AC VOLTAGE

CONTROLLERS

Presented by -
Sancoy Barua

Assistant Professor, Department of EEE, CUET

 Ref. T.B.: M.H. Rashid,
Power Electronics: Circuits,
Devices and Applications,
3rd Edition, 2016-2017

Chapter 11

Articles 11.1,11.2,11.3,11.4
(Cont.)

Derivations

Examples

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 INTRODUCTION

• An ac voltage controller is a converter that controls the voltage,

current, and average power delivered to an ac load from an
ac source.
• Some applications:
1. Light dimmer circuits
2. Speed control of induction motors
3. Industrial heating
4. Electric welding
5. On load tap changing of transformer
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 AC VOLTAGE CONTROLLERS

• Employed to vary the RMS value of the alternating voltage

applied to a load circuit by introducing Thyristors between the
load and a constant voltage ac source.
• RMS value of the alternating voltage is controlled by integral cycle
control or controlling the triggering angle of the Thyristors.

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 WORKING PRINCIPLE OF AC VOLTAGE CONTROLLERS

1. Phase Control: The controller uses phase control techniques,

which adjust the phase angle of the AC voltage. By delaying
the triggering of the semiconductors (like thyristors or triacs),
it controls the amount of energy delivered to the load. The
longer the delay, the less power is supplied.

2. Firing Angle: The delay introduced in triggering the device is

known as the firing angle. A smaller firing angle means more
of the AC cycle is used, resulting in higher average voltage and
power to the load.
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 WORKING PRINCIPLE OF AC VOLTAGE CONTROLLERS
3. Voltage Regulation: By varying the firing angle, the AC voltage
controller can effectively regulate the output voltage. This leads to a
controlled power supply to devices, allowing for variations in brightness
for lights, speed for motors, and temperature for heaters.

4. Four-Wire Connection: The AC voltage controller is typically connected

in a four-wire configuration, with two wires providing the input AC supply
and two for the output to the load.

5. Feedback Mechanism: In advanced systems, feedback mechanisms may

be utilized to monitor the load conditions, which allows the controller to
adjust the firing angle dynamically to maintain the desired output.
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CLASSIFICATION

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 TYPES OF CONTROLLING
AC voltage controllers utilize several control mechanisms to regulate the output
voltage and power supplied to the load. The main types of control mechanisms
include:
1. Phase Control (Firing Angle Control)
2. Pulse Width Modulation (PWM)
3. On-Off Control (Integral Cycle Control)
4. Closed-Loop Control
5. Open-Loop Control

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 TYPES OF CONTROLLING
1. Phase Control (Firing Angle Control): This is the most common method used
in AC voltage controllers. The controller adjusts the firing angle of the
thyristors or triacs, effectively controlling the duration for which the
load is energized during each AC cycle. By delaying the triggering
point within the cycle, the controller modulates the power delivered to the
load.

Pros: Simple and effective for resistive loads, allows easy dimming and speed
control.
Cons: Generates higher harmonic distortion and may affect the performance
of inductive loads.
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 TYPES OF CONTROLLING
2. Pulse Width Modulation (PWM):This method involves switching the
output on and off rapidly instead of varying the firing angle. By
changing the width of the pulses (duty cycle), the average voltage
delivered to the load can be controlled.

Pros: More efficient and minimizes harmonic generation compared to

phase control. Suitable for a variety of loads, including inductive and
resistive.
Cons: Requires more complex control circuitry.

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 TYPES OF CONTROLLING
3. On-Off Control (ICC): This basic method switches the load
completely on or off, maintaining a constant voltage when on. It is
typically used in heating applications where precise control is not
as critical.

Pros: Simple and inexpensive, suitable for low-cost applications.

Cons: Less efficient, as it can cause voltage spikes and is not suitable
for applications requiring variable control.

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 TYPES OF CONTROLLING
4. Closed-Loop Control: This involves using feedback from the
output to adjust the control mechanism dynamically. It can
employ sensors to monitor the voltage or current and continuously
adjust the firing angle or PWM signal to maintain the desired
output levels.
Pros: Provides precise control and stability, compensating for
variations in load and supply.
Cons: More complex and costly due to the need for sensors and
advanced control algorithms.
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 TYPES OF CONTROLLING
5. Open-Loop Control: In this system, the controller operates without
feedback. It uses pre-defined settings based on expected load
characteristics.
Pros: Simple and cost-effective for applications where precise control
is not necessary.
Cons: Less adaptive to changing load conditions, which can lead to
inefficiencies.

