BEE4223

Power Electronics &

Drives
Systems
DC TO AC

CONVERTER
Mohd Shawal Bin Jadin
Faculty of Electrical & Electronic Engineering
shawal@ump.edu.my

OVERVIEW
1. Introduction
2. Principle of operation
3. Performance parameter
4. The half-bridge inverter
5. Pulse Width Modulation (PWM)
6. PWM Generation
7. PWM Harmonics
8. Current Source Inverter
9. Introduction to three-phase inverter
10.Conclusions

LEARNING OUTCOMES
At the end of the lecture,
student should be able to:
1. State the operation and
characteristics of
Inverter.
2. Discuss the
performance
parameters and use
different technique for
analyzing and designing
of DC to AC Converter.

INTRODUCTION
Inverters are circuits that converts dc
input voltage to a symmetric ac output
voltage by which both magnitude and
frequency can be controlled.
Applications :
adjustable speed ac motor drives,
uninterruptible power supplies (UPS), and ac
appliances run from an automobile battery.

TYPES OF INVERTER
Voltage Source Inverter (VSI):

Current Source Inverter (CSI)

VOLTAGE SOURCE INVERTER (VSI)

WITH VARIABLE DC LINK
DC link voltage is varied by a DC-to DC
converter or controlled rectifier.
Generate square wave output voltage.
Output voltage amplitude is varied as DC
link is varied.
Frequency of output voltage is
varied by changing the
frequency of the square
wave pulses.

VOLTAGE SOURCE INVERTER (VSI)

WITH VARIABLE DC LINK
Advantages:
simple waveform generation
Reliable

Disadvantages:
Extra conversion stage
Poor harmonics

VSI WITH FIXED DC LINK

DC voltage is held
constant.
Output voltage
amplitude and
frequency are
varied
simultaneously
using PWM
technique.
Good harmonic
control, but at the

SQUARE WAVE INVERTER

Square wave inverter can be
simplifying justified with a
switching scheme of full bridge
converter.
An square wave ac output
voltage is synthesized from a dc
input by closing and opening
the switches in an appropriate
sequence.

OPERATION OF SIMPLE
SQUARE-WAVE INVERTER

SQUARE-WAVE
INVERTERS

EQUIVALENT
CIRCUIT

Parallel diode is used when the current in

the switch is negative
Diode will reverse-biased when current is

WHEN S1-S2 TURN ON & S3S4 OFF FOR T1 < T < T2

WHEN S1-S2 TURN OFF& S3S4 ON FOR T2 < T < T3

PERFORMANCE PARAMETERS
Vdc
Vdc t
R I min - R e

I o (t )

Vdc
Vdc
I min

R
R

Vdc 1 e 2
I min I max
R 1 e T 2

Pdc Vdc I s

T
0t
2

T
t
2

T
t T
2

EXAMPLE
A square-wave inverter has a dc source
of 125V, an output frequency of 60 Hz,
and R-L series load with R = 20 Ohm and
L = 20 mH. Determine
a) An expression for load current
b) Rms load current and
c) Average source current

FOURIER SERIES ANALYSIS FOR

SQUARE WAVE INVERTER
Fourier series method is often the most practical way to
analyze load current and to compute power absorbed by load.

4Vdc
Vo
n , odd n
Vn
In

Zn

4Vdc

n
R no L
2

Pn I n2,rms R
I rms

I
n 1

2
n , rms

In

2
n 1

FOURIER SERIES ANALYSIS FOR

SQUARE WAVE INVERTER
The quality of ac output voltage or current
can be expressed by total Harmonic
Distortion (THD)

THDv

2
V
n,rms
n2

V1,rms
2
rms

2
1, rms

V1,rms
2
dc

4Vdc

4Vdc
n

THDI

2
I
n,rms
n2

I1,rms

EXAMPLE 1
Consider a square wave inverter
with Vdc=100V, R=10, L=25mH,
and f=60Hz. Determine
i. Fundamental output voltage
ii. THD for output voltage and current and
power absorbed by load

EXAMPLE 2
i. Fundamental output
voltage
2
2
4Vdc 4
V1

100 127.3V Z n R 2 fnL

n

(1)

ii.THDv and THDI

4Vdc
Vn
n
4 100

n
127.3

10

2 n 60 25 10

100 9.43n

.... ii

Vn
127.3
In

Z n n 100 9.43n 2

.... i

.......(iii )

EXAMPLE 2
n

fn (Hz)

Vn (V)

Zn ()

In (A)

Pn (W)

60

127.3

13.7

9.27

429.3

180

42.3

30

1.42

10

300

25.5

48.2

0.53

1.4

420

18.2

66.7

0.27

0.37

540

14.1

85.4

0.17

0.14

EXAMPLE 1 (CONT)
100
THDv

4 100

2 1

4 100

2 1

10000 8106

90.03
0.484
48.4%

THDI

I
n2

2
n , rms

I1,rms
2

0.27
1.42 0.53

2
2
2

9.27

0.167

0.17

16.7%
2

I
Pn I n2,rms R n R
2
P Pn

429.3 10 1.40 0.37 0.14

441W

AMPLITUDE & HARMONIC CONTROL

The amplitude of the
90o

fundamental frequency
n
for a square-wave
output from the fullbridge inverter is
determined by the dc
input voltage.
A controlled output can

I
Z

1
1 1

be produced by

modifying the switching

scheme.
Vn
This output voltage can I n Z
n

4Vdc
cos

4V1

n
R 2 no L

EXAMPLE 2
Design an inverter that will supply the
series R-L load of R=10, L=25mH with a
fundamental frequency of 60Hz and
current amplitude of 9.27A and THD less
than 10%. A variable source is available.

