Objectives

To consider circuits containing thyristor which

operate with a DC source voltage (instead of an
AC supply) which cannot rely on natural
Lecture 7 commutation
Forced commutation circuits
Examples of such circuits are DC choppers and
inverters

To consider the development, for these cases, of
forced commutation circuits

To consider in detail forced commutation circuits
including those using external voltage sources,
those using capacitor discharge and those based
on bridge circuits
1
E3002 Power Electronics - Applications 2

Introduction

This is referred to as forced commutation

Large class of power electronic circuits which

The following symbol is used for a thyristor with
operate from DC source
external commutating circuits

For these circuits natural commutation is not
possible

The principal examples of such circuits are DC
choppers and inverters

Where self-commutating devices such as power
Function of a forced commutation circuit:
transistors, power MOSFETs, IGBTs and GTO
First to reduce current through conducting thyristor to
thyristors are used, turn-off can be achieved by zero
control of device base or gate conditions
Then to maintain reverse voltage across this thyristor for

In applications where thyristors are required for a duration equal to or greater than the thyristor turn-off
reasons of rating, then achievement of controlled time, to re-establishes the blocking state
turn-off required use of external circuits

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Commutation by an external voltage source

When switch closes, external voltage source is

External voltage source reduces forward current more preferred route for load current than
through thyristor to zero: thyristor; hence thyristor current falls to zero

Voltage on cathode of thyristor Vs + Vc becomes
higher than that on cathode Vs and thereby
provides and maintains necessary reverse voltage
across thyristor to complete turn-off

Once thyristor turn-off is complete, switch can be
opened to let load current fall to zero

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Switch realised using bipolar transistor:

Alternatively, pulse transformer can be used to
place appropriate voltage across thyristor

Acceptable from power dissipation point of view to use

bipolar transistor to switch off high power thyristor
because bipolar transistor is dissipating power only for
very short interval when thyristor is being switched off

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Simple commutation circuit using a capacitor

This forces thyristor forward current below level of

Reverse voltage can be applied using capacitor: holding current

Reduction of forward current to zero takes place
almost instantaneously

Capacitor discharges through load, maintaining
necessary reverse voltage across thyristor to
complete turn-off before its voltage falls to zero
and it then recharges in reverse direction

Assume that capacitor is initially charged in direction
In practice, additional circuitry provides required
shown (+ −) initial condition voltage on capacitor and initiates

When switch (S) is closed, capacitor provides load discharge
current in preference to thyristor because of its higher
voltage

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Second thyristor T2 acts as auxiliary switch:

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Circuit operation:
Time Action Time Action
t0 With the main thyristor T1 conducting, the t3 Forward current through the commutating
capacitor is charged to Vc = -Vs in the direction thyristor T2 fails below the holding current
shown t4 The main thyristor T1 is fired; the capacitor will
t1 When the commutating thyristor T2 fired, the begin to discharge via thyristor T1, diode D and
capacitor is connected across the main thyristor, the inductance L in an oscillatory fashion
forcing a reverse current through this thyristor t5 The voltage across the commutating thyristor T2
and reducing the forward current to zero. which completed its turn-off falls to zero
Thyristor T2 will then continue to conduct as the t6 After one half-cycle of the oscillation, the current
capacitor continues to discharge through the through the diode attempts to reverse and the
load, maintaining a reverse voltage across the diode ceases to conduct, stopping the oscillation;
main thyristor the capacitor is now charged in the original
t2 The turn-off of thyristor T1 is complete. The direction Vc = -Vs ready for the next commutation
capacitor will then continue to charge in the cycle
reverse direction to Vc = +Vs
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Frequency of oscillation, and hence period, Worked Example On Commutation Circuit

determined by values of capacitor and inductor
Simple commutation circuit using capacitor is used
1
ω= to supply 12Ω load from 36 V DC source
LC
Switching frequency is 250 Hz and main and

Critical aspects of switching cycle: commutating thyristors each have holding current
Required Refer to of 50 mA and turn-off time of 80 µs
Action graph Condition
1) Estimate values of L and C
Turn off T1 VT1 exponential decay time >
thyristor turn-off time
Turn off T2 IT2 IT2 < holding current
VT2 ¼ period > thyristor turn-off
time

