Power Electronics

The series operation of thyristor explains why the serial connection of multiple thyristors is required, how the thyristors operate when serially connected and how can we deal with the drawbacks associated with the circuits that include multiple thyristors. Need for series connection of SCR After the introduction of SCR in 1957, the proposed rating of the thyristors has shown considerable improvement in recent years. At present, the thyristors are available with voltage and current ratings of … [Read more...] about Series Operation of Thyristor

Definition: The compensation of reactive power of the circuit is quite important as it is associated with the value of the power factor. The reactive power compensation corresponds to the controlling of reactive power to increase the performance characteristics of the AC system. There are some methods by which the power factor of the system can be improved and hence these are regarded as methods of reactive power compensation. On a practical basis, it is said that the value of the load power … [Read more...] about Methods of Reactive Power Compensation

Switching characteristics of thyristor sometimes called dynamic or transient characteristics correspond to the representation of dynamic behavior of the thyristor. Basically, the dynamic behavior of the device is associated with its turn-on and turn-off characteristics. We know that in general terms, that a switch is used to connect or disconnect an electrical circuit and the connection and disconnection cause the device to get turned on or off. In a similar way, when the switching … [Read more...] about Switching Characteristics of Thyristor

Definition: Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor is a voltage-controlled ideal switching device formed by the combination of BJT and MOSFET. The IGBT utilizes the best qualities of BJT and PMOSFET to generate a transistor that possesses input characteristics of MOSFET and output characteristics of BJT. It is regarded as an advancement of power MOS technology and is abbreviated as IGBT but sometimes called as MOSIGT i.e., Metal Oxide Semiconductor Insulated Gate Transistor, COMFET i.e., … [Read more...] about Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor (IGBT)

Definition: Static Induction Thyristor generally abbreviated as SITH is a self-controlled device similar to a gate turn-off thyristor. A SITH has three terminals namely cathode, anode, and gate. It was developed in the year 1960 by a Japanese engineer and commercially introduced in the year 1988. The commercial use of SITH was promoted by Japanese Universities and Industries. The key feature possessed by static induction thyristor is that it offers the capability of conducting a large … [Read more...] about Static Induction Thyristor

Definition: GTO is an abbreviation used for Gate Turn-Off thyristor. It is regarded as a versatile power semiconductor device designed to get turned on and off by the application of gate current. It was mainly developed to overcome the downsides of the normal thyristor. GTO operates according to its name where the turning off of the device takes place by the action of supply present at the gate terminal. The circuit symbol of gate turn off the thyristor is represented below: Before … [Read more...] about Gate Turn-Off Thyristor (GTO)

Definition: Induction Heating is a contactless electric heating process where electrically conductive materials are heated by the principle of electromagnetic induction. Here heat is generated within the conductive material without making direct contact with the source. We all are aware of the fact that earlier, the heating process that was mostly in use needs direct contact between the metal to be heated and the flame. More specifically, we can say that non-electric heating requires a direct … [Read more...] about Induction Heating

Definition: The word 'static' corresponds to something which undergoes no change or is fixed and a 'switch' is used for the purpose of making or breaking a connection in an electric circuit. The static switch is a device which executes switching operation without the presence of moving parts. Generally, the power semiconductor devices that hold the ability to get turned ON or OFF within a fraction of microseconds, find application as fast-acting static switches. In low power applications, … [Read more...] about Static Switch

Power electronic converters are classified into four major categories. Out of the four major categories, two are further classified. A power electronic system may have one or more power electronic converters. Here in this content, we will discuss each type of power converter in brief. The power semiconductor devices that constitute the power converter exhibit switching characteristics to shape the input power of one form to an output power of some other form. Introduction Power Converters … [Read more...] about Types of Power Electronic Converters

Definition: A study that utilizes electronic power devices from converting one form of electric power into another form of electric power with proper control is known as Power Electronics. Basically, in power electronics, solid-state electronics, is used that performs the action of control and convert of the electric power. Power Electronics is regarded as an important subfield of electrical and electronics engineering. The pictorial representation given below provides an idea about the … [Read more...] about Power Electronics