Phase Controlled Rectifiers| P Yegon

Phase Controlled Rectifiers

Many industrial applications make use of controllable de power. Examples of such
applications are as follows:
(a) Steel-rolling mills, paper mills, printing presses and textile mills employing dc motor
drives.
(b) Traction systems working on dc.
(c) Electrochemical and electrometallurgical processes.
(d) Magnet power supplies.
(e) Portable hand tool drives.
(f) High-voltage de transmission.
Earlier, de power was obtained from motor-generator (MG) sets or ac power was
converted to dc power by means of mercury-arc rectifiers or thyratrons. The advent of
thyristors has changed, the art of ac to de conversion. Presently, phase-controlled ac to de
converters employing thyristors are extensively used for changing constant ac input voltage
to controlled dc output voltage. In an industry where there is a provision for modernization,
mercury-arc rectifiers and thyratrons are being replaced by thyristors.
In phase-controlled rectifiers, a thyristor is turned off as ac supply voltage reverse
biases it, provided anode current has fallen to a level below the holding current. The turning-
off, or commutation, of a thyristor by supply voltage itself is called natural, or line
commutation. In industrial applications, rectifier circuits make use of more than one SCR. In
such circuits, when an incoming SCR is turned on by triggering, it immediately reverses
biases the outgoing SCR and turns it off. As phase-controlled rectifiers need no commutation
circuitry, these are simple, less expensive and are therefore widely used in industries where
controlled de power is required.
In the study of thyristor systems, SCRs and diodes are assumed ideal switches which
means that (i) there is no voltage drop across them, (ii) no reverse current exists under reverse
voltage conditions and (iii) holding current is zero. Trigger circuits are not shown in SCR
circuit for convenience. In this chapter, single-phase and three-phase controlled converters
are described and the effect of source inductance_ on their performance is examined. Basic
operating features of dual converters are also presented.

PRINCIPLE OF PHASE CONTROL

The simplest form of controlled rectifier circuits consists of a single thyristor feeding
dc power to a resistive load ' R as shown in Fig. 1(a) . The source voltage is v s=V m sin ⁡ωt ,
Fig. 1(b). An SCR can conduct only when anode yoltage is positive and a gating signal is
applied. As such, a thyristor blocks the flow of load current i 0 until it is triggered. At some
delay angle α , a positive gate signal applied between gate and cathode turns on the SCR,
Immediately, full supply voltage is applied to the load as v 0, Fig. 1 (b). At the instant of delay
angle α , v 0 rises from zero to V m sin ⁡α as shown. For resistive load, current i 0 is in phase with

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 Phase Controlled Rectifiers| P Yegon

v 0. Firing angle of a thyristor is measured from the instant it would start conducting if it were
replaced by a diode. In Fig. 1, if thyristor is replaced by diode, it would begin conduction at
ωt=0 ,2 π , 4 π etc; firing angle is therefore measured from these instants. A firing angle may
thus be defined as the angle between the instant thyristor would conduct if it were a diode and
the instant it is triggered.

Fig. 1. Single-phase half-wave thyristor circuit with R load (a) circuit diagram and (b)
voltage and current waveforms.
. A firing angle may also be defined as follows: A firing angle is measured from the
angle that gives the largest average output voltage, or the highest load voltage. If thyristor in
Fig. 1 is fired at ωt=0 ,2 π , 4 π etc., the average load voltage is the highest; the. firing angle
should thus be measured from these instants. A firing angle may thus be defined as the angle
measured from the instant that gives the largest average output voltage to the instant it is
triggered.
Once the SCR is on, load current flows, until it is turned-off by reversal of voltage at
ω i=π ,3 π etc. At these angles of π ,3 π , 5 π etc. load current falls to zero and soon after the
supply voltage reverse biases the SCR, the device is therefore turned off. It is seen from Fig.
1 (b) that by varying the firing angle α , the phase relationship between the start of the load
current and the supply voltage can be controlled; hence the term phase control is used for
such a method of controlling the load currents.

