Lecture-21

6.3 Principle of On-Off Control Technique (Integral Cycle Control)

The basic principle of on-off control technique is explained with reference to a single phase full
wave ac voltage controller circuit shown below. The thyristor switches T1 and T2 are turned on by
applying appropriate gate trigger pulses to connect the input ac supply to the load for ‘n’ number of
input cycles during the time interval tON . The thyristor switches T1 and T2 are turned off by blocking the
gate trigger pulses for ‘m’ number of input cycles during the time intervaltOFF . The ac controller ON time
tON usually consists of an integral number of input cycles.
 Fig 6.3: Power Factor

Thyristors are turned ON precisely at the zero voltage crossings of the input supply. The thyristor T1 is
turned on at the beginning of each positive half cycle by applying the gate trigger pulses to T1 as shown,
during the ON time tON . The load current flows in the positive direction, which is the downward direction
as shown in the circuit diagram when T1 conducts. The thyristor T2 is turned on at the beginning of each
negative half cycle, by applying gating signal to the gate of T2 , during tON . The load current flows in the
reverse direction, which is the upward direction when T2 conducts. Thus we obtain a bi-directional load
current flow (alternating load current flow) in a ac voltage controller circuit, by triggering the thyristors
alternately.

This type of control is used in applications which have high mechanical inertia and high thermal
time constant (Industrial heating and speed control of ac motors). Due to zero voltage and zero current
switching of Thyristors, the harmonics generated by switching actions are reduced.
(i) To derive an expression for the rms value of output voltage, for on-off control method.

tON
1
V m2 Sin 2 t.d t
V TO t 0
Output RMS voltage O RMS

tON
V m2
VO RMS
Sin 2 t.d t
TO 0

1 Cos 2
Substituting for Sin 2
2

tON
V m2 1 Cos 2 t
d t
VO RMS TO 2
0
 tON tON
V m2
d t Cos 2 t.d t
2 TO 0 0
VO RMS

tON tON
V m2 Sin 2 t
t
2 TO 0
2 0
VO RMS

V m2 sin2 tON sin0

tON 0
2 TO 2
VO RMS

Now tON = an integral number of input cycles; Hence tON T,2T,3T,4T,5T,..... &
tON 2 ,4 ,6 ,8 ,10 ,......

Where T is the input supply time period (T = input cycle time period). Thus we note that sin2 ON 0 t

V m2 tON Vm tON
VO RMS
2 TO 2 TO
tON tON
VO RMS
Vi RMS
VS
TO TO

Vm
Where V i RMS
V S = RMS value of input supply voltage;
2

tON tON nT n
k = duty cycle (d ).
TO tON tOFF nT mT n m

n
VO RMS
VS VS k
m n
Performance Parameters of Ac Voltage Controllers

RMS Output (Load) Voltage

1
2 2
n
VO RMS
V m2 sin 2 t.d t
2 n m 0

Vm n
VO RMS
Vi RMS
k VS k
2 m n

VO RMS
Vi RMS
k VS k

Where V S Vi RMS
= RMS value of input supply voltage.

Duty Cycle
tON tON nT
k
TO tON tOFF m n T

n
Where, k = duty cycle (d ).
m n

RMS Load Current

V V
I O RMS O RMS
O RMS ; For a resistive load Z RL .
Z RL

Output AC (Load) Power

PO IO2 RMS RL
Input Power Factor

PO output load power PO

PF
VA input supply volt amperes VS I S

I O2 RMS
RL
PF ; IS I in RMS
RMS input supply current.
Vi RMS
I in RMS

The input supply current is same as the load current Iin IO IL

Hence, RMS supply current = RMS load current; Iin RMS. IO RMS

I O2 RMS
RL VO RMS
Vi RMS
k
PF k
Vi RMS
I in RMS
Vi RMS
Vi RMS

n
PF k
m n

The Average Current of Thyristor IT Avg

Waveform of Thyristor Current

iT m
n
Im

0 2 3 t

n
IT Avg
I m sin t.d t
2 m n 0
 I
RMS Current of Thyristor T RMS