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INTEGRAL-CYCLE OR ON-OFF CONTROL

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INTEGRAL-CYCLE OR ON-OFF CONTROL

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INTEGRAL-CYCLE OR ON-OFF CONTROL

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INTEGRAL-CYCLE OR ON-OFF CONTROL

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PERFORMANCE PARAMETERS OF AC VOLTAGE CONTROLLERS
1) RMS Output (Load) Voltage

2) Duty Cycle

3) RMS Load Current

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 PERFORMANCE PARAMETERS OF AC VOLTAGE CONTROLLERS
4) Output AC (Load) Power

5) Input Power Factor

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 PERFORMANCE PARAMETERS OF AC VOLTAGE CONTROLLERS
6) The Average Current of Thyristor, 𝑰𝑻(𝒂𝒗𝒈)

7) The RMS Current of Thyristor, 𝑰𝑻(𝑹𝑴𝑺)

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 To Derive An Expression For The RMS Value Of
Output Voltage, For On-off Control Method

𝝎𝒕𝑶𝑵
𝟏
𝑽𝑶(𝑹𝑴𝑺) = න 𝒗𝑺 𝟐 𝒅 𝝎𝒕
𝝎𝑻𝑶 𝟎

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 To Derive An Expression For
The Input Power Factor Displacement
Real Power Power PF
delivered to Load
𝑷 𝑽𝒐,𝑹𝑴𝑺 . 𝑰𝒐,𝑹𝑴𝑺 cos ∅
𝑷𝑭 = =
𝑺 𝑽𝒊,𝑹𝑴𝑺 . 𝑰𝒊,𝑹𝑴𝑺

Apparent Power in
the Circuit
𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒍 𝑷𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓
𝑷𝑭𝒆𝒇𝒇 =
𝑨𝒑𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝑷𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓 𝑰𝒏𝒄𝒍𝒖𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑯𝒂𝒓𝒎𝒐𝒏𝒊𝒄𝒔

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 To Derive An Expression For The Input Power Factor
Key Points -
▪ The total PF (𝑷𝑭𝒆𝒇𝒇 ) of ICC method depends on Displacement (caused
by Phase lag) & Distortion (caused by harmonics).
▪ Since ICC introduces harmonics, Apparent power increases due to non-
sinusoidal current, reducing 𝑷𝑭𝒆𝒇𝒇 .
▪ For resistive loads, 𝒄𝒐𝒔 ∅ is close to unity, but the total PF (𝑷𝑭𝒆𝒇𝒇 ) is
reduced due to harmonics.
▪ For inductive loads, both displacement and 𝑷𝑭𝒆𝒇𝒇 are lower.
▪ The reduced PF is a common disadvantage of ICC, particularly in
applications where harmonics & low PF are undesirable.
5) Input Power Factor

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 6) The Average Current of Thyristor, 𝑰𝑻(𝒂𝒗𝒈)

Here,
𝑰𝑺 = 𝑰𝒎 sin 𝝎𝒕

7) The RMS Current of Thyristor, 𝑰𝑻(𝑹𝑴𝑺)

𝒌 𝝅 𝟐
𝑰𝑻(𝑹𝑴𝑺) = න 𝑰𝑺 𝒅 𝝎𝒕
𝟐𝝅 𝟎

Finally,
𝑰𝒎 𝒏 𝑰𝒎
𝑰𝑻(𝑹𝑴𝑺) = = 𝒌
𝟐 𝒎+𝒏 𝟐
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To Derive An Expression For The RMS value of Thyristor current, 𝑰𝑻(𝑹𝑴𝑺)

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AC VOLTAGE CONTROLLERS

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AC VOLTAGE CONTROLLERS

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SANCOY,EEE,CUET 2/6/2025 29
PHASE ANGLE CONTROL OR, PHASE CONTROLLED SWITCHING
✓ In phase control the switching devices are used to connect the load
circuit to the input ac supply, for a part of every input cycle. That is the
ac supply voltage is chopped using switching devices during a part of
each input cycle.
✓ The controller keeps the switch open (off) for a certain period within a
supply voltage cycle (in general, less than half cycle), and closes the
switch (on) for the remaining period of the cycle.

