Contents

Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. 1
PLECS software.......................................................................................................................................... 2
Standalone version ................................................................................................................................... 2
Single phase full wave diode rectifier ....................................................................................................... 3
Forward converter with open loop control .............................................................................................. 3
Experiments .................................................................................................................................................. 5
Single phase full wave diode rectifier and Forward converter with open loop control ......................... 5
Observation............................................................................................................................................... 5
Observations ............................................................................................................................................. 6
Discussion.................................................................................................................................................... 10
References .................................................................................................................................................. 16

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Introduction

On this power electronic drivers module PLECS software has been used to determine the
advance theories and their agreeing importance.

PLECS software

Most circuit simulation programs model switches as highly nonlinear elements. Due to steep
voltage and current transients, the simulation becomes slow when switches are toggled. In the
simplest case a switch is modeled as a variable resistance that changes between a very small
and a very large value. In other cases, it is represented by a sophisticated semiconductor
model.

When simulating complex power electronic systems, however, the processes during switching
are of little interest. Here, it is more appropriate to use ideal switches that toggle
instantaneously between a closed and an open circuit. This approach, which is implemented in
PLECS, has two major advantages: Firstly, it yields systems that are piecewise-linear across
switching instants, (thus resolving the otherwise difficult problem of simulating the non-linear
discontinuity that occurs in the equivalent-circuit at the switching instant). Secondly, to handle
discontinuities at the switching instants, only two integration steps are required (one for before
the instant, and one after). Both of these advantages speed up the simulation considerably.

Standalone version

There is also a standalone version of PLECS that allows simulation of electrical circuits and
control systems directly within the PLECS package. The standalone version uses GNU Octave as
its numerical engine in place of MATLAB. The switching instants, only two integration steps are
required (one for before the instant, and one after). Both of these advantages speed up the
simulation considerably.

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Single phase full wave diode rectifier

A full-wave rectifier converts the whole of the input waveform to one of constant polarity
(positive or negative) at its output. Full-wave rectification converts both polarities of the input
waveform to pulsating DC (direct current), and yields a higher average output voltage. Two
diodes and a center tapped transformer, or four diodes in a bridge configuration and any AC
source (including a transformer without center tap), are needed. Single semiconductor diodes,
double diodes with common cathode or common anode, and four-diode bridges, are
manufactured as single components. The full wave rectifier circuit consists of two power diodes
connected to a single load resistance (RL) with each diode taking it in turn to supply current to
the load. When point A of the transformer is positive with respect to point C, diode D1 conducts
in the forward direction as indicated by the arrows.

When point B is positive (in the negative half of the cycle) with respect to point C, diode D2
conducts in the forward direction and the current flowing through resistor R is in the same
direction for both half-cycles. As the output voltage across the resistor R is the pharos sum of
the two waveforms combined, this type of full wave rectifier circuit is also known as a “bi-
phase” circuit.

As the spaces between each half-wave developed by each diode is now being filled in by the
other diode the average DC output voltage across the load resistor is now double that of the
single half-wave rectifier circuit and is about 0.637Vmax of the peak voltage, assuming no losses.

Forward converter with open loop control

The forward converter is a DC/DC converter that uses a transformer to increase or decrease the
output voltage (depending on the transformer ratio) and provide galvanic isolation for the load.
With multiple output windings, it is possible to provide both higher and lower voltage outputs
simultaneously.

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While it looks superficially like a fly back converters, it operates in a fundamentally different
way, and is generally more energy efficient. A fly back converter stores energy in the magnetic
field in the inductor air gap during the time the converter switching element (transistor) is
conducting. When the switch turns off, the stored magnetic field collapses and the energy is
transferred to the output of the fly back converter as electric current. The fly back converter
can be viewed as two inductors sharing a common core with opposite polarity windings.

In contrast, the forward converter (which is based on a transformer with same-polarity

windings, higher magnetizing inductance, and no air gap) does not store energy during the
conduction time of the switching element — transformers cannot store a significant amount of
energy, unlike inductors.[1] Instead, energy is passed directly to the output of the forward
converter by transformer action during the switch conduction phase.