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 Phase Controlled Rectifiers| P Yegon

A single-phase half-wave circuit is one which produces only one pulse of load current
during one cycle of source voltage. As the circuit shown in Fig. 1 (a) produces only one load
current pulse for one cycle of sinusoidal source voltage, this circuit represents a single-phase
half-wave thyristor circuit.
In Fig. 1 (b), thyristor conducts from ωt=α to π ,(2 π + α) to 3 π and so on. Over the
firing angle delay α , load voltage v 0=0 but during conduction angle (π−α ) , v 0=v ρ . As firing
angle is increased from zero to π , the average load voltage decreases from the largest value to
zero. The variation of voltage across thyristor is also shown as v T in Fig. 1 (b). Thyristor
remains on from ωt=α to π ,(2 π + α) to 3 π etc., during these intervals v T =0 (strictly
speaking 1 to 1.5 V ¿. It is off from π to (2 π + α ), 3 π to (4 π + α ) etc., during these off
intervals v T has the waveshape of supply voltage v s. It may be observed that v s=v 0+ v T . As
the thyristor is reverse biased for π radians, the circuit turn-off time is given by
π
t c= sec
ω
where ω=2 πf and f is the supply frequency in Hz .
The circuit turn-off time t c must be than the SCR turn-off time t q as specified by the
manufacturers. Average voltage V 0 across load R in Fig. 1 for the single-phase half-wave
circuit in terms of firing angle α is given by
π
1 Vm
V 0=
2π α
∫ ❑ V m sin ⁡ωt ⋅ d (ωt )=
2π
(1+cos ⁡α )

The' maximum value of V 0 occurs at α =0 ∘.

Vm V nz
∴ V n ⋅m= ⋅2=
2π π

V0 Vm
Average load current, I 0= = (1+cos ⁡α )
R 2 πR
In some types of loads, one may be interested in rms value of load voltage V or. Examples of
such loads are electric heating and incandescent lamps. Rms voltage V or in such cases is
given by

[ ]
π T/2
1
V¿ ¿ ∫ ❑V 2m sin 2 ⁡ωt ⋅d (ωt)
2π α
¿ ¿

The value of rms current I ¿ is

V¿
I ¿=
R

Power delivered to resistive load ¿ (rms load voltage) (rms load current)

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 Phase Controlled Rectifiers| P Yegon

2
V¿ 2
¿ V ¿ I ¿= =I ¿ R
R
Input voltamperes ¿ (rms source voltage) (tatal rms line current)

[
√ 2V 2s
]
1 /2

[
1
¿ V s ⋅ I ¿= ( π −α ) + sin 2 α . ¿= Power delivered to load = V ¿ ⋅ I ¿ = V ¿ ¿ , input ¿ pf ¿= 1 ( π−α
2 R √π 2
¿
Input VA V s⋅ I ¿ V s √2 π
1.1. Single-phase Half-wave Circuit with RL Load
A single-phase half-wave, thyristor circuit with RL load is shown in Fig. 2 (a). Line
voltage v s is sketched in the top of Fig. 2 (b). At ωt=α , thyristor is turned on by gating
signal. The load voltage v 0 at once becomes equal to source voltage v 2 as shown. But the
inductance L forces the load, or output, current i 0 to rise gradually. After some time, i 0
reaches maximum value and then begins to decrease. At ωt=π , v 0 is zero but i 0 is not zero
because of the load inductance L. After ωt=π , SCR is subjected to reverse anode voltage but
it will not be turned off as load current i 0 is not less than the holding current. At some angle
β > π ,i 0 reduces to zero and SCR is turned off as it is already reverse biased. After ωt= β,
v 0=0 and i 0=0 . At ωt=2 π +α , SCR is triggered again, v 0 is applied to the load and load

Fig. 2. Single-phase half-wave circuit with RL load (a) circuit diagram and (b)
voltage and current waveforms.
current develops as before. Angle β is called the extinction angle and (β−α)=¿ γ is called
the conduction angle.

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 Phase Controlled Rectifiers| P Yegon

1.1.2. Single-phase Half-wave Circuit with RL Load and Freewheeling Diode

The waveform of load current i 0 in Fig. 2(b) can be improved by connecting a
freewheeling (or fly wheeling) diode across load as shown in Fig. 3 (a). A freewheeling diode
is also called by-pass or commutating diode. At ωt=0, source voltage is becoming positive.
At some delay angle α , forward biased SCR is triggered and source voltage v s appears across
load as v 0. At ωt=π , source voltage v s is zero and just after this instant, as v s tends to
reverse, freewheeling diode FD is forward biased through the conducting SCR. As a result,
load current i 0 is immediately transferred from SCR to FD as v s tends to reverse. At the same
time, SCR is subjected to reverse voltage and zero current, it is therefore turned off at ωt=π .
It is assumed that during freewheeling period load current does not decay to zero until the
SCR is triggered again at (2 π + α ). Voltage drop across FD is taken as almost zero, the load
voltage v 0 is, therefore, zero during the freewheeling period.

