltage V8P and gate trigger voltage V61 may be expressed as {ollows: _· \ . ·
. ' .. : • ..: . • ' ; .••• ' . . •· r ' - : - V sin'ex = V r , • - ~ • . ' \ .
\' L.
. •'
.
I
.. • ·,,, · • ; \. i , ,i , , • . 6P gt •

or ex = sin,: 1 (V8 t/Vgp)

. · VmR .. ,
Since V = - - - .,.
. gp R1 +R2fR

· - ,.·.• . _,·. -,·\. -:::,· a=sin-1[Vst : (R1+'ll2+R)] ·

,. , . . . .I ',. t.•·-,;
- · ·---
1 ··'
,
ll I ··.-;~
·I vm R · ·,·1
.. . .
. . - ... , .. ' ·
,
· -,.

• . ~ -~;, R~, !l ~d Vm _~ '.e ~ed,,~ ~I~~

_(R_2) ?~,~~ -R2:_:,: ·_·:. . ., >...,: ~:· ::·. : -.. : .: . . ._ . ,·
TJus.~_that :firing angle i~ ·pr9po~?~al.~o R2.. ,¥. R 2· i~ _ in~~~~~ ~~m sm~ ilfl..ui !
(i.e. small a), firing angle increases. ln'_a't\y case, ex can never-be mo:te than' 90°. · . . ._... ,, ··
I ' • ~
132 [Art. ~12] Power Electrontea
. --....
· · · As the firing angle control is from oo (approximately) to 90°, the half-wave power output
can be controlled. from 100% (for a= 0°) down to 50% (for a= 90°). . · · ·· · ·.
· · Example 4.23. Discus, what would happen.to the circuit of Fig: 4.53 in case load is shifted
between terminals a and b. · ·· · : · · ·. · , .· · ·,· - · ~- ·: · ·,
~ - Solution..In the circuit of.Fig. 4.53; when SCR is on, voltage VT across it is almost zero
(actually about i to 1.5 V) md therefore voitage across R 1, R2, D, R is als? nearly zer~. As a
result, trigger supply volta~ v . is reduced !to z~ro afte~ SCR trim-on. There is. th~s hardly ..
any gate current and the ~ssoci!ted gate power loss is ze_ro during ~he time S~R is conducting·
in Fig, 4,53, ' '. I , • '
.
' ;
,
' ' "
,
' , ' , ' . • ' , • •• • .

•. . . I

.· In case load is shifted betwe~n terminals a and b, the circuit may still operate. But after
SCR t~-on,. the circuit comprising o(R 1, R 2, D and gate to cathode would be subjected to .
source voltage: This would cause an increased gate current and the associated gate_powei:
loss wowd be more during SCR tum on. Such an happening would certainly burn out the
· gate circuit a#id destroy the SCR. This shows that, load should never be connect~d between
termin~s a and b in Fig. 4.53. , · . . · ··
(b) RC firing circuits. The _limited range of firing angle control by resistance. firing_
circuit c~ be overcome py RC firing cilicuit. There are several variations of RC trigger circuits.•
Here only two of them a_re presented. · . : · , . .' · . ·
• , ,. ' I ' I .
. (i) RC half-wave 'trigger circuit. .Fig. 4.55 illustrates RC half-wave . trigger circuit. Ry,
varying the value of R, firing angle can be controlled ., , · , , / ,· )/ ·
from 9° ~ 180°. _In the
negative half cy~le, c_a pacitor . _, L; .· .., r=vo=i '/. ~-u /_J
c charges through D'?, wi~h l9wer, plate positive to - - - LO,. o - --..::,_
the peak supply voltage Vm at _rot= ~ 90°. After - i.{"- ·
'cot=- 90°,· source voltage:v, decreases fr~m - Vm at p2
rot=:- 90° . to zer~ at I o>t'= 0°. During this' period,
capacitor voltage _Ve may . fall from :- ..Vin .·_at ' I

cot = - 90° ·to some lower value .- o a at rot ~ 0° as " · C \ ',, ; 01

shown in Fig. 4.56. Now, as' the SCR anode voltage · ·
passes through zero and becomes positive,_·c begins '-------~ ~----....J I
to charge through variable resistance R from the Fig. 4.55. RC half-wave trigger circuit.
initial voltage .~ oa. When' capacitor · charge·s to '·
pos_itiv~ vo~tage equal to gate trigger voltage V~t, SCR is fired and after this, capacitor holds
to a sniall positive voltage, Fig. 4.56; Diode Dl is used to prevent the breakdown of cathode
to·gate~wiction through_D2 during the negative half cycle. An examination of Fig. 4.56 reveals
that finng angle can never be zero and 180°; · · · · · · ·
In the ·r ange of power frequencies, it may be empirically shown [3] that RC 'ror zero output
voltage is given by ' . , . · . · .