While the output voltage of a fly back converter is theoretically infinite, the maximum output

voltage of the forward converter is constrained by the transformer turns ratio :

Where is the pulse width modulator duty cycle.The forward converter is used to provide an
intermediate power output level of 100–200w

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Experiments

Single phase full wave diode rectifier and Forward converter with open loop control

Observation

5
Observations

D=0.1

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D = 0.2

D = 0.4

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D 0.6

D = 0.8

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D=1

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Discussion

1. Use the power electronics’ theory to verify the expected output and simulation output
of the single phase diode rectifier.

Basically through this experiment, rectifying an AC voltage by using the full wave rectifier has
been experimented. Graphs which observed during the experiment has been analyzed
bellow. Basically an AC voltage of 325V has been used as source, using that strategy 205. 4V
has been generated at the end according to the software.

2 ∗ 𝑉𝑚𝑎𝑥 2 ∗ 325
𝑇ℎ𝑒𝑜𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝐷𝐶 𝑜𝑢𝑡𝑝𝑢𝑡 𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑡𝑎𝑔𝑒 = = = 206.9𝑉
𝜋 𝜋

There is a slight difference between calculated and simulated values that might because of the
diode are not ideal, then two diodes will consume 1.4 V voltage drop hence this variation is
acceptable. Finally an output voltage waveform shown below will appear. And it is smoothened
because of the capacitor 9

Basically because of the inductor, phase lag has been add to the system. Inductor is charging
according to the rectified voltage half cycle. But it will not charge into its maximum value at

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 90 degrees sharp it will consume some other little time after that it will start to discharge but
then next rectified cycle will come and again starts charging hence output voltage has a phase
lag. The figure bellow shows that.

Simply this happens because of inductor is charging. Hence input current is curving like the
figure above. Initially this is slowly charging, after it get charged that become stable. Tipping
points are curve like above because inductor has a resistance for changing of the current.
Generally if this negative half cycle flip in to positive side that will shows the output current.

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 2. Use the power electronics’ theory to verify the expected output and simulation output
of the forward converter.

Expression for forward convertor output voltage has shown bellow

𝑁3
𝑉𝑜 = ( × 𝑉𝑑𝑐) × 𝐷
𝑁1

Substituting the Vo=20V, N3=1, N1=2 and the D = 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, 1 to the above equation will
gives the bellow answers to the theoretical values and the simulation values give in the scope
measurements. Those are in bellow table.

Duty cycle 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1

Theoretical 2 4 6 8 10
Simulation 2.48 4.34 5.97 7.90 9.81

There are slight changes on the theoretical and simulated values. That might because of
simulation errors or diode consuming voltages or calculating errors.

Looking at the above table, when the duty cycle rises out put voltage increases but there
are some limitations for it such as if the duty exceeds .5 then the discharging time would
be less than the charging time hence little by little system would get unstable.
Magnetizing inductor would get over saturated then according to the BH curve it will not
work as we desired.

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D = 0.1

First in this rising part inductor is charging then next inductor is discharging and some another
time it waiting. That’s why this grasps look like this

D = 0.7

Second one is getting unstable. Which means inductor is getting saturate.

D= 0.2

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Output current finally look likes this ripple so it has get stable at approximately on 0.5.but when
duty cycle is increasing, time which get to stabilized the system would be high.

D = 0.8

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 3. Discuss the importance of adding territory windings when it comes to the partial
configuration of a forward convertor.

Territory windings are designed to demagnetize the magnetizing inductor Lm. If we could not
demagnetize the inductor it will over saturated then according to the BH curve it will not give
the desired output.

The forward converter transformer works like a normal power transformer where both primary
and secondary windings conduct simultaneously with opposing magneto motive force along the
mutual flux path. Due to the presence of finite magnetizing current in a practical transformer, a
territory winding needs to be introduced in the transformer. Windings 1 and 2 transfer energy
from the source to the load when the switch is closed, the current in Lm should return to zero
before the start of the next period to reset the transformer core (return the magnetic flux to
zero). Winding 3 or the territory winding is used to provide a path for the magnetizing current
when the switch is open and to reduce the magnetizing current to zero before the start of each
switching period. That’s why territory winding is used.

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References

I. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk%3AForward_converter
II. http://www.electronics-tutorials.ws/diode/diode_6.html

III. http://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1183&context=eeng_fac

IV. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forward_converter

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