INVERTERS

DC AC CONVERTER

Contents
Concept
Full-Bridge Converters
- Square wave inverters
Fourier Series Analysis
Total Harmonic Distortion
Half Bridge Converters
PWM Harmonics
3-phase inverters

Inverters - Concept
Definition: Converts DC-AC power by switching the DC input
voltage (or current) in a pre-determined sequences so as to
generate AC voltage (or current) output.
Typical applications:
- Unirruptable power supply (UPS), industrial induction motor,
running ac appliances from an automobile battery, etc.
General block diagram:

Full-Bridge Converter
Basic circuit to convert dc to ac
ac output is synthesized from a dc input by closing &
opening switches in appropriate sequences
List of Vo according to switch combinations:

Overlap of switch on time will result short circuit,

across dc voltage source.
The time allowed for switching s called blanking time.

Full-Bridge Converter

Square Wave Inverter

Simplest switching scheme for full bridge
converter produce a square wave output voltage.

Square Wave Inverter

Steady-state operation

Square Wave Inverter

Steady-state operation

Since the square each of the current half period is identical, only 1 st
half period needed to be evaluated:

Power absorbed by the load :

If switches are ideal, the power supplied must be the same as
absorbed by load.
Power from a dc source:

Square Wave Inverter - Waveforms

Fourier Series (Example 8-2)

Most practical way to analyze load current & to compute
power absorbed in a load, especially when the load is
more complex than a simple resistive/ RL load.
Output voltage & current is given by;
I rms given by;

Amplitude for each current & voltage

Waveforms & Harmonics

Filtering
Output inverter is chopped AC voltage with zero DC
component. In some applications such as UPS, high
purity sine wave output is required.
An LC section of low pass filter is normally fitted at the
inverter output to reduce the high frequency harmonics.
In some applications such as AC motor drive, filtering is
not required.

Total Harmonic Distortion

Why need to consider harmonics?
- To prevent power quality issue: waveform quality must match
TNB supply.
- Harmonics may cause degradation of equipment. Equipment
need to be de-rated.
Total harmonic distortion (THD) is a measure to determine the
quality of a given waveform.
THD (voltage)

where n is the harmonic number.

Current THD can be obtained by replacing the harmonic voltage
with harmonic current.

Spectra of Square Wave

Spectra (harmonics) characteristics:
- Harmonic decreases as n increases.
It decreases with a factor of (1/n)
- Even harmonics are absent
- Nearest harmonics is the 3rd. If
fundamental is 50Hz, the nearest
harmonic is 150Hz.
- Due to small separation between
fundamental an harmonics, output
low pass filter design can be quite
difficult.
- Harmonics can be controlled by
adjusting .

Half-Bridge inverter
The number of switches is 2, by dividing the dc source
voltage into 2 parts with capacitors.
Capacitors are same in value, voltage Vs/2 = Vdc/2

Half Bridge Inverter

Also known as inverter leg
Basic building block for full bridge, three phase
and higher order inverters.
0 is the centre point
Both capacitors have the same value. Thus the
DC link is equally split into two.
The top and bottom switch has to be
complementary, i.e. if the top switch is closed
(on), the bottom must be open (off), vice-versa.
Suitable for low power inverter. Big capacitor
size and not economic, for high power rating.