RC~l.ST=! (4,21)
2 . {1)
' I "'

where •·\ .' ·: T 7 } ~ pe~od of ac line frequenc~ in seconds.

. . '

- The_SCR will trigger when ,JJ~ = V8, + vd, where vd is the voltage drop across diode Dl. At
~~ instant of triggering,.if VC is ~sumed constant, the current Igt must be s~pplied by voltage
source.through R, Ill.and gat~ to· cathode ·circuit. Hence the maximum value of R is given by •
• ••• ; 11 ,• • I• •
 Thyristors [Art. 4.12] 133

V8 ~ RJ6 t + Ve
or v, '?:.Rlgt + Vgt + vd

or < v, -Vgt-Vd ... (4.22)

R- · 1gt
.

where vs is the source voltage at which thyristor turns on. Approximate values of Rand C
can be obtained from Eqs. (4.21) and (4.22).

w1 ' 01: wt
/ Ve: ·L.t-u
a I /
Q
:
I
~•
I
---- a:
I C
I
I I
I · I I

~ex-: I
I I I
Vo I
~-.,I
I I
I
Vo
I

I
I
wt'
0 I
wt ·
: 7r 2rr 137T I
I IX I-
VT j I
I
I

i ..•
VT I
I

I w1
0 7l 3,r
wt

ex~
'
(a) (b)
Fig. 4.56. Waveforms for RC half-wave trigger circuit of
Fig. 4.55 (a) high value of R (b) low value of R. _
When SCR triggers, voltage drop across it falls t~"l ... .
i~Ll"v.
This, in turn, lowera the I

voltage across R and C to this low value of 1 to 1.5 V. Low voltage across SCR during
conduction period keeps C discharged 41 positive half cycle until negative voltage cycle across
C appears. This charges C to maximum negative voltage- Vm as shown in Fig. 4.56 by dotted
line. In Fig. 4.56 (a), R is ~ore, the time taken for C to charge from - oa to (Vgt + vd) =Vgt is
more, firing angle is more and therefore average output voltage is low. In Fig. 4.56 (b), R is
less, firing angle is low and therefore average output voltage is more.
(ii) RC full-wave trigger circuit. A simple RC trigger circuit giving full-wave output voltage
is shown in Fig. 4.57. Diodes Dl-D4 form a full,.wave diode bridge. In this circuit, the initial
voltage from which the capacitor C charges is almost zero. The capacitor C is set to this -low
positi~e volt~ge (upper plate positive) by _the
ca~mg act10n o.( SCB gat~.,..When capacitor
0 --1

I _ ___, · -
r:v
~----------..r-
_l

charges to a voltage equal to vgt, SCR triggers +~ LOAD

· and rectified ·voltage va app~ars across load as Ol OJ +l
v0 • The value of RC is calculated by the
empirical relatio_n [3],
RC'?:. 50 ; =1!7 ... (4 _23 ) v5 =Vmsinwt .
04

As per Eq. (4.22), the ',:alue of R is given

by Fig. 4.57. RC full-wave trigger circuit.
 -- ~- -'1 :" "' a. ar c
uow◄ aescnbed in th is
5. 1. C L A S S A C.O M M U T ch ap te r.
A T IO N : L O A D C O M M U T
F o r ac hi ev in g lo ad co m m ut at A T IO N ,. .
, co nn ec te d as sh ow n in Fi io n of
a th yr is to r, th e co m m ~ ti
ng.co ~p on en ts L and C are
g. 5. 1. H er e R iEYtbe lo ad re
co nn ec te d in se ri es w it h si st an ce ~ r lo w va lu e of R , L
R , Fi g. 5. 1 (a )l E ,o r hi gh va an
Fi g. , 5. 1 (b ). T he es se nt ia lu e of R , lo ad R is connected d C arc~
~c1:ss J
ci rc ui t m u st b e un de rd am l a u ir e m e n t fo r bo th th e ci rc ui ts of Fi g. ·-5.1 is th at
pe d. :w he n th es e ci rc ui ts ar the
as sh ow n o n th e ri g h t h an e en er gi ze d fr om de , cu rr en t ,__E\1e:s
d . de of Fi g. ~-1 ar e o b t~ ~ ~avefo ises
- It is se en th at cu rr en t ' fir 5t
·, r j