Fig. 3. Single-phase half-wave circuit with RL load and a freewheeling diode, (a) circuit
diagram and (b) voltage and current waveforms.
In Fig. 2, load consumes power p1 from source for α to π (both v 0 and i 0 are positive)
whereas energy stored in inductance L is returned to the source as power p2 for π to β ( v 0 is
negative and i 0 is positive ). As a result, net power consumed by the load is the difference of
these two powers p1 and p2. In Fig. 3, load absorbs power for α to π , but for π to (2 π + α ),
energy stored in L is delivered to load resistance R through the FD. As a consequence, power
consumed by load is more in Fig. 3. It can, therefore, be concluded that power delivered to
load, for the same firing anglé, is more when FD is used. As volt-ampere input is almost the
same in both Figs. 2 and 3, the input pf ¿ power delivered to load/input volt-ampere) with the
use of FD is improved.

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 Phase Controlled Rectifiers| P Yegon

It is also seen from Figs. 2(b) and 3(b) that load current waveform is improved with FD
in Fig. 3 (b). Thus the advantages of using freewheeling diode are;
(i) input pf is improved
(ii) load current waveform is improved and
(iii) as a result of (ii), load performance is better.
It may be seen from Fig. 3(b) that freewheeling diode prevents the load voltage v 0 from
becoming negative. Whenever load voltage tends to go negative, FD comes into play. As a
result, load current is transferred from main thyristor to FD , allowing the thyristor to regain
its forward blocking capability.
It is seen from Figs. 2(b) and 3(b) that supply current i s taken from the source is
unidirectional and is in the form of dc pulses. Single phase half-wave converter thus
introduces a dc component into the supply line. This is undesirable as it leads to saturation of
the supply transformer and other difficulties (harmonics etc.).
FULL.WAVE CONTROLLED CONVERTERS
There is a large variety of SCR controlled converters (or rectifiers). One way of
classifying these ac to de converters is according to the number of supply phases on the input
side. As per this classification, the ac to de converters discussed in Figs. 1 to 3 are single-
phase half wave converters. Three phase-controlled rectifiers, as the name suggests, have
three-phase supply on their input side, these are discussed later in this chapter. The other way
of classification is according to the number of load current pulses per cycle of source voltage.
The disadvantages of single-phase half-wave, or single-phase one-pulse converter, are
minimised by the use of single-phase full wave, or single-phase two pulse, converters. In
practice, there are two basic configurations for full-wave controlled converters. One
configuration uses an input transformer, with two windings for each input phase winding.
This is called mid-point converter. A single-phase two-pulse mid-point SCR converter is
shown in Fig. 4 (a) and a three-phase 6 pulse mid-point converter in Fig. 4 (b).

Fig. 4. (a) Single-phase two-pulse mid-point converter and (b) three-phase six-pulse mid-
point converter.

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 Phase Controlled Rectifiers| P Yegon

The second configuration uses SCRs in the form of a bridge circuit. Single-phase full-
wave, or two-pulse, bridge converter using four SCRs is shown in Fig. 6 (a). A bridge
converter has some advantages over mid-point converter.
SINGLE-PHASE FULL.WAVE CONVERTER
Single-phase two-pulse (or full-wave) converters, voltage at the output terminals can
be controlled by adjusting the firing angle delay of the thyristors. Mid-point or bridge-type
circuits may be used for ac to de conversion. In this section, first mid-point and then bridge-
type configurations are discussed with input from single-phase source.
1.3.1. Single-phase Full-wave Mid-point Converter
The circuit diagram of a single-phase full-wave converter using a center-tapped
transformer is shown in Fig. 5(a). When terminal a is positive with respect to n, terminal n is
positive with respect to b . Therefore, v an=v nb or v an=−v bn as n is the mid-point of secondary
winding. Equivalent circuit of this arrangement is shown in Fig. 5(b). It is assumed here that
load, or output, current is continuous and turns ratio from primary to each secondary is unity.