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Solution
For t = toff = 80 µs:

Turn-off of main thyristor T1 is complete when capacitor − toff
voltage reaches zero following firing commutating C= = 9.62 × 10 −6 F = 9.62 µF
thyristor 1
R ln

From the curve of VT1: 2
( )

Once current in commutating thyristor has fallen below
VT 1 = −Vs 1 − 2e −t RC level of holding current, reverse voltage must be

When VT1 reaches zero: maintained for toff = 80 µs
1
From curve of VT2, this corresponds to quarter of
e −t RC = oscillation period
2
Oscillation period:

Hence,
−t 1 1 2π
= ln T0 = = = 2π LC
RC 2 f ω
−t
RC =
ln 1 2
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Hence,

2) Find peak and RMS currents in main and
commutating thyristors when mean load voltage is
T0 2π LC at minimum and maximum values.
= = t off
4 4
Solution
2t off
Steady state load current is: IL = 36/12 = 3 A
LC =
Peak capacitor current may be obtained from energy
π
considerations
4t off2 1 1
L= = 0.270 × 10 −3 H = 0.270 mH CV 2 = LI 2
Cπ 2 2 2

For lossless system maximum capacitor voltage is
supply voltage Vs;
C
I C ,max = Vs = 6.8 A
L

This must be supplied by main thyristor

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Peak current in main thyristor:
Since Ih = 50 mA, we have,

I C , max + I L = 6.8 + 3 = 9 .8 A t = 0.553 ms

Peak current in commutating thyristor is capacitor
This is the minimum turn-off time for commutating
current immediately after firing: thyristor
2Vs
If main thyristor is fired before this then commutating
I T 2,max = = 6A thyristor will be forced to turn off but capacitor will not be
R fully charged

Commutating thyristor stops conducting when forward
Usually, off period is made long enough to ensure that
current falls below thyristor holding current Ih; ∴ voltage on capacitor has reached at least 80% of
maximum value
I h = 6e −t RC
Minimum on-time for main thyristor is therefore normally
Ih equivalent to half cycle of oscillatory waveform i.e. 160
t = − RC ln µs
6

Repetition period = 1/250 = 4 ms

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Minimum mean load voltage corresponds to minimum
Maximum mean load voltage corresponds to maximum
on-time of main thyristor; in this case: on period of main thyristor:
12
 1 160×10 
−6
12
I T 1, RMS =
 4 ×10 −3 ∫0
(3 + 6.8 sin ωt )2 dt   1  160×10−6
 ( )
3.447×10 −3 
32 dt 
I T 1, RMS =  ∫ ω ∫
2
−3 
3 + 6.8 sin t dt +
   4 ×10  0 
160×10 −6 
= 1.13 A = 2.95 A

and
I2,RMS remains same as before

12
 1 160×10 −t RC 2 
−6

I T 2, RMS =
 4 ×10 −3 ∫0
6e dt 

( )
 
= 0.52 A

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 The Jones circuit

Simple commutation circuit using a capacitor has
disadvantage that, in order to initiate commutation
sequence following initial turn-on with capacitor
uncharged, capacitor voltage has to be primed

Jones circuit is similar in that it also uses auxiliary
thyristor for commutation purposes but has
advantage of reliably initiating commutation
Operation is as follows:
sequence following initial turn-on 1) Capacitor C is initially uncharged
2) Main thyristor T1 is fired
3) Coupling between inductors L1 and L2 causes a voltage
to be induced into inductance L2 which charges
capacitor C via diode D in direction shown
4) Capacitor C is now charged in correct direction to turn
off main thyristor T1 when commutating thyristor T2 is
fired
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Commutation circuits using resonant turn-off

5) Subsequent operation of circuit follows pattern of simple
commutation circuit, e.g.:
Resonance set up in auxiliary LC circuit can be

iT1 is forced to zero used to turn thyristor off, eliminating need for

VT1 remains < 0 V for at least thyristor turn-off time auxiliary thyristors or diodes, though at expense of