• l
 Commutation Techniques [Art. 5~1) ' 161
tom ~~ v~ue and ~e~-begins to fall. When curre nt decays to zero and ' ~

tends to rever se,

tbyri&tor Tm Fig. 5.i is turne d-off on its own at insta nt A. .
, ✓•
·' •
,-
•, .
+ ,./
, / T 1.
/
/
/ L i
,/
C
Vs
\
. -~. ..--- --,
1. :
•· •Load
. •·R
L-- _J
I

..
(a)

+ I , \
L

- r- -., 0

" t
I I I
C •R
I :Load
I
L-
... \·
• ...... r·
(b) .
,'.

Fig. 5.1. Class A or load commutation (a) series capacitor (b) shunt capacitor.
-: ,- Load, or class-A, comm utatio n is pr~valent in th~s tor circuits suppl ied
The natur '
e of the' circu it ·s h~uld be such that when
. energ
,
ized
from a de source. {

• from a de. source, curre nt must

have ·a natur al tende ncy to< decay . -
to zero for the ·load comm utatio n to \
occur in a thyris tor
circuit. Load comm utatio n i~ possible in de circuits and not .in a~ circuits.
Class A, or load,
commutation is also calledl!eso nant commutation or self-commutatio~ A
pract ical circu it
employing load comm utatio n is a series inver ter which is ,describe~ _in-Cha
pter 8. A s~pl e
.example illust rating the basic principle of load commutation is given below
V,..,ft._. ....-..1,. . -
: .
:1 ~ r,,1,.. _ _ ,; __ •• .:.1. -L --··- .! _
 a

5.2 . c~s B CO MM UT AT IO N :· RE SO NA N'F -Pl JL SE COMM

UTATION >. ~ . .'· .. ;..
· Fo r ex pla ini ng cl~ss-B, or resonant-pu~se~··co mm uta
tio n, ref er to Fig. 5.3 (a). In this figu ,
sou rce vo lta ge V8 ch arg es cap aci tor C to vol tag e
Main thy ris tor Tl as .we ll as ·alL nli ary thy ris tor 'll', wi th' lef t ha nd pla te positive as.. sho
TA are off. Po siti ve dir ect ion of capaci
vo lta ge vc -a nd cap aci tor cu rre nt ic are ma rke
a
d. Wh en T! is tur ne d _o n. at t = 0, const ,
cu rre nt 1 is est ab lis he d in the loa d cir cui t. · He re,
0 . f~r simp~city, loa d cur ren t is assuJJl
.,
constant.,
 -,
1

Thyristor Commutadon Techniques [Art. 5.2] 163

l .,. ,·· ii 1 ·, I • •

r, ~ ,• lg1l•
~
· ·: ' .. !.

t•
. J ;., t •
Jio 1·
;

'
' .. ' I
'
I t•
.•:'f I
I
I

I I
l
I
I ·
2=t •
le ~w0 t=x--: I I
.I --------+--------
\c -,. - I
. I
I
.ll!• _ . ....

•, J •. , ,
1_
' J
)
.' I
; i , /·
s __
. - {I ,..._t_ 1·

TA 1 r
. l ·( I • ' ••
t1 t2 t3 t, ts
TA TA T1
• ·i •
ON · OFF OFF
i 3. i \ 1 ·' . .
· ·.
.,,,.I
. --·
l -,, (' ((I) .~ , '•.. ~ ·,r -~ ..,
• .. ·, 1,a-,
r·· I '
11 ..: I:
lL,.
i" ~-•-1." t ,. '
,v
I .. ,
, ... ·~ · -
: .• • •
-,·, ' , ..
., 1' ,
.I (b) ,/ ·} .. I ',
. .,·' ... "1
•

I
:- i . ! · " , _Fig.._5.3. _Resonant-pulse commutation (a) circuit diagram (b) waveforms. ,',. .. _, , ~ ,
· Uptill time t 1,· Ve= v., ie ~ O,', i0 ~ 10 and. in '=10,' Fig. 5.3 (b).: For initi.ating ·the
· .commutation Qf main thyristor Tl~ allXili¥¥-<th~stor !A i~ gated at t = t 1• With TA ·on, a
-·. resonant current ie begins~ to flow froni'·G tlirough TA, L and back to C. This resonant current
with time measured from instant t " 1s 'aiven by ,,_,. . · •., ·;; · ' i, • '
' ·• ' .._ , ·, l ' ' ' • • , I ~ . " ' ' . ,.. f• • , \•' '1, 1 1 ' • ' / I ' ' { ., ' •t ' J

