ECE 463/ECE 663

Spring 2024

Mehrdad Kazerani
Electrical & Computer Engineering
University of Waterloo
©Mehrdad Kazerani, 2024
 LECTURE 1-1

Introduction to Power Electronics

 Course Outline
 Introduction
 Evolution
 Selected Application Examples
 Waveform Quality

4-May-24 2
 University of Waterloo
Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering
ECE 463/ECE 663
Spring 2024

Instructor: Mehrdad Kazerani

mkazerani@uwaterloo.ca, EIT 4171
Lectures: Tuesday and Wednesday, 11:30 am-12:50 pm
E7-4433

Office Hours: TBA or by appointment

Teaching Assistant: Nasrin Einabadi, nasrin.einabadi@uwaterloo.ca

Lab Instructor (ECE 463): Gannayya Bommali, gbommali@uwaterloo.ca

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 COURSE OUTLINE
Introduction to Power Electronics
Evolution, Scope and Applications
Power Semiconductor Devices
Diodes, Thyristors, Controllable Switches (actual and ideal characteristics, switch losses,
overview of BJT, MOSFET, GTO, IGBT, and IGCT), wide-bandgap devices
Power Converter Topologies
Line-Frequency Diode-Rectifiers, Line-Frequency Phase-Controlled Converters, Switch-
Mode DC/DC Converters, Switch-Mode DC/AC and AC/DC Converters, Interleaved
Converters, Multilevel Converters, AC/AC Converters
Modeling and Control Techniques in Power Converters
Hysteresis Control, Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) and Linear Power Amplifier Concept,
Phase-Shift Modulation, Space Vector Modulation, Square-Wave Control, Selective
Harmonic Elimination, Soft Switching, Average Modeling of Converters, Controller Design
Power Quality:
Harmonic Distortion, Power Quality Indices, Input and Output Low-Pass Filters
Applications of power electronic converters
A subset of: Switch-Mode DC Power Supplies, Power Factor Correction, Motor drives,
HVDC Transmission Systems, Flexible AC Transmission Systems (FACTS), Grid Interface
of Renewable Energy Sources, Active Power Filters, Grid Interface of Energy Storage
Systems, Microgrids

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 Project (ECE 463 and ECE 663)
The description of a project will be given. The project work involves design and
simulation and will be performed individually (ECE 663) or in groups of two
students (ECE 463). The deliverable is a report that is due on the last day of
lectures (July 30, 2024). For more information, please see the course outline.
Labs (ECE 463)
There are 4 labs. For more information, please see the course outline.
References
- Mohan, Undeland, and Robbins, Power Electronics: Converters, Applications,
and Design, 2nd or 3rd Edition, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1995 or 2003.
- D.W. Hart, Power Electronics, McGraw Hill, 201
- M. Kazerani, ECE 463/ECE 663 Lecture Slides, downloadable from LEARN
- Related Journal Papers (ECE 663)
GRADING SCHEME (ECE 463)
Labs: 20%, Project: 10%, Midterm Exam: 15% and Final Exam: 55%.
GRADING SCHEME (ECE 663)
Project: 35%, Midterm Exam: 15% and Final Exam: 50%.
Audit (ECE 663): Those who audit the course are responsible for attendance and project only.
Note: To pass the course, a passing mark must be obtained in each component of the course.
To Succeed: Attend the lectures and tutorials regularly, study the posted material, try the
assignment and drill problems, follow the announcements on LEARN, and ask your questions.

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Introduction to Power Electronics

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 Layout of a Power Electronic System
Feedback

Switch Gating Signals Switch Control Signals

Reference
Block Diagram of a General Power Electronic System

 Power Electronic Converter makes a match between the properties of the

Power Source and the requirements of the Load.
 Power Converter is composed of semiconductor devices and energy
storage elements.
 Controller compares the controlled quantity with the reference signal and
issues a low-power switch control signal that is amplified and isolated by
the switch driver(s) that drive the switch(es) into ON and OFF states.

