Power Electronics Design

H63PED (10 credits)/H54PE2 (15 credits)

Dr Christian Klumpner
Power Electronics, Machines and Control Group

Department of Electrical & Electronic Engineering, UoN
Tower Building, Room 508
email: christian.klumpner@nottingham.ac.uk
All Electronic Material is on WebCT
Where/Why we use
Power Electronics?
- Capture ALL wind energy (MPPT)
- Smooth power into the grid (flicker mitigation)
- Reduce mechanical stress (during wind gusts)
- Reduce noise (optimise rotor speed vs wind speed)
- Add additional functionality (voltage control via reactive power, grid fault/sag ride through etc)
Renewable Energy/reduce CO2 emissions
Hybrid/Electric Car
- Smaller combustion engine/mean power
- Electrical motor=only acceleration/braking
- Reduce fuel consumption/better efficiency
Where/Why we use
Power Electronics?
All/More Electric Ship
- Electrical No mechanical coupling
- Variable speed propellers (no need for adjustable pitch)
- Fixed pitch simpler/cheaper propellers
- Multiple Diesel/Turbo generator sets redundancy
- Multiple pods= added functionality: steering, remove
turbulence, improve efficiency/ Reduce fuel consumption
Where/Why we use
Power Electronics?
Power supplies for TVs, PCs, Laptops, mobile phones
Washing machines, Vacuum cleaners, Air conditioning, Fridges
Interface with Renewable (photovoltaics)
Compact Fluorescent Lamps
Connecting large power systems via DC
Levitated Trains
All/More Electric Airplanes
Electric Railgun
Electric Catapult for Airplanes
Can you name one? (Email me)
Voltage
Current
Power
MPPT
Where/Why we use
Power Electronics?
Introduction
AC motors supplied from fixed volt& frequency =
constant speed limited performance
HOW TO ADJUST AC MOTOR SPEED?

Change of voltage with a series resistor
HUGE LOSSES&VERY LIMITED CONTROL

Change of frequency with rotary converter
Induction motor drives a DC generator (adjustable
excitation) that supplies adj voltage to a DC motor
( adj. speed) mechanically coupled to a
Synchronous generator adj.frequency&Voltage
HIGH LOSSES: 90% efficiency per each
electrical2mechanical conv. stage qTOT=66%

USE POWER ELECTRONICS = efficient way
of converting V/A/Hz/shape by means of
solid state switching devices
Reason for being referred also as static converter
Introduction
AC
DC
DC
AC
Line-side Converter Motor-side Converter
DC-link
Adjustable Speed Drive =Typical power conversion arrangement
AC/DC converter (Rectifier): convert fixed AC voltage&frequency into DC voltage
DC/AC converter (Inverter): convert DC voltage into variable voltage/var. frequency
Why AC/DC/AC? Electrolytic capacitors =compact and cheap, needs only unipolar
switching devices (transistors)
Operation of rectifier, stress on devices (), design of filter (), operation of inverter
Power
grid

(supply)
AC
motor

(load)
Context for Power Electronics

Implementation Aspects
- Power semiconductor devices (technology, behaviour)
- Control platforms
Hardware design: microcontrollers/DSPs, FPGAs, analogue & digital electr.
Programming (C, VHDL, PCBs)
- Interfaces: transducers, gate drivers, optocouplers
- Passive components (technology, behaviour)
- Heat transfer

Power Electronics (core)
- Power converter topologies - Protection
- Commutation techniques - Modelling of Losses
- Modulation techniques - Design of passive components
- Design/selection of power semiconductors

Knowledge about the Supply/Load
- Electrical motors/generators - Power Networks (incl. power quality issues)
Problem Definition/Converter Specs
- Industrial Processes (how to save energy?), Mechanics, Physics, Chemistry
Introduction
Pre requisites
Circuit theory and electronics at first year undergraduate level, knowledge of switching
regulators and single phase rectification (controlled and uncontrolled) such as that provided by
module H62PSE Power Supply Electronics (former H5BPE1 Power Electronic 1)
Aims and objectives of the module
The aim of this module is to provide an in depth knowledge of power electronics
at a level suitable for final year undergraduate students.
Since power electronics is a rapidly growing subject the course tries to reflect this by
covering the well established and widely used technologies (such as three phase
rectification) as well as more recent developments such as resonant converters.
The increasing importance of power quality is also addressed and various high
power factor utility interface circuits are discussed.
Inverter circuits employing pulse width modulation (PWM) are studied due to their
very widespread use in variable speed drives and power supply systems. High power
(multi-level) converter structures are then discussed.
Throughout the course, emphasis is placed on circuits (design and operation) and
their applications rather than on the technology of power switching devices.
Lecture course syllabus
1-ph AC choper; 3-Phase controlled rectification, waveforms and calculations, effect
of overlap. Power factor calculations. Inversion.
Smoothing circuits. Capacitive smoothing, waveforms &analysis. Inductive smoothing,
waveforms& analysis, discontinuous current. Multiple converter circuits and HVDC.

High power factor utility interface circuits, single switch boost converter with input
current wave shaping. PWM rectifiers (pulse converters), control strategies.

TOPIC

Introduction to the course, review of 3-phase supplies and the associated waveforms.

1-ph and 3-ph uncontrolled (diode) rectifiers. Basic mode of operation and
waveforms. Concept and importance of power factor, displacement factor and distortion
factor applied to power electronic equipment.

Overlap in diode rectifiers, waveforms and calculations. Intro to thyristor characteristics.