.. .... .· ' . ,. . . •,. ,i~·=~~:'.J{sm~·~~-~i;~~i,_; :·:_ :· .·:/ ·· ·:

_.,_ · · •"
< • 1 l •• 1, t:,• . ' I I' ·1 ' ,. ' • , -

''! I ,., !'"r ' ' ). • '\ • JI '\ 11 , I ,

, _ • I I 1 ,l,1 t i , •._1,P, I.. ,., , I , , •,

p ,, . Minus sign before·IP s~ ro0 t .i.s ,,du~ to, th~..~a~t :t hat t~s. ~urrent flows opposite to the
reference positive direction chosen in Fig. 5.3 (a). ! \.\',t, '(,1 ,i:/1
'
· ·
i' ' ,.. I .. ~1•. :., J. I 1·• l, · J ,J .:·• •,1~. l '; , I I ·,·,'

Capacito~voltage . ' Vc '( t)~~J(dt ·• .· l,1:.~1 •.,i.(•., \ ... ·,., ':.:· ·_

1
•• 1 ~' •,'.I. ,:.·'"
,,, • • '.,•··, , ,,1,, ." ·, I \

/, , ;:, , .. = ~~ c?~ .Cfo t, '·.' 1 • :, • . • ...(5.4)

,_. 'JI . .,

~:o, r I; ,

:v.
l,

After half a cycle of ie from instant t,.;. ic Ve= - and in= lo, After 7t radians from
inst~t t 1 , i.e. j~t after instant t 2, -~~ ie' tend~, to ·rey~rse, TA ·is ._t urned off ~t t 2. With
ve=-V., -right-hand plate has positive polaricy. Resonant current ic now builds up through
C, L, D and Tl. As this current ic ~ows opposite to forward thyristor current of Tl; net .
· forward current i71 ;:;;10 - ic _begins , io···decrease. Finally, wllen·•ic . in ,the reversed direction
attain~ the value 10, forward ~~nt in Tl, (in ~ 10 -;- 10'·= 0) is reduced to zero and the device
r1 is turned off~t tJFor_relia~le '-~~m~~t~tion, p~ak,resonant curr'ent Ip 1n:ust be greater
· t;Jian, load current 10 ~ thyristor is.comm~~-~~.ed by the gradual build up of resonant current
in -the reversed · &tion, this method of c~~utat~on -~s called&urrent commutation, ·,:lass-B
commutation or resonant-!'ulse ,comm~tatu,':) ',,I .,1 .' , , ••i · _.- , ..1• · ._ · . , ., , 1• • • ',

' '
. '
f ,• )
,·.·. f ,: ·,' I I •(I J 'i j ;· '
~ .._
, I
• /a,
jll I 1
.,, !
!) , 11
.' ' ,,, I
•i,;t 1 I' I!
• j

1 II 1

' '·
 • • t , - Power Ele ctr o~
1'4 [Ar t. 5.2] -....

er Tl is tur ned off at t , con sta nt cur ren t Io flow s fro m V, to_loa d. thro ugh
Aft
to zer~ at t4 ~d t!:ten to v. att6•
3
C, L and D. Cap aci tor begins cha rgin g line arly from - Vab
tan t t wh en Ve= V,, l~~ d cur re~ t i 0 = ic = Io red uce s to zer o as sho wn.
As a result, at ins 6
,
' Tl is tur ned off wh en
~-It is seen from the waveform of ic tha t ma in thy rist or

· · .. ! . . • . . . V, '-v[~~ 0>0 (ts - t2) = Io

·.
1
" ~(t ~ ~ ~~ =sm - (:
0
}J . •..(5.5)

where · · · , · '. . , ' , ~· · • IP ;,~

s C linearly
~ 'i "
J
= Peak res ona nt cur renD

• As con sta nt loa d cur rer it 10 cha rge

• ":"

Ma in thy rist or Tl is com mu t ted at t 8

att,, sed by vol tag e Ve for a per iod (t, -ta )= tc.
fro!D .-:- .vab ts to ~ero ,~t R
SC_ Tl is rev ers e bia I

► •
:. Cir cui t tum -of f tim e for ma in thyristor,
•I J ... (5.6)
•· 1
t
.
•,

(5 ..6) sho ws tha t pen den ~ on the

tc is loa d ~
- urr ent . Wa vef orm ·o f cap aci tor voltage
Eq.
s tha t the ma gni tud e of ~ev erse vol tag e Vab acr oss ma in thy rist or Tl, wh en it gets
vc rev eal --

com mu tate d, is giv en by ;· · - •) !,, ... 'l

.,,.,
1,
•
•
,.
• ... ,
1
•

~ ·.• '-i' • r',1 - , :i .• r , •. •r .: ,/ V . = V cos ,00 , (t - t ) : .- .

