An Introdnction to Thyristors and Their Applications

To my wife
Lakshmi
 An Introduction to
Thyristors
and
Their Applications

M. Ramamoorty
Professor of Electrical Engineering
Indian Institute of Technology
Kanpur

M
@Affiliated East-West Press Private Limited 1977

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or

transmitted, in any form or by any hleans, without permission.

First published in India 1977

by Affiliated East-West Press Private Limited

Published in the United Kingdom 1978 by

THE MACMILLAN PRESS LIMITED
London and Basingstoke
Associated comppnies in Delhi Dublin
Hong Kong Johannesburg Lagos Melbourne
New York Singapore and Tokyo

British Library Cataloguing In Publication Data

Ramamoorty, M
An introduction to thyristors and their applications.
1. Electric controllers 2. Thyristors
I. Title
621.31'7 TK2851
ISBN 978-1-349-04322-4 ISBN 978-1-349-04320-0 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-1-349-04320-0

This book is sold subject to the standard conditions of the

Net Book Agreement.

The paperback edition of this book is sold subject to the condition that it
shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out, or otherwise
circulated without the publisher's prior consent in any form of binding or cover
other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition
including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
 Contents

Preface xi
1 Solid-State Power Control
1.1 Introduction I
1.2 Historical Development 2
1.3 Nature, Characteristics, and Applications 2
1.4 Comparison of Thyratrons with Power Transistors 3
1.5 Thyristors-Symbolic Representation 4
1.6 Constructional Details 7
References 8

l Thyristors
2.1 SCR Characteristics 9
2.2 Principle of Operation 9
2.3 Transistor Analogy 10
2.4 Methods of Turning On 13
2.5 Turn-Off Mechanism 14
2.6 Device Specifications, Ratings, and Nomenclature 15
2.7 Improvement of Device Characteristics 18
2.8 Gate Characteristics 20
2.8.1 Example 21
2.8.2 Gate circuit parameters 22
2.8.3 Measurement of devic~ parameters 24
2.8.4 Example 25
2.8.5 Circuits for gate triggering 25
2.9 Internal Power Dissipation and Temperature Rise 28
2.9.1 Example 31
References 32
3 Multiple Connections of SCRs
3.1 Series-Parallel Operation of SCRs 33
3.2 Series Operation 34
3.2.1 Triggering of series-connected SCRs 36
3.3 Parallel Operation 38
3.3.1 Triggering of parallel-connected SCRs 39
vi CONTENTS

3.4 String Efficiency 40

3.5 Example 41
References 42
4 Power and Switching Devices
4.1 Thyristors 43
4.2 Low-Power Devices 43
4.2.1 Example 46
4.3 Unijunction Transistor (UJT) 47
4.3.1 Relaxation oscillator using a UJT 48
4.3.2 Frequency stability so
4.3.3 Example so
4.4 Triac ~1
4.4.1 Triggering mode 52
4.4.2 Phase control using a triac 53
4.5 Special Devices 54
References 54

s Applications
5.1 Power Control ss
5.1.1 Example 57
5.2 Static Circuit Breaker 58
5.2.1 Example 59
5.3 Overvoltage Protection 59
5.4 Zero Voltage Switch 60
s.s Integral-Cycle Triggering 61
5.6 Time Delay Circuit 62
5.7 Soft Start Circuit 62
5.8 Logic and Digital Circuits 63
5.9 Pulse Circuits 64
References 65

6 AC Power Control
6.1 Phase Control 66
6.2 Full-Wave Control Circuit 68
6.2.1 Analysis of a bridge circuit 70
6.2.2 Effect of source inductance 73
6.2.3 Operation as a two-quadrant converter 74
6.2.4 Performance with a free-wheeling diode 76
6.2.5 Example 77
6.3 Half-Controlled Bridge Circuits 78
6.4 Dual Converters 83
6.4.1 Example 84
 CONTENTS vii

6.5 Phase-Control Circuit 85

6.5.1 Modified ramp control 88
6.5.2 Control by a voltage-controlled oscillator
(VCO) 91
6.5.3 Derating of SCRs in phase control 92
6.5.4 Example 92
6.6 Application to Speed Control of Motors 92
6.6.1 Phase control of three-phase induction
motors 94
6.7 Regulated DC Power Supplies 97
6.7.1 Example 98
6.8 DC Motor Control 99
6.8.1 Stability in DC motor drives 102
6.8.2 Example 103
6.8.3 Other control circuits for DC drives 103
6.8.4 Simple speed control circuit
for DC motors lOS
6.8.5 Improved speed control scheme for DC
motors 107
References Ill
7 Lfne-Commutated Converters and Inverters
7.1 Llne-Commutated Circuits 112
7.1.1 Input-out put characteristics
of bridge circuits 112
7.1.2 Example 120
7.2 Effect of Source lmpedaqce 121
7.2.1 Example 123
7.2.2 Effect of load inductance 124
7.2.3 Discontinuous·current operation 125
7.2.4 Transient operation 128
7.2.5 Example 128
7.2.6 Effect of overlap angle 129
7.2.7 Example 131
7.2.8 Interphase reactor connection 131
7.2.9 Commutation with a capacitive
source impedance 133
7.3 Inverter Operation 134
7.3.1 Example 140
7.4 Slip Power Recovery Scheme for Speed Control of
Induction Motors 140
7.4.1 Through-pass inverter 142
7.4.2 DC transmission 143
7.4.3 Example 148
viii CONTENTS