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 SINGLE PHASE HALF WAVE CONTROLLER OR UNIDIRECTIONAL
CONTROLLER (ASYMMETRIC PHASE)
✓ Power flow to the load is controlled by
delaying the firing angle, 𝜶 of 𝑇1 .
✓ Due to the presence of 𝑫𝟏 , the control range
is limited & the effective 𝑽𝑶(RMS) can only
be varied between 70.7% and 100%.
✓ Suitable only for low-power resistive loads,
such as heating & lighting.
✓ Since the power flow is controlled during the
+ve half-cycle of input voltage, this type of
controller is also known as ‘Unidirectional
Controller’.
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 EQUATION OF OUTPUT VOLTAGE AND OUTPUT
CURRENT
✓ If input AC Supply Voltage across the
Transformer Secondary Winding is
𝒗𝑺 = 𝑽𝒎 sin 𝝎𝒕 = 𝟐𝑽𝑺 sin 𝝎𝒕

and delay angle of 𝑻𝟏 is ω𝒕 = 𝜶

Output Voltage:

Output Current:

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TO DERIVE AN EXPRESSION FOR RMS OUTPUT VOLTAGE

Average Value (DC Value) of Output Voltage

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Disadvantages of Single Phase Half Wave AC Voltage Controller

✓ The output load voltage 𝑽𝟎 has a DC component because the

two halves of the output voltage waveform are not symmetrical
with respect to ‘0’ level. The input supply current waveform also
has a DC component (average value) which can result in the
problem of core saturation of the input supply transformer.

✓ The half wave ac voltage controller using a single thyristor and a

single diode provides control on the thyristor only in one half
cycle of the input supply. Hence ac power flow to the load can be
controlled only in one half cycle.

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Disadvantages of Single Phase Half Wave AC Voltage Controller

✓ Half wave ac voltage controller gives limited range of RMS

output voltage control. Because the RMS value of ac output
voltage can be varied from a maximum 100% at a trigger angle,
𝜶 𝟎𝟎 to a minimum of 70.7% at 𝟏𝟖𝟎𝟎 .

This controller is suitable for low power resistive loads, such as

heating and lighting. The drawbacks of single phase half wave ac
voltage controller can be over come by using a single phase full
wave ac voltage controller.

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PLOT OF 𝑽𝟎(𝑹𝑴𝑺) VERSUS TRIGGER ANGLE 𝜶 FOR A SINGLE PHASE
HALF-WAVE AC VOLTAGE CONTROLLER (UNIDIRECTIONAL
CONTROLLER)

Fig.: Control characteristics of single phase half-wave phase controlled ac voltage controller
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 Example 11.2

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 Example 11.2

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 Example 11.2
(c)

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 Single Phase Full Wave AC Voltage Controller
(Bidirectional Controller) With Resistive Load

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Fig: Single phase full wave ac voltage 2/6/2025 40
controller with Resistive load
 Single Phase Full Wave AC Voltage Controller
(Bidirectional Controller) With Resistive Load

Fig: Single phase full wave ac voltage

controller with Resistive load

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 Single Phase Full Wave AC Voltage Controller with Resistive Load
Input voltage,

Output RMS voltage,

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 Single Phase Full Wave AC Voltage Controller with Resistive Load
RMS current in the load and the source,

Power factor of the load,

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 Example 11.3

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 Example 11.3

Or, Average current of load

𝟏 𝝅
𝑽𝒅𝒄 = න 𝑽 sin 𝝎𝒕 (𝒅𝝎𝒕)
𝟐𝝅 𝜶 𝒎

𝟐𝑽𝑺
𝑽𝒅𝒄 = cos 𝜶 + 𝟏
𝟐𝝅

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 Example 11.3

(d) RMS value of load current,

𝑽𝑶 𝟖𝟒. 𝟖𝟓
𝑰𝑹 = = = 𝟖. 𝟒𝟗 𝑨
𝑹 𝟏𝟎

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 THANK YOU
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