Assignment 2

Advanced power electronics

Name: SOURABH SEN
Roll no.: 0101EX161057

Q1. Explain the operation of switched mode DC power supply?

Ans. A switched-mode power supply (SMPS) is an electronic circuit that converts power
using switching devices that are turned on and off at high frequencies, and storage
components such as inductors or capacitors to supply power when the switching device
is in its non-conduction state.
Switching power supplies have high efficiency and are widely used in a variety of
electronic equipment, including computers and other sensitive equipment requiring
stable and efficient power supply.
A switched-mode power supply is also known as a switch-mode power supply or
switching-mode power supply.
Advantages of switched-mode power supplies:

 Higher efficiency of 68% to 90%

 Regulated and reliable outputs regardless of variations in input supply voltage
 Small size and lighter
 Flexible technology
 High power density

Q2. Explain the voltage mode control and current mode control of control circuit?

Ans. Voltage mode and current mode are the two regulating conditions that
control the output of the supply. Most applications call for a supply to be
used as a voltage source. A voltage source provides a constant output
voltage as current is drawn from 0 to full rated current of the supply. In these
applications, the power supply runs in voltage mode, maintaining a constant
output voltage while providing the required current to the load. A voltage
source is generally modeled as providing a low output impedance of the
supply.
Current mode works in a similar fashion, except it limits and regulates the
output current of the supply to the desired level. When the supply runs in
current mode, the supply provides a constant current into a variety of load
voltage conditions including a short circuit. A current source is generally
modeled as providing a very high output impedance of the supply.

These two regulating modes work together to provide continuous control of

the supply, but with only one mode regulating at a time. These are fast acting
electronic regulating circuits, so automatic crossover between voltage mode
to current mode is inherent in the design. With the programming of the
voltage mode and current mode set points available to the customer, the
maximum output voltage and current of the supply can be controlled under all
operating conditions.

Q3. W h a t i s t h e D i f f e r e n c e B e t w e e n L i n e a r a n d S w i t c h i n g R e g u l a t o r s ?

Ans.

Linear Regulator

As its name suggests, a linear regulator is one where a linear component (such as a
resistive load) is used to regulate the output.

It is also sometimes called a series regulator because the control elements are
arranged in series between the input and output.

Switching Regulator
A switching regulator is a voltage regulator that uses a switching element to transform
the incoming power supply into a pulsed voltage, which is then smoothed using
capacitors, inductors, and other elements.

Power is supplied from the input to the output by turning ON a switch (MOSFET) until
the desired voltage is reached.

Once the output voltage reaches the predetermined value the switch element is turned
OFF and no input power is consumed.

Repeating this operation at high speeds makes it possible to supply voltage efficiently
and with less heat generation.

Q4. What is the need of resonant convertor?

Ans. Among the various kinds of resonant converters, the simplest and most popular
resonant converter is the LC series resonant converter. Where the rectifier load network
is placed in series with the LC resonant network. While much research has been done
on the LLC resonant converter topology ever since its introduction in the 1990s. LLC
resonant converters display many advantages over the conventional LC series resonant
converter such as narrow frequency variation over wide range of load and input
variation and zero voltage switching even under no load conditions. Switched mode
power supplies based on resonant operating converter topologies find increasing
interest for all power levels today. Resonant topologies are typically applied when low
EMI is needed or when the switching losses have to be reduced in order to allow higher
frequencies for miniaturization.
In addition, resonant operation enables high frequency power transfer via a transformer
[7]. For a high efficiency dc-dc converter, the LLC Series-Resonant half-bridge
converter is gaining its popularity. A half bridge parallel resonant converter running
above resonance in the constant output voltage mode was analyzed by M. Emsermann
(1991). Secondary-side control of a constant frequency series resonant converter using
dual-edge PWM was given by Darryl J. Tschirhart and Praveen K. Jain (2010). Constant
Switching Frequency Series Resonant Three-port Bi-directional DC-DC Converter was
given by H. Krishnaswami and N. Mohan, (2008). Design of the Half-Bridge, Series
Resonant Converter for Induction Cooking was given by Henry W. Koertzent et al,
(1995). In this work they dealt with the forced commutated, half-bridge, series resonant
converter is well suited for induction cooking.

Q5. What is the difference between isolated and non isolated power supply?

Ans.
The Isolated Power Supply

Again, as it sounds, an isolated power supply is a power supply that is electrically

isolated from the rest of the circuit it is powering. The ‘barrier’ to most of these isolated
power supplies comes from the use of a transformer. 

Transformers in their essence are great big magnets. These magnets take a typical
alternating current and will aim to either step the voltage up or down depending on your
downstream requirements. The benefit of isolation is that the magnet literally acts as a
magnetic wall of protection in that a large surge that may attempt to pass through the
transformer will stop short. This keeps anything downstream of the transformer
protected, or in other words ‘isolated.’

As previously stated, these power supplies are often required for regulated industries.

