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DC to AC Converter or Inverter | Power Electronics - Electrical Engineering (EE) PDF Download

Introduction

As we have already aware from the term Inverter which is an Electrical Setup used for daily purposes. In Inverter input DC is converted to AC power by switching the DC input voltage in a sequence so as to generate AC output. The Inverter is the power electronic circuit, which converts the DC voltage into AC voltage. The DC source is normally a battery or output of the controlled rectifier.

DC to AC Converter or Inverter | Power Electronics - Electrical Engineering (EE)

  • Output voltage of the inverter may be a square wave, quasi-square wave or low distorted sine wave.
  • Output Voltage of the inverter is controlled by the drives of the switches.
  • Another technique to control the output of the Inverter is Pulse Width Modulation Technique,In this case the Inverter are called Pulse Width Modulated Inverter.
  • Since for the inverter operation input DC is converted to AC output which may contain some harmonics,these harmonics can be reduced by using proper control schemes.

Typical Applications- Un-interruptible power supply (UPS), Industrial (induction motor) drives, Traction, HVDC.

Types of inverter


Inverters can be broadly classified into two types. They are

  1. Voltage Source Inverter (VSI)
    When the DC voltage remains constant, then it is called Voltage Source Inverter(VSI) or Voltage Fed Inverter (VFI).
  2. Current Source Inverter (CSI)
    When the input current is maintained constant, then it is called Current Source Inverter (CSI) or Current Fed Inverter (CFI).

Voltage source inverter (VSI) with variable DC link
Sometimes, the DC input voltage to the inverter is controlled to adjust the output. Such inverters are called Variable DC Link Inverters. The inverters can have a single phase or three-phase output.

DC to AC Converter or Inverter | Power Electronics - Electrical Engineering (EE)

  • 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.
    DC to AC Converter or Inverter | Power Electronics - Electrical Engineering (EE)

Single phase voltage source inverters

DC to AC Converter or Inverter | Power Electronics - Electrical Engineering (EE)

DC to AC Converter or Inverter | Power Electronics - Electrical Engineering (EE)

DC to AC Converter or Inverter | Power Electronics - Electrical Engineering (EE)
DC to AC Converter or Inverter | Power Electronics - Electrical Engineering (EE)
Due to symmetry along x-axis
𝑎o = 0 , 𝑎𝑛 = 0
𝑏𝑛 = 4Vs/nπ

The instantaneous output voltage
DC to AC Converter or Inverter | Power Electronics - Electrical Engineering (EE)
& = 0, For    n = 2,4.....
The rms value of the fundamental output voltage
DC to AC Converter or Inverter | Power Electronics - Electrical Engineering (EE)
DC to AC Converter or Inverter | Power Electronics - Electrical Engineering (EE)
DC to AC Converter or Inverter | Power Electronics - Electrical Engineering (EE)

DC Supply Current

Assuming a lossless inverter, the ac power absorbed by the load must be equal to the average power supplied by the dc source.

DC to AC Converter or Inverter | Power Electronics - Electrical Engineering (EE)
𝑉01 = Fundamental rms output output voltage
𝐼0 = rms load current
𝜃1 = the load angle at the fundamental frequency

Single phase full bridge inverter

DC to AC Converter or Inverter | Power Electronics - Electrical Engineering (EE)DC to AC Converter or Inverter | Power Electronics - Electrical Engineering (EE)

DC to AC Converter or Inverter | Power Electronics - Electrical Engineering (EE)
Instantaneous load current 𝑖0 for an RL load
DC to AC Converter or Inverter | Power Electronics - Electrical Engineering (EE)
Where θn = tan-1(nwL/R)
The rms output voltage is
DC to AC Converter or Inverter | Power Electronics - Electrical Engineering (EE)
The instantaneous output voltage in a Fourier series
DC to AC Converter or Inverter | Power Electronics - Electrical Engineering (EE)

Three Phase Voltage Source Inverter
When three single-phase inverters are connected in parallel a three phase inverter is formed.
The gating signal has to be displaced by 1200 with respect to each other so as achieve three phase balanced voltages.
A 3-phase output can be achieved from a configuration of six transistors and six diodes.

DC to AC Converter or Inverter | Power Electronics - Electrical Engineering (EE)

Two type of control can be applied to transistors, they are such as 180o & 120o conduction 
1. 180-degree conduction.

DC to AC Converter or Inverter | Power Electronics - Electrical Engineering (EE)

Here Q1Q2Q3Q4Q5 & Q6 are the positions of thyristor When 𝑄1 is switched on, terminal a is connected to the positive terminal of dc input voltage.