Fig. 5. Single-phase full-wave mid-point converter (a) circuit diagram (b) equivalent circuit
and (c) various voltage and current waveforms.

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 Phase Controlled Rectifiers| P Yegon

Thyristors T1 and T2 are forward biased during positive and negative half cycles
respectively; these are therefore triggered accordingly. Suppose T2 is already conducting.
After ωt=0 , v an is positive, T1 is therefore forward biased and when triggered at delay angle
α , T1 gets turned on. At this firing angle α , supply voltage 2 V m sin ⁡α reverse biases T 2, this
SCR is therefore turned off. Here T 1 is called the incoming thyristor and T2 the outgoing
thyristor. As the incoming SCR is triggered, ac supply voltage applies reverse bias across the
outgoing thyristor and turns it off. Load current is also transferred from outgoing SCR to
incoming SCR. This process of SCR turns off by natural reversal of ac supply voltage is
called natural or line commutation.
3.2. Single-phase Full-wave Bridge Converters
Phase-controlled single-phase, or three-phase, full-wave converters are primarily of
three types; namely uncontrolled converters, half-controlled converters and fully-controlled
converters. An uncontrolled converter or rectifier uses only diodes and the level of de output
voltage cannot be controlled. A half-controlled converter or semi converter uses a mixture of
diodes and thyristors and there is a limited control over the level of de output voltage. A
fully-controlled converter or full converter uses thyristors only and there is a wider control
over the level of dc output voltage.
A single-phase full converter bridge using four SCRs is shown in Fig. 6 (a) . The load
is assumed to be of RLE type, where E is the load circuit emf. Voltage E may be due to a
battery in the load circuit or may be generated emf of a dc motor. Thyristor pair T1, T2 is
simultaneously triggered and π radians later, pair T 3 , T 4 is gated together. When a is
positive with respect to b , supply voltage waveform is shown as v ab in Fig. 6(b). When b is
positive with respect to a , supply voltage waveform is shown dotted as v ba. Obviously,
v ab=−v ba. The current directions and voltage polarities shown in Fig. 6 (a) are treated as
positive.
Load current or output current i 0 is assumed continuous over the working range; this
means that load is always connected to the ac voltage source through the thyristors. Between:
ωt=0 and ωt=α ; T 1 , T 2 are forward biased through already conducting SCRs T 3 and T4
and block the forward voltage. For continuous current, thyristors T3, T4 conduct after ωt=0
even though these are reverse biased. When forward biased SCRsT 1, T 2 are triggered at
ωt=α , they get turned on. As a result, supply voltage V m sin ⁡α immediately appears across
thyristors T3, T4 as a reverse bias, these are therefore turned off by natural, or line,
commutation. At the same time, load current i 0 flowing through T3, T4 is transferred to T1,
T2 at ωt=α . Note that when T1, T2 are gated at ωt=α , these SCRs will get turned on only if
V m sin ⁡α > E . Thyristors T1, T2 conduct from ωt=α to π +α . At ωt=π + α , forward biased
SCRs T3, T4 are triggered. The supply voltage turns off T 1 , T 2 by natural commutation and
the load current is transferred from T1, T2 to T3, T4.

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 Phase Controlled Rectifiers| P Yegon

Fig. 6. (a) Single-phase full converter bridge with RLE load (b) voltage and current
waveforms for continuous load current.
Voltage across thyristors T 1 , T 2 is shown as v T 1=vT 2 and that across T 3 , T4 as
v TG=v T 4 . Maximum reverse voltage across T 1 , T 2 ,T 3 or T 4 is V m and at the instant of
triggering with firing angle α , each SCR is subjected to a reverse voltage of V m sin ⁡α̇ . Source
current i ,is treated as positive in the arrow direction. Under this assumption, source current is
shown positive when T1, T2 are conducting and negative when T3, T4 are conducting, Fig. 6
(b).
During α to π , both v s and i s are positive, power therefore flows from ac source to load.
During the interval π to (π +α ) , v s is negative but i a is positive, the load therefore returns
some of its energy to the supply system. But the net power flow is from ac source to dc load
because (π−α )>α in Fig. 6(b).
The load terminal voltage, or full-converter output voltage, v 0 is shown in Fig. 6 (b). the
average value of output voltage V 0 is given by

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 Phase Controlled Rectifiers| P Yegon

π +α
1 2Vm
V 0=
π
∫ ❑ V m sin ⁡ωt ⋅ d (ωt)= π
cos ⁡α
α

THREE-PHASE FULL CONVERTERS

The conversion from AC to DC and vice-versa is done by using three phase bridge
converters. The configuration of the bridge (also called Graetz circuit) is a six-pulse converter
and the 12-pulse converter is composed of two bridges in series supplied from two different
(three-phase) transformers with voltages differing in phase by 30°.