C is charged in reverse direction loss of control over instant of turn-off

Current in T2 falls to zero turning T2 off

Parallel resonant turn-off

Typical parallel resonance circuit for thyristor turn-off:

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Before thyristor is fired, i.e. during thyristor off
Provided iOSC > iL, then when iOSC becomes
period, capacitor is charge to supply voltage Vs negative in 2nd half of its oscillatory cycle, current

When thyristor fired, current flows which can be in thyristor falls to zero and thyristor will be turned
considered as sum of two currents: off

A steady load current IL = Vs/R flows through T to the
Thyristor on-period is function of frequency of
load oscillation of LC circuit and therefore cannot be

An oscillatory current IOSC flows around the loop L, C, T controlled
due to the initial voltage Vs on C

Off-period must be sufficient to allow capacitor to

Current through T is the sum of iL and iOSC
be adequately

Capacitor is usually charged to at least 80% of Vs

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 Series resonant turn-off

Before thyristor is fired, i.e. during thyristor off

Series resonance circuits can also be used for period, capacitor is discharged to 0 V
thyristor turn-off:
Firing thyristor will set up oscillating current which
will turn thyristor off at first current zero, provided
circuit is under-damped, i.e. Q >> 0, where Q =
R/(ωL) = ωCR and ω = 1/√(LC)

Capacitor will then discharge through load

On time of thyristor is determined by frequency of
oscillation circuit
T0 1
t on = = = π LC
2 2 f0

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Commutation circuit using bridge structure

By controlling on and off times of four switching

Bridge circuit often used in systems with DC devices in different ways circuit can provide
supplies
Controllable DC load voltage that can be reversed (class

General structure: C DC chopper) AC load voltage controllable in amplitude
and frequency

In medium-to-high power application where
thyristor are necessary, forced commutation
circuits are necessary to switch off thyristors

In case of bridge circuit, advantage can be taken
of existing bridge structure to develop efficient
forced commutation circuits

Vs is DC supply voltage; T1 – T4 are switching devices

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The McMurray circuit

Thyristor T1 and T2 are main thyristors making up
half bridge

T1a and T2a are their associated auxiliary thyristors

Consider operation at point in cycle when T1 is
conducting and capacitor is charged in direction
shown (+ −)

Structure of circuit is symmetrical

Assume bridge circuit is used to supply inductive
load with load current IL substantially constant
over the commutation (or switching) interval.

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The relevant current waveforms in the circuit are
Operation of the circuit:
as follows: Time Action
t0 The auxiliary thyristor T1a is fired
This allows the capacitor to discharge via T1 and
inductor L, producing an oscillatory circulating
current whose magnitude is arranged to be much
greater than the load current
t1 The forward current through T1 is reduced to zero
At this instant, the oscillatory current is diverted to
diode D1
The forward voltage across D1 now appears as a
reverse voltage across thyristor T1 to complete
the turn-off and re-establish the blocking mode
Hence t2 - t1 must be greater than the thyristor
turn-off time
As the capacitor discharges, its voltage reverse

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Time Action
t2 The discharge current falls below the load current Time Action
At this instant diode D1 stops conducting t3 The load current now decays to zero, turning
Load current continues to flow via the auxiliary diode D2 off and allowing thyristor T2 to be fired,
thyristor T1a, charging the capacitor to the source reversing the current in the load
voltage in the reverse direction at which point T2 would normally be supplied with a continuous
diode D2 starts to conduct gate signal during this period to ensure turn-on at
D2 then continues to take an increasing the earliest appropriate instant
proportion of the load current as the energy in the
magnetic field of the inductor L is transferred to
Opposite half-bridge assumed to have been
the capacitor commutated simultaneously, i.e. T4 is turned off at
This reduces the current in the auxiliary thyristor same time as T1 is turned off
T1a to zero turning it off
The capacitor is now charged to approximately
2Vs in the reverse direction ready for the
commutation of thyristor T2 by the auxiliary
thyristor T2a
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Worked example on the McMurray circuit
Solution

Full bridge circuit used to supply inductive load
Referring to above waveform diagram, interval t2 - t1, for
which there is a negative voltage cross T1, must be ≥
such that load current is continuous during thyristor turn-off time
commutation
This interval = period for which capacitor current Ic >

