CROWBAR

THEORY OF OPERATION

1.1 CROWBAR CONTROL CIRCUITS

Critical to the operation of the crowbar power switch is reliable control of the trigger
signals that turn the crowbar power switch on. The crowbar power switch thyristors must
be triggered such that sustained overvoltage of the machine field is prevented, yet
triggering must not occur under any condition where the six-SCR bridge is expected to
continue operating and not shut down. Triggering of the thyristors must also be
coordinated with blocking of the trigger pulses from the control chassis, so that the
current path through the crowbar power switch is the only one available to field current
during excitation system shutdown. Blocking pulses prevent damage to the bridge
thyristors from excessive current while minimizing the time necessary to fully discharge
the field to zero current via CR7 and CR8. Furthermore, in a paralleled system,
simultaneous triggering of all crowbar circuits is necessary to keep any one circuit from
conducting currents in excess of the individual-chassis rating. The crowbar control
circuits (located on the Rectifier Control #2 PCB) provide this level of control. The block
diagram for this important function is shown in Figure 2.
 R E C T IF IE R C O N T R O L # 2 P C B To F+
E x t e r n a l C r o w b a r T r ig g e r C o n t a c t and
C R F+

F orw ard
EXTER N AL C row bar
PO W ER P ow er
T R IG G E R
SU PPLY S w itc h
T r a n s is to r

O VER VO LT A G E O PTO-
D ETEC TO R IS O L A T O R O PTO- PU LSE
IS O L A T O R A M P L IF IE R
F ow ard
T r ip L e v e l F orw ard
To C R F+
A d ju s t D is tr ib u tio n
N e tw o r k
F O R W A R D S E C T IO N PO W ER O u tp u t
SU PPLY

C RO W BAR C R O W BAR
POW ER D IS T R IB U T IO N
SU PP LY N ETW ORK
D R O P P IN G D R O P P IN G
R E S IS T O R R E S IS T O R

PO W ER
R E V E R S E S E C T IO N SU PPLY
R everse
To C R F- D is tr ib u tio n
R everse N e tw o r k
T r ip L e v e l O u tp u t
A d ju s t
OPTO - PU LSE
O VER VOLT AGE O PTO- IS O L A T O R A M P L IF IE R
D ETEC TO R IS O L A T O R
R everse
C row bar
P ow er
PO W ER S w itc h
SU PPLY T r a n s is to r

F ie ld
D 2644-04 D is c h a r g e
07-23-97 R e s is to r
To F-
and
CRF-

Figure 5. Rectifier Control # 2 Printed Circuit Board

Crowbar control is composed of two virtually identical sections. The forward section
controls CR7 (signal common is tied to the cathode of CR7). The reverse section controls
CR8 (signal common is tied to the cathode of CR8). The difference between the two
sections is the presence of the External Trigger functional block in the forward section.
The reverse section does not contain this block.
Each crowbar control triggers the associated SCR under the following conditions. Only
one section is triggered at any given time, dependent upon the field voltage polarity at
that time. Either section triggers the SCR when the SCR anode-to-cathode voltage (equal
to field voltage prior to triggering) is positive and exceeds a factory-preset level (set by
the Trip Level Adjust for that section). For this 375 volt chassis, the trip level for each
section is set for 1150 volts (slightly above the peak voltage seen during the 160% of
rated ac power input condition). The forward section can be enabled to trigger at any
SCR anode-to-cathode voltage level sufficient to fully energize the power supply for that
section. The forward section is enabled by closing the external contact connected to the
Crowbar External Trigger input. This results in triggering at a much lower voltage (less
than 750 volts) than the trip level above. This method of triggering is used during normal
shutdown of the excitation system, providing an alternate, resistive path for field current
to freewheel and dissipate the stored energy in the machine field.
1.1.1 Power Supply
Both crowbar sections derive their power from the field voltage. Each section is active
and powered only when the anode-to-cathode voltage of its SCR is positive. Since the
anode of each SCR is connected to the signal common of the opposite control section,
that signal common is the power input for the active section. When a section is inactive
(it has negative voltage across its SCR), bypass diodes (CR17 and CR25 in the forward
section, CR16 and CR27 in the reverse section) clamp the negative excursion of the
power supply to one diode drop below signal common. These diodes allow current flow
through the two (off-board) dropping resistors (R5 and R7) to the active section. The
mirror image configuration of the two control sections allows the use of common dropping
resistors.
Blocking diodes (CR22 and CR24, CR23 and CR26) prevent discharge of the power
supplies when the field voltage changes polarity. This stabilizes each power supply to
maintain reliable sensing and triggering under all conditions. The power supplies are
shunt regulated by zener diodes (VR5/VR6/VR7 and VR11/VR12/VR14). The power supply
capacitors (C8/C15/C17 and C13/C16/C18) are sized such that sufficient energy is present
to trigger the SCR with voltage sufficient to properly operate the circuit even if the field
voltage jumps from zero to the trip level instantaneously. The voltage requirement sets
an upper bound on the total capacitance that can be used in each supply. It should not
be increased or there may not be sufficient voltage across the circuit when it is time to
trip!

1.1.2 Overvoltage Detectors

Integrated circuits U10 and U13 are overvoltage detector ICs that monitor the field
voltage. When the voltage at pin 2 exceeds a preset threshold, pin 8 transitions from
near the signal common level to near the power supply level (approximately 30 volts).
As in the case of the power supplies, the signal common of one section is the sense level
of the other. Resistors R13 and R39-R43 are shared by both input sections as one leg of
a voltage divider network. The other leg of this network is the Trip Level Adjust for each
section (R14 for forward, R44 for reverse). These adjustments are factory set for a 1150
volt trip level and sealed.

