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Current Source & Voltage Source Inverters

Current source inverters (CSI) and voltage source inverters (VSI) are the two most common types of inverters used in variable frequency drives. CSI drives use inductive energy storage and output adjustable AC current, while VSI drives use capacitive energy storage and output adjustable AC voltage. Key differences are that CSI drives contain high output current harmonics requiring filters, use less efficient thyristors, and require the motor parameters to be matched, while VSI drives have fewer components allowing for integrated designs, use more efficient IGBTs, and can control multiple motors. Primary applications for CSI drives are torque control and higher horsepower, while VSI drives are well-suited for highly dynamic

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Ahmed El Sebaii
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218 views2 pages

Current Source & Voltage Source Inverters

Current source inverters (CSI) and voltage source inverters (VSI) are the two most common types of inverters used in variable frequency drives. CSI drives use inductive energy storage and output adjustable AC current, while VSI drives use capacitive energy storage and output adjustable AC voltage. Key differences are that CSI drives contain high output current harmonics requiring filters, use less efficient thyristors, and require the motor parameters to be matched, while VSI drives have fewer components allowing for integrated designs, use more efficient IGBTs, and can control multiple motors. Primary applications for CSI drives are torque control and higher horsepower, while VSI drives are well-suited for highly dynamic

Uploaded by

Ahmed El Sebaii
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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What are current source inverters and voltage

source inverters?
SEPTEMBER 16, 2016 BY DANIELLE COLLINS LEAVE A COMMENT

As we’ve discussed before, the main components of a variable frequency drive (VFD)
are a rectifier (also referred to as a converter), which converts AC voltage to DC
voltage, a DC bus (also referred to as a DC link), which filters and stores the DC power,
and an inverter, which converts the DC power back to AC power with the required
frequency and voltage.

While the basic hardware is the same in all VFDs, the inverter section of the drive can
be one of several designs, depending on the application requirements. The two most
common types of inverters are the current source inverter (CSI) and the voltage source
inverter (VSI). As their names imply, current source inverters are fed with constant
current, while voltage source inverters are fed with constant voltage. Consequently, the
output of a CSI drive is adjustable, three-phase AC current, while a VSI drive produces
three-phase AC voltage with adjustable magnitude and frequency.

Topology differences
A key difference between CSI drives and VSI drives is their energy storage method. CSI
drives use inductive energy storage—that is, they use inductors in their DC link to store
DC energy and regulate current ripple between the converter and the inverter.
Conversely, VSI drives use capacitive storage, with capacitors in their DC link, which
both stores and smooths the DC voltage for the inverter. This difference in storage
method has a noticeable effect on drive performance, as we’ll discuss later.
Current source inverter (top) and voltage source inverter (bottom) schematics.
Image credit: Ontario Hydro

The types of power switching devices used are another distinction between the two
drive types. Modern CSI drives typically use gate turn-off thyristors (GTOs) or
symmetrical gate commutated thyristors (SGCTs), which are semiconductor switches
that are turned on and off, creating a pulse width modulated (PWM) output with
regulated frequency. VSI drives commonly use insulated gate bipolar transistors
(IGBTs), which create a PWM voltage output with regulated frequency and voltage.

Performance differences
The output current of a CSI drive contains high harmonics, which necessitates that CSI
drives include filters on the input and output sides. Because of the additional
components, CSI drives are typically non-integrated, meaning that the transformer
(required in high-horsepower applications) and harmonic filters are separate from the
drive. VSI drives, with fewer components, are often supplied as integrated designs, with
smaller footprints than non-integrated, CSI designs. The use of fewer components also
gives VSI drives a better mean time between failure (MTBF) rate in many cases.

VSI drives are typically more efficient than CSI designs. This is because the IGBT
switching devices used in VSI drives are inherently more efficient than the GTO or
SGCT devices used in CSI versions. Both types of drives, CSI and VSI, are capable of
returning regenerative energy from the load to the line, but CSI drives are also capable
of returning energy to the supply. In order for VSI drives to do this, they require an
additional converter.

With CSI drives, the load (motor) parameters are an integral part of the control system,
so the motor must be matched to the drive, which precludes the use of one drive for
controlling multiple motors.

Primary applications for CSI drives are those that require torque control (which is
achieved by controlling current). They also typically have higher horsepower ratings
than VSI designs. VSI drives, on the other hand, are well-suited for highly dynamic
applications, with fast changes in motor speed or torque, thanks to the fast switching
times of IGBT devices.

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