Resonant converters, review of hard switching, introduction to soft switching and
different types of resonant switches and converters. Forward converter employing zero
voltage switching, analysis and waveforms.
Single phase inverters, the H-bridge circuit and its operation, applications, quasi-
square wave and PWM techniques for voltage and frequency control, typical frequency
spectra, relationship between AC and DC side harmonics.


3-phase PWM inverters, High power (multi-level) converter structures.

Lecture

1

2-3

4-5

6-7

8-9

10-12

13-15

16-17

18-20

AC
DC
DC
AC
Rectifier Inverter
DC-link
3-phase
supply
SMPS
Gate
drivers
Control
Overlap
commutation
Diode
Thyristor
rectifier

Inductive
capacitive
filtering

Resonant
converter

Inverters:
H-bridge,
multilevel

Pulse Width
Modulation

6 and
multipulse

High power
factor
rectifiers

Relevance of course material
Assessment / Booklist
- familiarize yourself with emergency exits (fire alarm)
- do NOT arrive LATE into the classroom
- switch off mobile phones
- attend the lecture equipped with a ruler, 4- or more coloured pens/markers
- Revise material after the lectures using the relevant PSIM simulation models (WEBCT)
Assessment H63PED (=10 credits):
75% EXAM(1.5hour=45marks=7.5 credits) in two sections:
Section 1: compulsory: general questions from all material worth = 17 marks
Section 2: answer 2 questions out of 4, each worth 14 marks = 28 marks
Previous exam papers + solutions available on webct. To be discussed during revision

25% Coursework (15marks=2.5cr): Simulation based study; deadline: 21 Nov 2011

Assessment H54PE2 (=15credits): 10cr.(see above) + 5cr.PRJ; deadline 18 Jan12

Electronic material: all on WebCT, incl. PSIM Simulation models for each circuit studied

Booklist: There are no essential books for this course. However, the following book is
excellent and covers most of the material in this course +2
nd
year power electronics:

Power Electronics: Converters, Applications&Design (Mohan,Undeland,Robbins) Wiley.

Another book worth looking at for power electronics in general rather than specifically for this
course: Elements of Power Electronics ,by Philip Krein, Oxford University Press
Review of 3-phase supplies (1)
Why sinusoidal voltage?
v
i
R
=
1
i v dt
L
=
}
dv
i C
dt
=
Resistor Inductor Capacitor
Behavior of passive components
Proportional Integrative Derivative
Rectangular Voltage:
Rectangular Current
Triangular Current
Pulse Current
Production, transport & distribution system = Resistors + Inductors + Capacitors
We need to preserve the voltage waveform
Review of 3-phase supplies (2)
We need a supply voltage waveform which preserves its
shape when is derivated or integrated sinusoidal
v
i
R
=
1
i v dt
L
=
}
dv
i C
dt
=
Resistor Inductor Capacitor
Behavior of
passive
components
Proportional Integrative Derivative
( )
sin v E t e =
( )
cos
sin
2
E
i t
L
E
t
L
e
e
t
e
e
= =
| |
=
|
\ .
cos( )
sin( )
2
i C E t
C E t
e e
t
e e
=
= +
( )
sin E t
i
R
e
=
Sinusoidal Voltage
Sinusoidal Current
Sinusoidal Current
Sinusoidal Current
Review of 3-phase supplies (3)
Why three-phase voltage systems (120
O
displaced)?
Desired when delivering - smooth power (require less filtering)
- smooth torque in a motor (less mechanical stress, noise)
( ) ( ) ( )
sin sin sin 2 cos( )
2
E I
p v i E t I t t e e e

= = + = + + (

Displacement (v,i) angle = 0
O
Displacement (v,i) angle = 90
O
Only load power lines losses
(reactive power)
Total power flow = smooth
E
I
Review of 3-phase supplies (4)
Assume a STAR connected supply
In practice, the 3 voltage sources represent the voltages generated by 3 coils
(physically displaced by 120
O
from each other) in an AC rotating machine (Alternator)
Line to line voltage
often called line voltage
N
Neutral
A
B
C
Line A
Phase
voltage
Line to
line
voltage
VAN
VBN
VCN
VAB
VBC
VCA
Phasor diagram
Review of 3-phase supplies (5)
Assuming the peak phase voltage is E (a convention used throughout the course) then:
) 3 / 2 sin( ) 3 / 4 sin(
) 3 / 2 sin(
) sin(
t e t e
t e
e
+ = =
=
=
t E t E V
t E V
t E V
CN
BN
AN
B lags A by 120
O
, C lags B
by 120
O
etc

This is for phase sequence A-B-C, A-C-B is also possible we will always assume
A-B-C
Drawing a phasor diagram and converting back to time functions, it is easy to show
that the line voltages are given by:
3 sin( / 6)
3 sin( / 2)
3 sin( 5 / 6)
AB
BC
CA
V E t
V E t
V E t
e t
e t
e t
= +
=
= +
3-phase supplies are specified using the RMS line voltage. Hence a 415V, 50Hz,
3-phase system means:
t e 100 , V 415
2
3
= =
E
Potential Exam Questions
- Name a few industrial applications where the use of power electronics is essential
- Explain how wind turbines benefit from the use of power electronics
- Explain how power electronics can contribute to cost&energy savings in transportation
- Which are the three most important benefits of power electronics?
- Why PE is superior to a rotary frequency converter?
- Why PE is used in conjunction to speed controlled AC motors?
- What is the typical structure of a power electronic equipment?
- Why AC voltage is very commonly used to supply electrical loads?
- Why three-phase AC voltage is commonly used to supply high power electrical loads?