However, the fact that a large magnet is most often used to achieve this, you may as
well say goodbye to the space requirements you thought you had. But I (and likely many
others) would prefer a large device that is isolated and safe, rather than a risk of getting
dangerously shocked upon use!

Another caveat seen when using these isolated supplies comes in the form of efficiency.
These transformers are simply just not as efficient as their non-isolated counterparts.
This inefficiency comes from the physics of the transformer itself. Using the iron core as
a ‘lever’ if you will, some energy is lost as heat dissipates through the metal and into the
air (be sure to wave goodbye as it leaves your device).

The Non-Isolated Power Supply

Now that we know what isolates a supply from your board, it becomes rather obvious
that taking the transformer out of the design chain, suddenly makes it a non-isolated
power supply, who would have thought? These supplies often utilize chips to regulate
their power.
Designing a board without power isolation is a common practice especially outside of
the regulatory agencies, however I still urge you to consider the end-user along your
design journey, as you might just save yourself a court case or two when your supply
hits the fan and gives your favorite customer a shock they won’t soon forget.

The upsides of designing these non-isolated power designs are plentiful. First, you’ll
enjoy a nice bump up in space allowance (relative to an isolated design) due to the fact
that you won’t need to put a big fat magnet in your enclosure. [Full Disclaimer: Altium is
an equal opportunity transformer company. We accept magnets of all shapes and sizes
- come one, come all magnets!]

Q6. What is the difference between hard switching and soft switching?

Ans. The terms “hard switching” and “soft switching” refer to the methods of switching
based on the relationship of current and voltage during the turn-on and turn-off of the
IGBT. Hard switching is a switching method that simply uses a device’s own ability.

Figure (a) shows a typical hard-switching current, voltage waveforms and its operating
locus. During on-off transitions, both voltage and current are applied to the device. With
hard switching, collector current and collector-emitter voltage change sharply, causing
switching noise and loss. Hard switching is used for simple switch, motor drive inverter,
and switched-mode power supply applications.

In contrast, soft switching uses an LC resonant circuit to turn on and off a device at zero
current or voltage. Or the voltage and current switching timing is controlled in order to
minimize the intersection of their waveforms. Figure (b) shows typical current and
voltage waveforms of a soft-switched device and its operating locus. Soft switching
helps reduce the switching noise and loss because switching devices turn on and off at
zero or nearly zero voltage or current. Soft switching is commonly used for induction
rice cookers, induction cooktops, and microwave ovens.

Soft switching has an added advantage over hard switching in terms of a safe operating
area (SOA) as shown below.
 (a) Hard switching

(b) Soft switching

Q7. Write avantages of resonant convertors over pwm convertors?

Ans. Advantages of RPC’s over PWM convertors:-
With the earliest switched-mode power converters, it became obvious that higher
frequencies allow smaller L’s and C’s and this, in turn, should lead to smaller, lighter,
and (hopefully) less costly systems. The downside to moving to higher frequencies,
however, are the problems of greater susceptibility to parasitic capacitance and leakage
inductance, greater stress in the switching devices, and increased EMI and RFI. A
resonant mode system offers the potential of achieving the benefits while sidestepping
many of the disadvantages of higher frequencies.
With a resonant circuit in the power path, the switches can be configured to operate at
either zero current or voltage points in the waveform, greatly reducing their stress
levels; the resonant sine wave minimizes higher frequency harmonics reducing noise
levels; and since the circuit now requires inductance and capacitance, parasitic
elements may enhance rather than detract from circuit performance. With these
benefits, power systems operating in the range of 500 kHz to 2.0 MHz are now practical
and in fact, are already being produced by a few leading-edge manufacturers.

1. The main areas of RPCs application are household applications like induction
cookers, portable power supplies, the network connection of renewable
energy mains, and hybrid and electric vehicles.
2. Electric Power Conversion: include a low price tag, light-weight, and small size,
high efficiency, high reliability, and low electromagnetic interference (EMI).
3. Soft switching is a way of ensuring higher efficiency. It can be implemented by
utilizing RPCs. Based on the area of application, the topology can be chosen to
ensure maximum efficiency, ideal cost, and size.
4. The typical range of efficiency for the simplest circuitry is 94-96%, with possible
improvements through synchronous rectification and other small adjustments;
5. Utilizing correctly sized magnetic components, the design is rapid and notably
simplified;
6. Compared to other topologies, the current waveform at high frequencies is
basically sinusoidal with significant reductions in harmonics.
7. MOSFET commutation ON “ZVS” (Zero Voltage Switching) with the associated
elimination of commutation loss, reduction/elimination of dissipators and
reduction of stress and EMI, which are often the causes of the most hostile
design problems;
8. The possibility to reduce consumption with low/zero load by utilizing the functions
“burst mode” and “PFC stop” implemented on many controllers;
9. The possibility of optimal sizing for continuous and temporary power including
some significant improvements on conventional solutions.
10. With respect to other topologies, with the attributes described above, LLC
supplies have reduced dimensions with a notable reduction in EMI/EMC issues.
11. Typical cost savings on dissipators, EMC filters, smaller transformers, etc.