-
•
. . ..~(5.7)
◄

l!. : , , .,.. i 2
. . ~,. . ~ ,.' ' ab
. I\.:_..;.- sI O• 3 J
1 .
,
< • ·'I .. , I • .. . I , •....,, ,.. I · ·1 • • ;
J
•
-
1
- · ..:.. -
.,
• .., • ~
•~
• • . ~ ,/ .. • • . J- - _ n
r
\.
Thyristor Commutation Techniques [Art. S.3] 165

(c) Circuit tum-off time for main thyristor, from Eq. (5.6), is
. V . ·. .
tc =t 4 - t3 =C .---!! 17
=20 x 10- 300
8 4
·355 =11·624 µs.
lo ,

5.S. CLASS C COMMUTATION : COMPLEMENTARY COMMUTATION

---re . . .
------ __ --- ---
__")\__
+ + ; I

. C
Vs I
Vs . ~Ve+ , . l -Ve+ -
T1 tlir,
I
T2 f~r2=Ve
~ - I
!
r' ( a)

b
\
\

l
,_, ~
:• I
I, · .
I
..
I I
,
,. . ,
,
1
V
- . 5 Vs (1-2e-t/RtC)
t

lie , •, I

Vs [2e-t/R1c_,] , '.
Vs . I
~ Vs I •

0
,) ., ' : -v.S •·' l
·' J
t
I ' I' J. ,

I
i12 I
I .·

Vs[¾t½,] I
I
I
. . I

Vs/R2
0
I '
, I
I
. (
I
J II
I
I
I
I
I ., r
t
I
' I
I ' I 2V, . t/R 2C
ie , v. e-t/R 2c II - e
l R2
. I
Th R2 I
v. I I lt2 R2
R2 1t
I
0 ., - 2v. e-t/~1C .. ,; . J
',.
I, . R1 ' ., ' ,· 'I

T1 t, t3
,. T1 OFF ; T1 ON
\'
-. ON
' T2 ON •' T2 OF
(c) .
Fig. 5.4. Class-C commutation (a) and (b) circuit diagrams (c) waveforms.
 . . · :"" · ·.,. ,. ,.-•. Po we r

IM •
C ~U J ·co mm uta ted . by·
. · loa d cu rr~ nt is(a) illu str ate
• a thy ris tor car ryi ng . t F' 5 4
. thy na or.. .:· ~ fir ing of . SC 1
In thi s typ e of com mu tat ion , ; Tan ·
d cu rre nt to an" oth er inc om ing
tra nsf err ing its loa nta ry commutation. In ,th is gu r '
arr an ge me nt employing com ple me !f 'r, 1 ___ _. . _ ,_
t
0 ·
uen tly , firi ng of SC R T2 wo uld tum 4 (ad). 1n·· .
com mu tat es T2 an d sub seq
and
neg ati ve 'd ire cti ons of vol tag es cur ren ts 'm da r~ iniii ff18 me on ·
and are
Po siti ve lly vir gin i.e. un cha rge · en
to be ini tia
thi s· fig ure , cap aci tor is sup pos ed
ou gh R1
- is i~ = V, . a~d t~o ug h R2 is ic ~ ;, , 8~- th;t ~~y ri~to~ -·Tl curren~
at t = 0, cu rre nt thr . . . .. R 1 , . 2 ...
• I
' ••
,
I

.''. •
rgi ng
an d '.c). ~a p~ cit or C be ~ cha
~, .f

~
•

·in = i 1 + ic = V, (:z: ~ ~ ) bei iin s flow , Fig s. 5.4 (b)

is giv en by
~ t thr ou gh the cir~1_:11t Vs, C _aIJ.d R2
1 2
m vc 0. th e cha rgi ng cur ren
thr ou gh R 2 fro • ,; • r
" •
, l ·,

. 1
1( · •
j : V ,-·
~ 1

I 1'
'I· . ic (t) =_ !.. e~t lR2 C
: -R2 .
giv en by
and vol tag e acr oss cap aci t~r ·C is
v C (t) = V8 (l- e-t lR2 C) • I
.