EXAMPLE 2 (CONT)
The dominant harmonic
current is for n = 3
(third harmonic), so the
switching scheme must
eliminate the third
V1 I1Z1
harmonic. 2
I1 R 2 no L
(9.27) 10 1 2 60 0.025
127V
2

eliminate the 3rd harmonic,

90o

30o
3
V1
Vdc

4 cos
127

o
4
cos
30

116V

EXAMPLE 1 (CONT)
Z n R 2 fnL
2

10

2 n 60 25 10

100 9.43n

.... ii

Vn
127
In

Z n n 100 9.43n 2

.......(iii )

EXAMPLE 1 (CONT)
n

fn (Hz)

Vn (V)

Zn ()

In (A)

1
3
5
7
9

60
180
300
420
540

127.3
0
25.5
18.2
0

13.7
30
48.2
66.7
85.4

9.27
0
0.53
0.27
0

0.53 0.27

2
2
THDI
9.27

0.067
6.7% than 10%

TRY THIS
For the full-bridge inverter:
Given :
Dc source = 125 V;
- Load (R-L in series) R = 10 and L = 20 mH
- - switching frequency = 60 Hz.
(a) Determine to produce output with an
amplitude 100V at fundamental frequency.
(b)Determine the THD of the load current.

PULSE-WIDTH MODULATED
OUTPUT
In square wave inverters, maximum output voltage is
achievable.
However there in NO control in harmonics and output
voltage magnitude.
i.e the harmonics are always at three, five, seven etc
times the fundamental frequency.
Hence the cut-off frequency of the low pass filter is
somewhat fixed. The filter size is dictated by the VA
ratings of the inverter.
To reduce filter size, the PWM switching scheme
can be utilized.
In this technique, the harmonics are pushed to higher
frequencies. Thus the cut-off frequency of the filter is
increased. Hence the filter components (i.e. L and C)
sizes are reduced.
The trade off for this flexibility is complexity in the
switching waveforms.

PULSE WIDTH MODULATION

(PWM)

PULSE WIDTH MODULATION

(PWM)
Triangulation method (Natural sampling)
Amplitudes of the triangular wave (carrier)
and sine wave (modulating) are compared to
obtain PWM waveform. Simple analogue
comparator can be used.
Basically an analogue method. Its digital
version, known as REGULAR sampling is
widely used in industry.

PULSE WIDTH MODULATION

(PWM)
Production of PWM waveform using
reference sinewave:

Comparator determines instants at which

waveforms cross in order to produce
switching waveform
PWM output waveform tracks amplitude

PULSE WIDTH MODULATION

(PWM)
As switching frequency is increased,
switching loss becomes issue
Implementation by ICs which essentially
contain tables of pre-calculated values of
switching angles covering range of
output frequencies
As computational speeds of ICs increase,
it is now possible to calculate required
firing angles in real time in order to
optimise strategy for harmonic
elimination, and control, further
improving inverter performance

PULSE WIDTH MODULATION

(PWM) TYPES
Natural (sinusoidal) sampling (as shown on
previous slide)
Problems with analogue circuitry, e.g. Drift, sensitivity etc.

Regular sampling -

simplified version of natural

sampling that results in simple digital implementation

Optimised PWM -

PWM waveform are constructed based

on certain performance criteria, e.g. THD.

Harmonic elimination/minimisation PWM

PWM waveforms are constructed to eliminate some
undesirable harmonics from the output waveform spectra.
Highly mathematical in nature

Space-vector modulation (SVM)

A simple technique based on volt-second that is normally

BIPOLAR SWITCHING

UNIPOLAR SWITCHING

PULSE WIDTH MODULATION IN

UNIPOLAR INVERTERS
The square
wave output
can be
produced using
a comparator
to compare the
triangle wave
with the sine
wave.

HALF-BRIDGE INVERTER

Also known as the inverter leg.

Basic building block for full bridge, three phase and
higher order inverters.
G is the centre point.
Both capacitors have the same value. Thus the DC
link is equally spilt into two.
The top and bottom switch has to be

SHOOT THROUGH FAULT

ANDDEAD-TIME
In practical, a dead time as shown below is required
to avoid shoot-through faults, i.e. short circuit
across the DC rail.
Dead time creates low frequency envelope. Low
frequency harmonics emerged.
This is the main source of distortion for high-quality
sine wave inverter.

INTRODUCTION TO THREEPHASE INVERTER

Each leg (Red, Yellow, Blue) is delayed by 120
degrees.
A three-phase inverter with star connected load is
shown below

THREE PHASE INVERTER

WAVEFORMS

SUMMARY
Have examined operation of inverters as
means of producing variable-frequency,
variable voltage AC source from DC
supply
PWM provides amplitude control of the
fundamental output frequency although
the harmonics have large amplitudes,
they occur at high frequency and are
filtered easily.
Considered voltage-sourced and currentsourced inverters which operate from DC
supplies which approximate constant