DC to AC Converter or Inverter | Power Electronics - Electrical Engineering (EE)

When Q4 is switched on terminal a is brought to negative terminal of the dc source. There are 6 modes of operation is a cycle and the duration of each mode is 60o.
The conduction sequence of thyristor or if we replace 123,234,345,456,561,612. The gating signals are shifted from each other by 60o to get 3-𝜑 balanced voltages.
DC to AC Converter or Inverter | Power Electronics - Electrical Engineering (EE)

2. Three phase 120o mode VSI

DC to AC Converter or Inverter | Power Electronics - Electrical Engineering (EE)

The circuit diagram is same as that for 180o mode of conduction.
Here each thyristor conducts for 120o.There are 6 steps each of 60o duration, for completing one cycle of ac output voltage.

Waveform & Harmonics of Square Wave Inverter

DC to AC Converter or Inverter | Power Electronics - Electrical Engineering (EE)

Filtering

DC to AC Converter or Inverter | Power Electronics - Electrical Engineering (EE)

  • Output of the 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 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.

In square wave inverters, maximum output voltage is achievable. However there in NO control in harmonics and output voltage magnitude.

  • 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 utilised.
  • 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)

A better square wave notching is shown below -this is known as PWM technique.

DC to AC Converter or Inverter | Power Electronics - Electrical Engineering (EE)

Both amplitude and frequency can be controlled independently. Very flexible.

1. PWM-output voltage and frequency control

DC to AC Converter or Inverter | Power Electronics - Electrical Engineering (EE)

2. Output voltage harmonics
Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) is a measure to determine the “quality” of a given waveform.

DC to AC Converter or Inverter | Power Electronics - Electrical Engineering (EE)
Study of harmonics requires understanding of wave shapes. Fourier Series is a tool to analyse wave shapes.

3. Harmonics of square-wave

DC to AC Converter or Inverter | Power Electronics - Electrical Engineering (EE)
When n is even cos nπ = 1
When n is odd cos nπ = -1
bn = 4 Vdc/ nπ

  • 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, then nearest harmonic is 150Hz.
  • Due to the small separation between the fundamental an harmonics, output low-pass filter design can be quite difficult.

4. Quasi-square wave

DC to AC Converter or Inverter | Power Electronics - Electrical Engineering (EE)

an = 0, Due to half wave symmetry.

DC to AC Converter or Inverter | Power Electronics - Electrical Engineering (EE)
If n is even then bn = 0
If n is odd then
DC to AC Converter or Inverter | Power Electronics - Electrical Engineering (EE)
In particular amplitude of the fundamental
DC to AC Converter or Inverter | Power Electronics - Electrical Engineering (EE)
In General nth Harmonics will be eliminated if ⇒ α  = 90o/n

The document DC to AC Converter or Inverter | Power Electronics - Electrical Engineering (EE) is a part of the Electrical Engineering (EE) Course Power Electronics.
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FAQs on DC to AC Converter or Inverter - Power Electronics - Electrical Engineering (EE)

1. What is a DC to AC converter or inverter?
Ans. A DC to AC converter, also known as an inverter, is an electronic device that converts direct current (DC) power into alternating current (AC) power. It allows devices that require AC power to be operated from a DC power source, such as batteries or solar panels.
2. How does a DC to AC converter or inverter work?
Ans. A DC to AC converter or inverter works by using electronic components to convert the DC input voltage into a high-frequency AC voltage. This AC voltage is then transformed to the desired output voltage and frequency using transformers and filters. The converted AC power can be used to operate appliances, electronics, or power grids.
3. What are the applications of a DC to AC converter or inverter?
Ans. DC to AC converters or inverters have various applications. They are commonly used in off-grid solar power systems to convert the DC power generated by solar panels into AC power for household or commercial use. Inverters are also utilized in electric vehicles to convert the DC power from the battery into AC power for driving the motor. Additionally, they are employed in emergency backup power systems, telecommunications, and uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems.
4. What are the types of DC to AC converters or inverters?
Ans. There are mainly two types of DC to AC converters or inverters: modified sine wave inverters and pure sine wave inverters. Modified sine wave inverters approximate the shape of a sine wave but have a stair-step waveform. They are cost-effective and suitable for most appliances. On the other hand, pure sine wave inverters produce a smooth and high-quality AC waveform identical to the power supplied by utility companies. They are more expensive but essential for sensitive electronics and equipment.
5. Can a DC to AC converter or inverter be used with any DC power source?
Ans. DC to AC converters or inverters can be used with various DC power sources, including batteries, solar panels, and wind turbines. However, it is crucial to ensure that the DC power source's voltage and capacity are compatible with the inverter's specifications. The inverter should be selected based on the required AC output voltage, frequency, and power capacity, considering the characteristics of the specific DC power source to be utilized.
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