= vc (t)
Vo ltag e acr oss thy ris tor T2 is , v!2 zer o. Also
en· tra nsi en ts are ove r, vc = vT2 = V, an d ic dec aly s to
Af ter som eti me , wh in Fig . 5.4 (c).
R Th e w
_ ave for ms for the se,:~u rre nts and vol tag es, are• sho wn .
in = V,I 1 • ·I . ~ r ' .
cap aci tor ~oltage
, • ' f·., i •.,i

red .· IfT 2
;
is tur t
ne d on at 1 ; the n ..... . )

o~, -T2 is ~~ gge

Wh en Tl is to be t~ ed an d tur ns it off. I~ oth er· wo rds ,
at .
nti al V - a'c ros s SC R Tl
vc app lie s a rey ers e_p ote 8

t,. V72"' 0, ~n :::.:- v., ic ~- :'. in- ,; th_e .ci rcu it co ns ist ing of
ai.~ v: (:, :. k) _-I~_
nge s from ~ to .- V 8 as sho wn in
Fig . 5.4 (c).
T2, the cap aci tor vol tag e cha •
Vs, R 1, C and
F or this c1r
' •

. cu1't, KV L ·gi.ve . .s ,. . R 1"i c+c -1 i C dt = V 8

, I
•.

- · · ·
1
'c
I

J·
(s) ~+. !·[1c (s) ~
,

CVs] Vs
• ' tl

}i} J·
•

=
Its La pia c; ·;;~ fo ~~-·~;·:~' ··. · ; i, C C S, 8 8
. ,.
,
1 2V .
· ·;- ·· · · · .,.. ,. ·ic (t) = _ s ; e- t/R1 c. .·
• •
• •

Its sol uti on gi.ves, .. ~ ;,

R1 ' 1
·

in. ~i~ . 5.4 (a) ,

As thi s cu; ;~~ t i~·(t) fl~w~ ·~pp~si~e ~~j ~:_pos~_tive direction. ind ica ted '
l

•
2v · . ·
i •
ic (t) =- R s e- tlR1 C
,. 1. . - .
, • l
'
'
I
... (5.8)

[_! ft i dt + V] ~ [_!C.r.to --2V

.

(.-;): ~
; - ·t~R· c ' . ]
. Voltage.acr~~~--~~p-~c~t~ ;··is. _., ,. ,vc i C c -e
R1 s - .
i +V
s
::-. ,.1 - . •. , o
,.... \ ·...: V [2 - t/R ~
i , •

. . >, , I , ., (5.9)
..l ..-..:·. ; --; 8 e . 1 ' -1 )
.,-,.;" ~···- --· ..... . ·~••-
a~ ~~ d-~ ----- ~- .- ·:·--· · ·i -- -ti~~
, ..
s .. (5. 8) and (5.9 ); t -is-~e
. No te tha t in. Eq . plots of
m ,the ms tan t t 1. Th esho
S) · d · . : . , . are wn iJ1
cap aci tor cu rre nt i (t) from Eq
(S 9)
c cap . . aci tor vol tag e vc (t) fro m Eq . (5.
• • , an
.. . . . ·
(_g _+ ..!. .Jt · V . . :
m ita 'va iue V e co nst an t R 1C.
Fig. .5.4 (c). Cu rre nt in
.· .
fal ls
· .: .
fro • R1 R 2 ~ . ,IR 2 wi th tim
·_ _
', '..i I ' ' i ~ j • I , , ;"' ' ). •
 l

Thyristor Commutation Techniques [Art. 5.4) 167

· When
·
transien ts are over after t 1, vTl = v,, ve = - VB' ie = 0. , ~T'2 = 0, iT'2 = Vs IR 2 ·and
in= O. When Tl is turned ~n to commutate T2 at instant t3, i,., =0, in =V, (; + ;;) ;
2
. 2V8 ·

vri = - V ,, Vr1 =O and ie =R .

2

With the turn on of T2 at ti, capacitor voltage V, suddenly appears as reverse bias across
Tl to turn it off. Similarly, at t 3, capacitor voltage V, applies a reverse bias across T2 to tum_
9 ount of this, _class-C commutation is also called !complementary impulse
it off.· On_; J.
commutation. G I l