Load resistance is 12 Ω and bridge supplied from load current IL
constant 400 V DC
Ic has form:
1

Thyristor used have turn-off time of 50 µs I c = I cm sin ω 0 t where ω 0 =
LC

Estimate values of circuit components
t1 is the instant when Ic first equals IL (Ic increasing) and
t2 is the instant when Ic next equals IL (Ic decreasing);
hence:
I L = I cm sin ω0 t1 = I cm sin ω0t 2
1 IL 1 IL
t1 = sin −1 t2 = sin −1
ω0 I cm ω0t1 <π 2
ω0 I cm ω0t2 >π 2

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Maximum capacitor current Icm must be > IL; let Icm = 1.5
Hence:
IL; then 1.6822
ω0 = = 3.364 × 10 4 rad/s
1 2 0.7297 50 × 10 −6 s
t1 = sin −1   = 1
ω0  3  ω0t1 <π 2 ω0 ω0 =
LC
1 2 −1 2.4119
t2 = sin   = 1
LC = 2 =
1
= 0.884 × 10 −9
ω0 ω0
 3  ω0t2 >π 2 ω0 (3.364 ×10 ) 4 2

Let t2 – t1 = thyristor turn-off time = 50 µs
Considering resonance effect, maximum energy in

inductor must equal maximum energy in capacitor
2.4119 − 0.7297 1.6822 1 1 2 1 2
2
C I cm
t 2 − t1 = = = 50 × 10 −6 s CVcm2 = LI Lm = LI cm ∴ = 2
ω0 ω0 2 2 2 L Vcm

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The McMurray – Bedford circuit

Assuming maximum capacitor voltage is Vcm = 2Vs = 800
V
Variation on McMurray circuit:

Load current IL = Vs/R = 400/12 = 33.33 A
∴ Icm = 1.5IL = 50 A
C 50 2
= = 3.906 × 10 −3
L 800 2

From the values of LC and C/L, we have:

L = 0.476 mH and C = 1.86µF

Normally, following constraints on component

values apply:
L1 = L2 = L C1 = C2 = C

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Time Action

Waveforms of currents in circuit are as follows: < t0 With T1 conducting, C1 is uncharged and C2
charged as shown (+ -)
t0 T2 is fired and one end of L2 is connected to the
negative supply rail
Capacitor voltage cannot change
instantaneously, so supply voltage now appears
across L2
As L1 and L2 are close coupled, an equivalent
voltage is induced in L1, raising the cathode
potential of T1 to 2Vs to turn it off
The load current now transfers to T2 and L2,
preserving the Ampere-turns balance in the L1 L2
coil and maintaining the reverse bias on T1
The current in the inductive load is maintained
during this period by the charging currents of C1
and C2

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 Time Action Time Action
As C2 discharges, the voltage across L2 is t3 D2 turns off when the load current reaches zero
decreased, reducing the induced voltage in L1 A reverse load current can now be supplied via T2
At the same time, C1 is charging, eliminating the In practice, T2 would be supplied with a
reverse bias on T1 when the forward voltage on continuous gate signal to ensure turn-on at the
C1 exceeds the reverse voltage on L1 appropriate instant
t1 The load current transfers to D2, at which point C1
is charged to Vs
McMurray-Bedford circuit more robust at start-up
The energy stored in L2 is then dissipated in the
than McMurray circuit
loop L2 -T2 - D2
t2 Current in T2 falls to zero
Does not rely on specific initial conditions
T2 turns off when the energy stored in L2 has
been dissipated
D2 continues to supply a decreasing current

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Summary

Showed that circuits containing thyristors which
operate with DC source voltage (instead of an AC
supply), such as DC choppers and inverters,
cannot rely on natural commutation

Considered introduction, for these cases, of forced
commutation circuits

Considered in detail forced commutation circuits
using external voltage sources, those using
capacitor discharge and those based on bridge
circuits

Next, first application of circuits with DC supplies,
namely DC chopper circuits

E3002 Power Electronics - Applications 51