6-pulse Graetz's bridge converter

CONDUCTION SEQUENCE IN 6-PULSE CONVERTER CONFIGURATION

All modem HVDC systems use either 6-pulse or 12-pulse converters. The 3-phase
bridge shown in Fig. below is the only configuration used in HVDC transmission. The bridge
configuration provides better utilization of converter transformer and a lower peak inverse
voltage across the converter valves when compared with other possible alternatives.
In the figures below conducting valves are indicated by thick lines. The bridge
indicates that two valves are connected to each phase (for example, 1, 4 with phase R). In the
upper part of the bridge, the anodes of the valves 1, 3, 5 are connected to the phase R, Y, B
respectively. Similarly in the lower half of the bridge, the cathodes of valves 4, 6, 2 are
connected to the phases R, Y, B respectively. The figure indicates that at any time two valves
will be conducting in series (6, 1; 1, 2; 2, 3; 3, 4; 4, 5; 5, 6) simultaneously when the source
inductance of the transformer is neglected. This is not considered a drawback in high voltage
applications, particularly with solid state converter, because it is necessary to connect many
thyristor units in series to withstand the voltage levels being used.

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 Phase Controlled Rectifiers| P Yegon

Fig. Sequence of conduction of valve of 3-phase fully controlled 6-pulse bridge converter
(Graetz’s circuit)

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 Phase Controlled Rectifiers| P Yegon

Pulse Number
The pulse number of a converter is defined as the number of pulsations (cycles of
ripple) of direct voltage per cycle of alternating voltage.
The conversion from AC to DC involves switching sequentially different sinusoidal
voltages onto the DC circuit.

A valve can be treated as a controllable switch which can be turned ON at any instant,
provided the voltage across it is positive.
The output voltage Vd of the converter consists of a DC component and a ripple
whose frequency is determined by the pulse number
For the 6-valve bridge, with zero firing delay, the voltage waveforms across the
thyristors are shown in figure below. At any given instant, one thyristor valve on either side is
conducting.

Thyristor voltage waveforms

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d.c. output waveforms. It can be shown that for the 6-valve bridge, the total r.m.s. ripple is of
the order of 4.2% of the d.c. With the 12pulse bridge, the r.m.s. ripple is of the order of
1.03% of the d.c. value for α = 0 and increases to about 15% at α =π / 2 .

Control angle (Delay angle)

The control angle for rectification (also known as the ignition angle) is the angle by
which firing is delayed beyond the natural take over for the next thyristor.
Assuming no commutation (2 thyristors on same side conducting simultaneously
during transfer), the voltage waveforms across the thyristors as shown

Commutation angle (overlap angle)

The commutation period between two thyristors on the same side of the bridge is the
angle by which one thyristor commutates to the next. During this period γ the voltage at the
electrode follows mean voltage of the 2 conducting thyristors on the same side. This is shown
in figure below

ANALYSIS OF THE IDEAL COMMUTATION PROCESS WITHOUT GATE

CONTROL
Before we understand the operation of a bridge converter it is assumed that the bridge
is connected to an infinite bus of zero source impedance. This eliminates any overlap in the
conduction of the valves and simplifies the operation. With zero source impedance, the
transfer of current (commutation) between the valves on the same side of the bridge takes
place instantaneously. The switching sequence and rectified voltage waveforms are illustrated

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 Phase Controlled Rectifiers| P Yegon

in Fig. (a) and (b) below for an uncontrolled bridge rectifier (i.e. on diode operation) with
delay angle α =0 . The valves are numbered according to the sequence of operation.
Performance of the 3 -phase bridge circuit or Graetz's circuit under balanced sinusoidal 3-
phase operation is considered with the following assumptions to simplify the analysis.