7.5 Frequency Changers 149

7.5.1 Example 155
7.5.2 High-frequency conversion 155
7.6 Cycloconverters 157
7.6.1 Mathematical analysis 159
7.6.2 Bridge configuration 160
7.6.3 Control circuit 162
7.6.4 Improved cycloconverter circuits 165
7.6.5 Harmonic analysis 168
7.6.6 Circulating·current scheme 169
7.6.7 Input characteristics of a cycloconverter 170
7.6.8 Cycloconverter drives 171
7.7 Example 171
References 173
8 Parallel-Series Inverters
8.1 Forced-Commutated Inverters 175
8.2 Classification of Circuits for Forced Commutation 176
8.3 Example 179
8.4 Parallel Inverter 180
8.4.1 General characteristics of parallel inverter 182
8.4.2 Design of commutating components 184
8.4.3 Output voltage and waveform control 187
8.4.4 Example 189
8.5 Polyphase Inverter 191
8.5.1 Example 193
8.6 Series Inverter 195
8.6.1 Circuit operation 197
8.6.2 Design considerations 198
8.6.3 Improved series inverters 198
8.6.4 Three-phase series inverter 201
8.6.5 High-frequency series inverter 201
8.6.6 Example 203
8.7 Self-Commutated Inverters 204
8.7.1 Inverter connections 204
8.7.2 Mathematical analysis 207
8.7.3 Example 209
References 209
9 Bridge Inverters
9.1 Principles of Operation 211
9.1.1 Commutation circuits 212
9.1.2 Example 216
9.2 Operation of a Single-Phase Bridge Inverter 219
9.2.1 Example 221
 CONTENTS IX

9.2.2 Auxiliary-commutated single-phase bridge

inverter 223
9.2.3 Inverter circuit with complementary
commutation 223
9.3 Three-Phase Bridge Inverters 226
9.3.1 Commutation circuits 228
9.3.2 Example 230
9.3.3 Auxiliary-commutated inverters 232
9.3.4 Example 236
9.4 Current-Source Inverter 238
9.4.1 High-frequency inverter with forced
commutation 239
9.4.2 Example 242
9.5 Inverter Output Voltage and Waveform Control 242
9.6 Inverter Control Circuits 244
9.6.1 Six-state sequential circuit 244
9.6.2 Decoding circuit 247
9.7 Inverter Applications 248
9.8 Example 252
References 254
10 Choppers
10.1 On-Off Control 256
10.1.1 Example 259
10.2 Rotor On-Off Control 259
10.2.1 Example 261
10.3 Control of DC Motors 261
10.3.1 Example 263
10.4 Chopper Circuits 263
10.4.1 Circuit performance 264
10.4.2 Design considerations 266
10.4.3 Example 267
10.5 Improved Chopper Circuits 267
10.6 Step-Up Chopper 269
10.7 Multiphase Chopper Circuits 269
10.8 Two-Quadrant Chopper 271
10.9 AC Choppers 272
References 274
11 Reliability
11.1 Thyristor Protection Circuits 276
11.2 Gate-Control Circuit 276
11.3 Overvoltage and Overcurrent Protection 271
X CONTENTS

11.3.1 Overcurrent protection 278

11.3.2 Example 279
11.3.3 Intermittent current waveforms 280
11.4 Design of Snubber Circuits 281
11.4.1 Example 282
11.5 SCR Mounting 283
11.6 SCR Reliability 284
References 284
General References 285
Problems 286
Appendix Selection of SCRs 301
Index 307
 Preface

The rapid development of semiconductor technology has revolutionised

the art of power modulation. "Thyristor" has become a byword for con·
trol in many industrial applications and the subject of several books. Some
of these books emphasise its physics and characteristics, and some discuss
one or the other of its applications in detail. Few qualify as texts for the
undergraduate who needs not the details, which are available in handbooks
and journals and/or in the teacher's lectures, but rather the basics.
In an attempt to fill in the lacuna, this text concentrates on the funda-
mentals of the operation of the thyristor and on its applications. No effort
is made to go into the details of system design as a whole. The control
circuits described for various applications using thyristors are not meant to
be commercially feasible, but provide the basic understanding necessary
for synthesising more sophisticated controllers.
The book, as its title indicates, serves as an introductory course on the
thyristor and its applications to power control. It is, in fact, based on the
lectures of such a course which the author has offered several times over
the past few years. The volume is intended primarily for those undergra-
duates specialising in power control and industrial drives. Such readers
have usually had a basic grounding in electronics, electric circuits and
machines, and control theory.
The entire content can be covered in a two-semester course.· The
physics and characteristics of the thyristor, the methods of turning on and
off, protection, general applications, phase control, and some fundamental
aspects of Jine-commutated converters and inverters may be allotted to the
first semester. The second semester may be devoted to Chapters 7 to 10
which focus attention on industrial controls involving all classes of forcep-
commutated circuits, and include a brief treatment of some important types
of drives and their characteristics and the performance of controllers.
The illustrative problems at the end of the study are intended more to
help the student gain an insight into the applications than to test his
mathematical skill. A large number of examples are worked out in each
chapter to facilitate a grasp of the subject. The list of important refe-
rences, which identifies the source of material covered, proves useful when
additional data is required.

Kanpur M. RAMAMOORTY
March 1977