Wavefo s for voltages and currents are drawn in Fig. 5.4 (c). Waveform for vT1 indicates
that a reverse voltage - V, to zero appears across thyristor Tl for a certain period. This period,
called circuit turn-off time tel for Tl is given by
• . I ( vT1 =O=V, [l-2e-tcifR1C]
rt( te1 =R 1 Cln (2~ ...(5.10 a)
or
Similarly, circuit tum~~ffli!1e for T2 is
. . . cc2 2
6
·. =~ C 1n (~~ . ....(5.10 b)
Example 5.3. Circuit of Fig. 5.4 (a), employin g 'class-C commuta tion, has
V,=200V , R 1 =100.an dR2 =1000.. Determine _
(a) peak value of current through th~•ristors Tl and T2
(b) value of capacitor C if each thyristor has turn-off time of 40 µs. Take a factor of safety
2.
Solution. (a) An examination of Fig. 5.4 (c) reveals that

peak value of current through Tl = V, [ ;, + ; ] = 200 [ 1~ + 1~0] = 24 A

2

and peak value of current through T2 = V, [ :, + ; ]

2

,,200[ :o + 1~]=42 A
1
(b) From Eq. (5.10 a), c = R1 In (2) C r ,-. I
6
=2x40x 10- = 11542 µF
10 In (2) .
2 X 40 X 10- 6
From Eq. (5.10 b), C = l00 1n (2) 1.1542 µF
Sochoose a capacitor of large size of 11.542 µF.
5,4, CLASS D COMMUTATION : IMPULSE COMMUTATION
For explp.ining class D, or impulse, commutation, refer to the circuit of Fig. 5.5 (a). In
this figure,lrl and TA are called main and auxiliafy thyristors respectively.
· Initially, main thyristor Tl and auxiliary thyristor TA are off and capacitor·is assumed
charged to voltage V, with upper plate positive. When Tl is turned on at t = 0, source voltage
V; is appli~d across load and· load current' 10 begins to flow which is assume~ to remain
r'
 168 [Art. S.4]

ig,
---- Power Elect
~

igAL t

•~c=
I
I
t
tro i I
I

I
! ?
ictdp II

j..n/woj
(r1 I . I
I

lo
t
+Un-
in io=Io
+
+ ic Tl -Vs t
lJc C
... + VTA-
vr,
L
Vs TA 0
A t
D
' ·\ I

D t=O t, t2
T1 Tl OFF TA OFF
ON TAON

(a) (b)
Fig. 5.5. Class-D commutation,(a) circuit diagram (b) waveforms.
constant. Witfi•,p-~ on at t =.0, another oscillatory circuit consisting Qf C,,Tl! L and Dis formed
where the capacttor current is given by-
✓----
,., ic =VB~sin ro0,t ~IP sin ro0 t

When ro0 t = 1t, ic = 0. Between 0 < t < (1t/ro0), iTI =10+ IP sin ro0 t. Capacitor voltage
changes from + VB to - Vs co-sinusqidally rand the lower plate becomes positive. At
ro0 t = 1t, ic = 0, i-r1 =10 and uc = - Vs, Fig. .5.5 (b).
I At t 1, auxiliary thyristor TA is turned 9.n. Immediately after TA is on, capacitor volta~e
Vs applies a reverse voltage across main: thyristor Tl so that vn = - V8 at t1 and SCR Tl 1s
turned off and in= 0. The loadccurrent is no~ carried by C and TA. Capacitor gets charged
from - V, to V, with constant load curr~nt 10_; The ~hange is, therefore, linear from +Vs~
- V, as shown. When uc = V,, ic =~at t 2, t~yristor TA is turned off. During the time TA is on
from t1 to t2, uc = un, For main thyristor Tl_,circuit tum-off time is tc as shown in Fig. 5.5 (b).
With the firing of thyri~t,~r 2½, .a r~verse voltag~ V8 is suddenly applied across Tl ; this
method o( commut~tion is theref~re, al~o 'ralled voltage commutation. ~·th sudden
appearance of reverse voltage across Tl, its current is qµ,enched; -ih--fact' e cutrent
momentarily reverses ~ reco~er the store~-charge of Tl. As an auxiliary thyristor TA is_ ~sed
fo:r ~g-off the main thyristor Tl, this. type of commutation is, also known as auxilialY
commµtation, ,, , · . . . .
9
Whe~ ~ s,~ r T'.'4 js ,turned on, capacitor gets conne<;ted ,cros,s Tl to turn it of, tbi
type of commutation 1s, therefore, also called parallel-capacitor co'!1-~
 "cl - 2ro0 2 x 10° I