Fig. Voltage and current waveforms of 6-pulse bridge converter with α =0

(1) The DC current is constant and ripple free.
(2) The valves can be modelled as ideal switches with zero forward impedance when
conducting and infinite backward impedance when not conducting.
(3) Ignition of the valves is carried out in sequence at equal intervals.
(4) The AC voltages at the converter bus are sinusoidal and remain constant.
The operation of the converter as rectifier can be explained as follows. Considering
Fig. (a), at the instant P, the phase voltage R is more positive with respective to other phases
and therefore the valve 1 conducts. Similarly, phase voltage Y is more negative w.r.t other

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 Phase Controlled Rectifiers| P Yegon

phases and therefore the valve 6 conducts. This state of operation continues up to the point Q ,
after which the valve 2 is forward biased since the phase voltage B becomes more negative.
The anode of 2, which is directly connected to the anode of 6 becomes more positive, as it is
connected to the phase B. Therefore, at the point Q , the current commutates naturally from
the valve 6 to valve 2. The above discussion indicates that the anode of the valve which is
driven more positive and the cathode of the valve which is driven more negative will be
conducting simultaneously. Therefore, in the region PQ, the valves 1,6 and in the region QR ,
the valves 1,2 conduct.
At the point R , the anode of the valve 3 connected to the phase Y will begin to be
driven more positive than the anode of the valve 1 connected to the phase R , and the current
commutation will take place from the valve 1 to valve 3 . This will be followed by
commutation of the valve 2 to valve 4 at the point S and the valve 3 to valve 5 at the point T .
Similarly, commutation of the valve 4 to valve 6 at U , and the valve 5 to valve 1 at V takes
place. This completes the switching cycle sequence. In the region RS , the valves 2,3 conduct;
and in the region ST , the valves 3,4 conduct; and so on. The order and the pair of valves
conducting at different periods are also indicated in the figure.
Further analyzing the converters, conduction occurs during the period when anode is
positive with respect to the cathode, and line-to-line voltage is applied between two mid-
points of the series connected valves 1,4 or 3,6 or 5,2. The voltage at any instant is assumed
as V o (t)=√ 3 V m cos ⁡ωt , where V m is the peak value of the phase voltage with zero reference
to the y -axis passing through the peak of V o (t).
DC OUTPUT VOLTAGE
The output waveform given in Fig. (a) above indicates voltage variation of the
positive (common cathode) and negative (common anode) poles with respect to the
transformer neutral ( n ) on the secondary side. Figure (b) shows the output voltage V o (t)
between the positive and negative poles, which is indicated by thick lines. The output voltage
V o (t) contains ripples of harmonic frequency, which is six times that of the main frequency
because the V o (t) contains six pulses in the cycle of the main voltage. When the valves 1,2
conduct, the output voltage is V RB, i.e. line-to-line voltages of the phases R and B (neglecting
the drop across the valves). Similarly, U YB is the voltage on the output side when the valves
2,3 conduct. It can be deduced from Fig. 3.2(b) that the output voltage is the combination of
line-to-line voltages. The no-load DC output voltage across the load without phase control is
the average of V o (t) and is given by
π /6 π/6
1 3
V do= ∫
π /3 −π / 6
❑ V o (t) d (ωt )= ∫ ❑ √ 3 V m cos ⁡ωtd(ωt)
π − π /6

Where, V o (t)=V RB (t) in the region QR when 1,2 conduct. By considering X −X as

y -axis and x as origin in Fig. 3.2(b) , when V RB is passing through maximum value, V o (t)
can be represented as
V o (t)=√ 3 V m cos ⁡ωt , as stated earlier

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 Phase Controlled Rectifiers| P Yegon

where V m =¿ Peak voltage between phase and neutral on the secondary side of the converter
transformer √ 3 V m=¿ Peak voltage between any two phases (lines) on the secondary (valve)
side of the converter transformer
3
V do= √3 V m ¿
π
If V sL rms is the voltage the on the secondary side between two phases of the converter
transformer, then