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 EVOLUTION OF POWER ELECTRINICS - 1
 1900: Introduction of Mercury Arc Rectifier
 1900-1950s: Introduction of Metal Tank Rectifier, Grid-
Controlled Vacuum-Tube Rectifier, Ignitron, Phanotron
and Thyratron

A three-phase mercury arc rectifier

(Courtesy of Department of Electrical
Engineering, University of Santa Maria,
Valparaiso, Chile)

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 EVOLUTION OF POWER ELECTRINICS - 2

 1948: 1st. Revolution, Invention of Silicon Transistor

at Bell Telephone Labs
 1956: Invention of Thyristor or Silicon Controlled
Rectifier (SCR) at Bell Telephone Labs.
 1958: 2nd. Revolution, Development of commercial
Thyristor by General Electric (GE)
 1958-Present: Introduction of different types of power
semiconductor devices and conversion techniques

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 Spectrum of Applications
 Switch-Mode DC Power Supplies (computers, communication
equipment, data centers, …)
 Uninterruptible Power Supplies (critical loads)
 Energy Conservation: (High-efficiency fluorescent lamps,
Adjustable-speed drives for process control)
 Factory Automation (Robots and manipulators)
 Transportation (Electric Vehicles, Hybrid-Electric vehicles, …)
 Manufacturing (induction heating, arc furnaces, …)
 Utility (HVDC transmission, Flexible AC Transmission Systems
(FACTS), Grid interface of distributed energy resources (DERs),
Power Quality Control, Microgrids, …)

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 Selected Application Examples
1. Active Power Filter (APF)

iload
isource
isource = i1 iload = i1 +  ih

iinjected =  ih

iinjected

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 2. High Voltage DC (HVDC) Transmission
 Objective:
– Asynchronous Interconnection of two AC Systems
(large physical distance, different operating frequencies)

Source: www.electronicshub.org (April 30, 2016)

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 3. Static Synchronous Series Compensator (SSSC)

 Objective:
– To control the impedance of an AC transmission line to enhance
power transfer capability of the line

VSC: Voltage-Sourced Converter

Source: www.hpfc.ca/facts.html (May 3, 2009)

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 4. STATic COMpensator (STATCOM)

 Objective:
– To regulate the line voltage at the point of connection via reactive
power compensation

Source: www.hpfc.ca/facts.html (May 3, 2009)

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 5. Unified Power Flow Controller (UPFC)
 Objectives:
– To regulate line voltage at the point of connection of shunt converter,
– To control line impedance to enhance power transfer capability,
– To control active power flow in the line via phase shifting, and
– To control reactive power flow in the line

Source: www.hpfc.ca/facts.html (May 3, 2009)

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 6. AC Motor Drive
 Objective:
– Converting a 3-Phase AC voltage of given
magnitude and frequency to a 3-Phase
voltage of desired magnitude and frequency
to control the speed of an AC Motor.
www.inverterdrive.com

v2 at 90 Hz

v2 at 60 Hz v2 at 120 Hz

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 7. Brushless DC Motor Drive

 Objective:
– Generating a voltage pulse train of desired magnitude, frequency
and sequence to control the speed of a brushless DC Motor.

Power Brushless
Vdc Converter DC Motor

www.e-driveonline.com

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 8. Graphics Card DC/DC Converter
 Objective:
– Providing regulated DC voltages required for graphics card
operation

https://themonitormonitor.com/best-graphics-card-300w-psu/

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 9. Personal Computer DC Power Supply
 Objective:
– To converts AC power (e.g., 120V, 60Hz) to multiple regulated
DC output voltages for analog and digital circuits of a PC.

Source: https://www.corsair.com/us/en/blog/ax-series-ax1200i-
digital-atx-psu-technical-overview (April 23, 2020)

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 10. Electric Vehicles (EVs)
 Objectives:
– Wired and Wireless EV Chargers: Charging EV Batteries
– Fast Chargers: Charging EV batteries in a short time
– Traction Motor Inverter: Controlling speed of traction motor at
driver’s command

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 11. Renewable Energy Integration
 Objectives:
– Conversion of solar and wind energy to electrical energy
– Maximum Power Point Tracking
– Interfacing with the grid

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 12. Energy Storage Integration
 Objective:
– Control of bidirectional power flow between energy storage device
and grid
Battery Energy Storage

Flywheel Energy Storage

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 13. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs, Drones)
 Objectives:
– Controlling speed and elevation of the UAV
– Interfacing the energy storage device
– Power/energy management in hybrid (multi-source) UAVs

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 14. Microgrids
 Objectives:
– Interfacing and managing distributed generators (renewable and non-
renewable) and energy storage devices to satisfy the variable load
demand, at regulated voltage magnitude and frequency, when not
connected to the grid (islanded mode)
– Facilitating integration of variable renewable energy sources in the
grid (in grid-connected mode)

