AC VOLTAGE

CONTROLLERS
Chapter 11
Power Electronics Circuits, Devices and Applications
By Muhammad H. Rashid
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Introduction
The power flow into a load can be controlled by
varying the rms value of the load voltage.

This can be accomplished by thyristors, and this

type of power circuit is known as ac voltage
controllers.

The most application of ac voltage controllers

are:
Industrial heating
On-load transformer tap changing
Light controls
Speed control of induction motors
AC magnet controls
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For power transfer, two types of control are

normally used:
On-off Control
Phase angle control

In on-off control, thyristor switches connect the

load to the ac source for a few cycles of the
input voltage and then disconnected for a few
cycles.
In phase control, thyristor switches connect the
load to the ac source for a portion of each cycle.
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The ac voltage controllers can be classified into

two types:
Single-Phase Controllers
Three-Phase Controllers

Each type can be subdivided into:

Unidirectional or Half-Wave Control
Bidirectional or Full-Wave Control

Since the input voltage is ac, thyristors are line

commutated.
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Typically phase control thyristors which are

cheaper are used.

For applications up to 400 Hz, TRIACs are

used.

Principle of On-Off Control

The principle of on-off control can be explained
with the following single-phase full-wave
controller.

This type of control is applied in applications

which have high mechanical inertia and high
thermal time constant.
Typical examples are industrial heating and
speed control of motors.
If the input voltage is connected to load for n
cycles and is disconnected for m cycles, the
output load voltage is found from:
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Vo rms

n
2
2
=
2Vs sin t d ( t )

0
2 (n + m)

Vo rms = Vs

1/ 2

n
= Vs k
m+n

Note that k is called the duty cycle, and the

power factor and output voltage vary with the
square root of k.

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Principle of Phase Control

The principle of phase control can be explained
with the following circuit.

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Due to the presence of diode D1, the control

range is limited.
The rms output voltage can only be varied
between 70.7 to 100%.
The output voltage and input current are
asymmetrical and contain a dc component.
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This circuit is a single-phase half-wave controller

and is suitable only for low power resistive
loads, such as heating and lighting.
Since the power flow is controlled during the
positive half-cycle of input voltage, this type of
controller is also known as unidirectional
controller.
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The rms value of the output voltage is found

from:
2
1
2
2
Vo = { [ 2 Vs sin t d ( t ) + 2Vs2 sin 2 t d ( t )]}1/ 2

2
1
sin 2 1/ 2
Vo = Vs [ (2 +
)]
2
2

The average value of the output voltage is:

2
1
Vdc =
[ 2 Vs sin t d ( t ) +

2
2 Vs
Vo =
(cos 1)
2

2 Vs sin t d ( t )]

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Single-Phase Bidirectional
Controllers with Resistive Loads
The problem of dc input current can be
prevented by using bidirectional or full-wave
control.

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16

The firing pulse of T1 and T2 are 180 degrees

apart.
The rms value of the output voltage is:
2
Vo =
2

2Vs2 sin 2 t d ( t )

sin 2
1
Vo = Vs ( +
2

1/ 2

1/ 2

By varying from 0 to , Vo can be varied from

Vs to 0.
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