. CLASS E COMMUTATION : EXTERNAL PULSE COMMUTATION

5.5 a sep ara te voltage source .
is obtained from
, In thi s typ e of com mu tati on, a pul se of cur ren t se mu st be mo re tha n the
duc ting SC R. Th e pea k val ue of thi s cur ren t pul
to tum off the con mu tati on. He re ~ is the voltage
$ho ws a circ uit usi ng ext ern al-p uls e com
loa d cur ren t. Fig . 5.6
and Vi is. the vol tag e of the aux ilia ry sup ply . Th yri sto r Tl is conducting
of the _m ain sou rce
ted to sou rce v •. Wh en thy rist or T3 is tum eci" on at t = O; Vi, T 3, .L and C
and loa d is con nec

i
 1 · -·Power EI
170 [Art. 5.6] i
Tl . , \ form ·an oscillatory ci~cu~t. Therefore, C is c~a~ged to
'--Jt"l---u·. a voltage + 2V1 with upper plate ,Positive atf
+ t = 7t ✓LC as shown and as ~scillatory current falls to
+ zero see Art. 3.1.4, thyristor T3 gets commutated. F0t,
Vs C 2V1 v, turning off the main thyri~~or thyristor T2 is 1:1,
turned on. With T2 on, Tl_1s subJected to a reverse
voltage equal to VB - 2V1 and Tl is t~erefore turned
off. After Tl _is off, capacitor discharges through ·the
• ,. I '

Fig. 5.6. External-pulse

commutation circui. load.
. ,

5.6. CLASS F COMMUTATION : COMMUTATION . LINE

. .
This type of commutation is also known as nat':"ral commutati~n. ThJs method of
. 1s
commut a t 1on · app1·ed
1
to phase• controlled converters, line-commutated inverters, ac voltage
controllers and step-down cycloconverters.
IJs '· Vmsinwt

- I I !
· Vr ' i !
+-- io 1
· .. ~ 0,· .. ~ io io,
~ j
+ . lo ,,' .., Vo ' , , , - "", I
T •.i ' - • ' ' '~ f .. .,,,, •

. , ,, -, ,r - 27l' 3n 4-rr wt .. ,
R '.
- ·l i t e __J I !
-I I !
- 11 '' ~ 'C7 wt
(a) '1 ·' ·, (b) ..
Fig. 5.7. Class F commutation (a) cir~uit diagram (b) waveforms.
· Here, the thyristor carrying the load current i~ reverse biased by the ac source volta~e and
the device is turned-'off when anode current falls below the holding current (assumed nearly
zero). A single-phase half-wave (or one-pulse) controlled converter employing line commutation
is shown in Fig. 5.7 (a). In this figure, thyristor Tis fired at firing angle equal to zero, i.e. when
cot= o;· v, = O; Load is resistive in nature. With zero degree firing-delay angle, the thyristor be-
haves like adiode. Duringthe positive half-cycle, vc·~ VB and waveshape ofload current io is iden-
1

tical with thewaveshape ofv 0 for a resistive load. At rot= n, v~ = O, v 0 = o and i0 =O; thereforeT
gets turned off at this instant. From rot= 7t to rot = 21t, · T is reverse biased for a period
.l tc =n/co sec, longer than the thyristor tum-off time t Here t is called the circuit turn-offtiJDe. ·
Ano~er method o~ classificatio~h · h : ·sto/c:~muta;ion technique is as µnder : .-
(1) Line commutation: class F ~ ~,.. , ,- ;· -. ·.. - _ , .... - • ·
(2) Load commutation : class A / / . , .. / .
(3) Forced commutation : class' , ~nd if·
(4) External-pulse commutation: class~ .
In ~e, or n~tur~; commutation; 'natu~al reversal of acrsuppiy:·voltage· commutates· the
conducting thyristor. As stated_ before, lme commutation is .widely · used in ac vo~t~
rs, phase-controlled rectifiers and step-down cycloconverters. · . · , ·. · • · . -
t\P,ad commutation, L and C _are _co~ected in series with the load parallel -wi or c in
such that overall load circwt 1s under 'damped. · Load commutation is conun
..,,J'C',D88 lllV8rter8 • ; , . '· ·
0
I.
1 ~ : · . ,
: . , .~
, • · .. .' •.. · , . :. .' , : :' ... 1, i, . 1
 Thyristor Comm utation Techn iques [Art. 5.6) 171
In forced comm utatio n, the comm utatin g comp onent s~ and C do not carry load curre nt
continuously. So class B, C and D comm utatio n consti tute forced comm utatio n techn iques. As
stated before , in forced comm utatio n, forwa rd curren t of the thyri~ tor is forced to zero by
extern al circui try called comm utatio n circui t:_forced coll)m utatio n is usual ly emplo yed in de
·; choppers and invert ers.