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 Waveform Quality

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Typical Waveforms in Power Electronic Circuits

▪ Single-Phase Diode Bridge Rectifier

vdc

DC output voltage waveform (Full-Wave Rectified Voltage)

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▪ Single-Phase Diode Bridge Rectifier + Capacitive Filter

is
+
vs C R vo
−

vo

DC output voltage waveform (Filtered Full-Wave Rectified Voltage)

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▪ Three-Phase Diode Bridge Rectifier

ia

ia

Phase-a input current waveform

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▪ Three-Phase PWM Rectifier

vdc

DC output voltage waveform

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▪ Three-Phase Voltage-Sourced PWM Inverter

voa

Phase-a line-to-neutral output voltage waveform

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 ▪ Multilevel Inverter

Output Fundamental
Voltage Component

Output voltage waveform

Source: https://www.theengineeringprojects.com/2014/12/introduction-multilevel-inverters.html

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 Waveform Distortion and Harmonics-1
 Voltage and current waveforms in power electronic circuits are
distorted.
 Waveform Distortion: Deviation from the desired waveform (i.e.,
perfect DC or perfect sine wave) due to presence of unwanted
components and harmonics
 Harmonics: Unwanted Components at Integer Multiples of the
Fundamental Frequency
 Cause of Harmonics: Nonlinearity in the load
 Adverse Effects of Harmonics: Extra Losses, EMI, Device De-
rating, Torque Pulsation in Motors
 Desired: Waveforms with minimal harmonic distortion
 Approaches:
– Avoid generation of selected harmonics
– Suppress harmonics

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 Fourier Analysis
 Fourier Series: gives the dc and fundamental components, as
well as the harmonic contents of a periodic, non-sinusoidal
(distorted) function of time, f(t), with fundamental angular
frequency of  , as
f (t ) = a0 +
a1 cos t + a2 cos 2t + a3 cos3t + +
b1 sin t + b2 sin 2t + b3 sin 3t +
or f (t ) = a0 + A1 cos(t − 1 ) + A2 cos(2t −  2 ) +

or f (t ) = a0 + A1 sin(t +  1 ) + A2 sin(2t +  2 ) +
1T 1 2
a0 = " dc " or average value of f (t ) =  f (t ) dt =  f (t ) d (t )
T0 2 0
2T 1 2
an =  f (t ) cos nt dt =  f (t ) cos nt d (t ); n = 1, 2,3,
T0  0
2T 1 2
bn =  f (t )sin nt dt =  f (t )sin nt d (t ); n = 1, 2,3,
T0  0
bn an
An = an2 + bn2 n = tan −1  n = tan −1
an bn

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 Waveform Symmetries

1. Odd Symmetry
A periodic function f(t) is said to have odd symmetry if
f(-t) = - f(t)
For an odd function, such as a sine wave, an= 0 for all values of n,
leaving only sine terms in the Fourier Series representation.

f (t)

T
0
t
-T/2 T/2

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 Waveform Symmetries
2. Even Symmetry
A periodic function f(t) is said to have even symmetry if
f(-t) = f(t)
For an even function, such as cosine wave, bn= 0 for all values of n,
leaving only cosine terms in the Fourier Series representation.

f (t)

-T/2 T/2
t
0 T
-T

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3. Half-Wave Symmetry
– A periodic function f(t) is said to have half-wave symmetry if
f(t ± T/2) = - f(t)
– A function with half-wave symmetry does not contain even
harmonics. In high-power voltage-source inverters, the terminal
voltage is intentionally made half-wave symmetric.
– For a function with half-wave symmetry, the Fourier Integrals
giving an and bn can be evaluated for half a cycle and then
multiplied by 2.

f (t)

T
0
t
-T -T/2 T/2

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4. Quarter-Wave Symmetry
– A periodic waveform f(t) is said to have quarter-wave
symmetry if it is odd or even and has half-wave symmetry.
– Half-wave symmetry + even symmetry  only cosine terms
at odd multiples of fundamental frequency.
– Half-wave symmetry + odd symmetry  only sine terms at
odd multiples of fundamental frequency.
– For a waveform with quarter-wave symmetry, the Fourier
Integrals giving an (for even functions) and bn (for odd
functions) need to be evaluated for only a quarter of a cycle
and then multiplied by 4.

f (t)

T
0
t
-T -T/2 T/2

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