√3 V m ¿ √ 2 V sL
3
V do ¿ √ 2V sL ×
π
3 √3 V m
1.35 V sL ¿
π
The phase current I R is also shown in Fig. 3.2(c). When the valve 1 conducts, the
current in the phase R enters into the bridge circuit through the valve V 1 , Ld , R L and back to
the point n as shown in figure. (a) and (b)(Sequence figure above). This current is treated as
positive and I R =I d. But when the valve 4 conducts, the current in the phase R of the
secondary is reversed as shown in Fig. (c) and flows from the bridge into the secondary
windings of the phase R and is therefore reckoned as negative. The phase current remains
constant and is equal to I d because of large inductance Ld . The valve currents I 1 , I 3 , I 5 are
also shown in Fig. (d).
The valve voltage drop is shown in Fig. (e). During the period when V 1 conducts, the
voltage across the valve 1 is zero in the interval C 1 C 3. When V 1 is not conducting in the
period RT , the line voltage V RY appears across V 1 due to conduction of the valve 3 . Similarly
in the period TV , line voltage U RB appears across V 1 due to conduction of the valve 5 . The
valve voltage in the conducting and nonconducting periods is indicated in thick lines in the
interval PV . Maximum voltage across the valve is the maximum of V RY (maximum of lineto-
line voltage) and is equal to √ 3 V m.

Peak Inverse Voltage (PIV)

The peak inverse voltage is the maximum voltage that appears across the valve when
the valve is not conducting. From the valve voltage waveforms, the PIV is the maximum line-
to-line voltage across any two phases (maximum of V RY or V RB ). Therefore, the peak inverse
voltage is
PIV = √ 3 V m =√ 2 V sL

Peak inverse voltage in terms of DC voltage is

π
¿V do ×
3
¿ 1.047 V do

Peak-to-Peak Ripple Voltage (PPR)

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 Phase Controlled Rectifiers| P Yegon

Peak-to-peak ripple voltage is the difference in the voltage at ωt=0 and ωt=π /6 ; by
taking X −X as the reference axis (ωt =0).
¿
Valve Current Relations
The load current in any one phase is carried by two valves in series. One from the
upper-half bridge (valves 1 , 3 , 5 ¿ and the other from the lower-half bridge (valves 2 , 4 , 6 ).
From Figs. (c) and (d), each valve conducts during two-third of a half cycle. Assuming that
valve current is a rectangular pulse of value I d and lasts for a duration of 2 π /3 and
considering the first cycle of the voltage of the phase R :
i 1 ¿ 0 ¿ 0 ≤ ωt ≤ π /6
The value current ¿ 5 π /6 ≤ ωt ≤ π ¿=0 ¿ ¿ π ≤ ωt ≤2 π ¿
¿Id ¿ ¿

The average valve current

2π
1
I av 1 ¿ ∫ ❑ i1 d (ωt )= I d ¿
2π 0
3
¿ ¿
The rms current through the valve 1 is
2π
I
2
rms ¿
1
∫
2π 0
2
❑ i 1 dθ=
1
2π ( 2
0 × π /6+ I d ×
2π
3
+ 0× π /6 )
¿ ¿
This can be verified since the current lasts for 1/3 of the time and the square of the average
cut is I 2d /3
Id
I rms =
√3

GATE CONTROL (PHASE CONTROL) OF VALVES

In the previous section, natural commutation of SCRs without gate control has been
described. In this process, the transfer of current between the valves takes place at the instant
of crossing of phase voltage ( C 1 , C 2 , C 3 , C 4 ,C 5 ,C 6 , etc., as shown in Fig. below). By
delaying the firing instants of the valves with respect to the voltage crossings, natural
commutation can be delayed by a definite time interval α and the process is known as phase
control. α is called the firing angle, as indicated in Fig. (a) below. The effect of phase control
on DC voltage waveforms is illustrated in Figs. (a) and (b), where α =30∘ . It should be noted,
that the voltage area under the curve shown in Fig. (b) decreases with increase in the firing
angle α and therefore the mean direct voltage also decreases with increase in α .

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 Phase Controlled Rectifiers| P Yegon

Fig. Voltage and current waveforms of 6-pulse bridge converter with α =30∘
Output Voltage with Phase Control
As shown in Fig. (b) above, the output voltage V o (t) is the combination of line-to-line
voltages. The DC output voltage, which is the average of V o (t) is given by
π
+α
6
1
V d= ∫ ❑V o (t)d (ωt )
π /3 −π
+α
6

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 Phase Controlled Rectifiers| P Yegon

¿ ∫ ❑ √ 3 V m cos ⁡ωtd( ωt)