NOTE
These adjustments should not be changed without express direction from
Basler Electric!

The Trip Level Adjusts allow the precise setting of the overvoltage trip level, regardless of
variation in the dropping resistors or the overvoltage detector IC thresholds. Diodes
CR14 and CR18 allow the resistor current to bypass each Trip Level Adjust when that
section is inactive.
C7 and C11 are used by the detector ICs to set a 150 to 300 microsecond delay in
tripping. This delay resets if the field voltage falls below the trip level. No trigger signal
is output in this case. This action prevents tripping of the crowbar during short-duration
transients such as those induced by lightning activity and allows the storage of sufficient
energy by the power supply to produce a SCR trigger pulse of the proper magnitude and
duration. The trip level must be maintained until the delay is completed for the trip
signal to be generated. The output pulse is connected to the next section through zener
VR19/VR20 which is used to prevent spurious noise from spontaneously producing an SCR
trigger pulse through the rest of the circuitry in the section. The output pulse appears
across TP1 (+) and TP2 (-) in the forward section and TP3 (+) and TP4 (-) in the reverse
section. A representative waveform is shown as Oscillogram 5.
 Oscillogram 5

1.1.3 External Trigger

In the forward section only, transistor Q2 is connected to pin 5 of the overvoltage
detector IC (U10). When the external contact wired between TB12-2 and TB12-3 closes,
optoisolator U9 turns on. U19 turns on Q2 and pulls U10-5 to a voltage level that will
cause U10 to produce an output pulse. U10 produces the output pulse regardless of the
voltage level present at pin 2 or the state of charge of delay capacitor C7. In order to
assure that sufficient energy is stored in the power supply to trigger the forward crowbar
power switch thyristor at this time, Q2 is powered from a power supply circuit consisting
of VR8, C19, R17, and VR18. VR18 prevents Q2 from being energized until the power
supply voltage reaches the proper level.

1.1.4 Distribution Network Outputs

Each output pulse from the overvoltage detector ICs goes through an optoisolator
(U11/U14) and is applied to the gate of a power MOSFET (Q7/Q8) that in turn drives
another optoisolator (U12/U15) to produce the output pulse. This section facilitates the
reliable paralleling of crowbar circuits in multi-chassis installations. The drain and source
of each of these power MOSFETS on each chassis is connected to the equivalent
MOSFETS on all the other chassis. The connection is such that the crowbar circuits on all
chassis simultaneously produce trigger pulses whenever any one circuit is triggered.

NOTE
CRF- is used because in systems where multiple rectifier chassis are
connected in parallel, it is a common point that is shared by all chassis at
all times If FDR (the common point for the rest of the reverse section) was
used for the distribution network, severe problems would occur because
the first section to trigger would see the voltage at FDR attempt to rise well
above the other, untriggered sections until they triggered. This would
produce extremely high currents in the crowbar control section that would
destroy the board.

This interconnection is implemented through TB13 and TB14. TB13-4 is connected to

CRF+ and TB14-4 is connected to CRF- ON THE FIRST RECTIFIER CHASSIS IN THE SYSTEM
ONLY! The first chassis is usually the leftmost rectifier chassis in the cabinet. The wires
that make this interconnection on all other chassis must be disconnected. Then, using
600 volt shielded, twisted-pair cable, TB13-1 of the first chassis is connected to TB13-5 of
the next chassis in line, while TB13-2 of the first chassis is connected to TB13-4 of the
next chassis. The shield is connected to TB13-3 on the first chassis and does not connect
to TB13 at the next chassis. If present, interconnection to the third (fourth) chassis in line
is continued from TB13 of the second (third) chassis in the same way (1 to 5, 2 to 4). The
shield of the cable between the second and third (third and fourth) chassis is tied directly
to the shield of the preceding cable, and not to TB13. This interconnection must be
followed to assure effective shielding and noise immunity. TB14 on each rectifier chassis
is interconnected to TB14 on all other chassis in the same manner as described for TB13

1.1.5 Pulse Amplifiers

The optoisolator output pulses from U10/U12 (powered from shunt supplies regulated by
VR9/VR13) are applied to the gates of logic-level MOSFETS Q3/Q5. Q3/Q5 in turn
activates power MOSFETS Q4/Q6 to produce the SCR trigger pulse. A representative
waveform of this trigger pulse is shown as Oscillogram 6.

Oscillogram 6

1.2 CROWBAR INDICATOR

TB17-1 and TB17-2 are connected to F- and FDR, respectively, through dropping resistor
R6. These inputs are effectively connected across the external field discharge resistor.
When voltage appears across these terminals, it is a reliable indication that current is
flowing through the discharge resistor. This occurs only when either section of the
crowbar triggers. This voltage energizes the input of U16 if the voltage at FDR is
negative relative to F- (which results when the forward crowbar is triggered) or U17 if the
voltage at FDR is positive relative to F- (which results if the reverse crowbar is triggered).
These outputs are separately available at J2-2,15 (FWD) and J2-3,16 (REV) when jumpers
J101-J104 are removed. (This disables Schmitt-trigger inverter U18-1,2, level shifter U27,
and MOSFET relay driver Q9.) These two outputs are connected to the Multi-Bridge
Interface to facilitate excitation system shutdown whenever either indicator output (on
any chassis) shows the flow of crowbar current. SHUTDOWN IS ESSENTIAL to prevent
continuous crowbar current flow and possible damage to the crowbar power switch and
discharge resistor.