AC-AC Voltage Controllers

AC Voltage Controller
A type of thyristor power converter which is used
to convert a fixed voltage, fixed frequency ac
input supply to obtain a variable voltage ac
output.

The RMS value of ac output voltage & the ac

power flow to the load is controlled by varying
the trigger angle, .

AC Voltage Controller
2 types AC controllers:
- on-off ~ connect & disconnect for
several cycles at a time
- Phase Control ~ switching takes
place during every cycle of the
source, in effect removing some of
the source waveform before it
reaches the load.

AC Voltage Controller
2 types of AC voltage controllers :
- Single Phase AC Controllers
- Three Phase AC Controllers
Single Phase AC Controllers operates with single
AC power supply voltage of 230V RMS @ 50 Hz in
our country.
Three phase AC controllers operate with 3-phase
ac supply from 400V @ 50Hz supply frequency.
Applications: lighting/illumination control in power
circuits, induction heating, industrial & domestic
heating, transformer tap changing, etc.

Single Phase AC Controller with Resistive

Load
Basic
Operation

S1 conducts if a gate signal is applied

during the positive half-cycle of the
source until the current reaches zero.
A gate signal is applied to S2 during
the negative half-cycle of the source,
providing a path for negative load
current.
If the gate signal for S2 is half period
later than S1, analysis for the
negative half-cycle is identical with
the positive half, except for algebraic
sign for the voltage & current.

Single Phase AC Controller with Resistive

Load
Basic Operation :
Circuit & Waveforms

Recap: SCR in Controlled Half Wave

Rectifier
2
conditions that SCR can conduct:
- The SCR must be forward biased
- A current must be applied to the gate of the SCR
Unlike diode, the SCR will not begin to conduct as
soon as the source becomes +ve. Conduction
delayed until a gate current is applied
basis of
SCR as a means control.
Once the SCR is conducting, the gate can be
removed & the SCR remains until the current goes
to zero.

Single Phase AC Controller with Resistive

Load
source voltage

Output voltage

The RMS load voltage is determined by taking

advantage
of positive & negative symmetry of
2
Vm
1
sin 2
the
voltage
form
Vo, rms
1
Vm sin t d t

Single Phase AC Controller with Resistive

Load

Output
voltage vs delay angle

* Note that for = 0,

the load voltage is a
sinusoid that has the
same rms value as
the source.

Normalized output voltage =

Single Phase AC Controller with Resistive

Load

The RMS current in the load and the source is

Power factor of the load is

* Note that pf = 1 for

= 0, which is the same

as for an uncontrolled
resistve load, and the
power factor for 0 is
less than 1.

Single Phase AC Controller with Resistive

Load
The average SCR current is

Since each SCR carries one half of the line

current, the RMS current in each SCR is

Single Phase AC Controller with Resistive

Load
Since the source & load current is
nonsinusoidal, harmonic distortion
is a consideration.
Only odd harmonics exist in the
line current because the waveform
has half-wave symmetry.

Figure shows normalized harmonic

content vs .
Base current is source voltage
divided by resistance, which is the
current for
=0

Example 5.1

Single Phase AC Controller with RL Load

Single Phase AC Controller with RL Load

The extinction angle, is the angle at which

the current returns to zero at t =

Single Phase AC Controller with RL Load

Single Phase AC Controller with RL Load

connecting
/disconnecting the load
from AC source by gate
control of the SCRs

Single Phase AC Controller with RL Load