−π
6
+α

¿
3
π [ ( ) ( )]
π
6
π
6
3
π
π
6 [
√3 V m sin ⁡ +α + sin ⁡ −α ¿=¿ √3 V m 2 sin ⁡ cos ⁡α ¿=¿
3 √ 3V m
π ]
cos ⁡α

where V d is the no-load DC voltage of 6-pulse unit with delay angle α and V do is the no-load
direct voltage without phase control (α=0).
The mean DC voltage with phase control can also be obtained as explained in Section
3.3 and is given by the expression
3π
+α
6
1
Vd ¿
π /3
∫ ❑ ( V R−V Y ) d (ωt )
π
+α
6
¿ ¿
The controlled direct voltage at the output side is maximum when α =0 and decreases
π
with increase in the firing angle α and becomes zero at α = . The mean DC voltage becomes
2
π
negative when α > . In Figs. (c ) and (d) above, the phase current I R and the voltage across
2
the valve V 1 are shown. The phase current I R is shifted by an angle α with respect to the
phase current I R without phase control. The valve V 1 conducts during the period PR and does
not conduct during the period RV . The valve V 4 conducts during the period SU . The valve
voltage V v as shown in Fig. (d) is zero during the conducting period PR of the valve V 1 and
1

the nonconducting period RV and it is characterised by line-to-line voltages V RY and V RB in

the periods RT and TV respectively.
For delay angles above 60∘ , some negative voltage periods begin to appear. If the
output of the bridge were connected to a pure resistance, the bridge's unidirectional current
conduction property would not prevent reverse current flow during these negative voltage
periods, and the operation would then be intermittent with no continuous current flow.
However, with the provision of the large smoothing reactor ( Ld ), a positive current flow
during the negative periods is maintained, and energy is transferred from reactor magnetic
field to the AC system. The voltage waveforms for delay angle α =90 ∘ are illustrated in Figs
(a) and (b) below. P, Q , R , S , T are the instants when the valves 1 , 2, 3 , 4 ,5 , 6 are fired. The
valve 1 conducts during the period PR and the valve 2 conducts during RF, and so on. The
output DC voltage V o (t) contains equal positive and

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 Phase Controlled Rectifiers| P Yegon

Fig. Voltage and current waveforms of 6-pulse bridge converter with α =90 ∘ negative regions
(indicated by the shaded areas) and the mean direct voltage V d is zero. The phase current I R
and valve voltage drops V v are also shown in Figs. (c ) and (d) respectively.
1

Inverter Operation
For firing angles ' α ' greater than 90∘ , output voltage waveforms, phase current I R and
valve voltage drops are illustrated in Fig. below. The bridge operation can only be maintained
in the presence of a DC power supply in place of the DC load. This supply must be connected
such that positive polarity to the common anodes and negative polarity to the common
cathodes so that it overcomes negative voltage and forces the current to conduct in the same
direction in opposition to the induced emf in the converter transformer. This suggests that
power is being supplied from the DC to the AC system. The converter is operating as an
inverter.

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 Phase Controlled Rectifiers| P Yegon

Fig Voltage and current waveforms of 6 -pulse bridge converter with α =120∘

In Fig.a, P1 , P2 , P3, etc., correspond to the instant when valves 1 , 2, 3, etc., are fired.
S1 , S 2 , S3 are the instant when valves 1 , 2, 3, etc., stop conduction respectively. In the rectifier
operation, valves 1 ,3 ,5 will conduct when their anodes are driven more positive and valves
4 , 6 , 2 will conduct when their anodes are driven more negative. However, in the inverter
operation, valves 1 ,3 ,5 will conduct when their cathodes are driven more negative and
valves 4 , 6 , 2 will conduct when their anodes are driven more positive with respect to others
in the same group. Figures ( a ) and (b) below illustrate the voltage waveforms on full
inversion with α =180∘.

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 Phase Controlled Rectifiers| P Yegon

Fig. Voltage and current waveforms of 6-pulse bridge converter with α =180∘

The conduction period of valves 1 ,3 ,5 is shifted by 180∘ when compared to the

voltage waveforms without phase control. Valve voltage drop V v 1 is positive on full version
and is negative with zero phase control. Three conditions required for power flow from the
DC side to an AC source during inversion are
(1) An active AC voltage source which provides commutating voltage waveforms
(2) Provision of firing angle control to delay commutations beyond α =90 ∘
(3) A DC power supply in place of the DC load, as indicated in the Fig. (a) below

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 Phase Controlled Rectifiers| P Yegon

Fig. (a) 6-pulse bridge connection-inverter operation

23