Experiment Five Quenching Circuit

Step down DC
Chopper using
Thyristor
Experiment Five: Quenching Circuit Step down DC Chopper using Thyristor.

1-The Objectives of the Experiment:

 To be familiar with the using of PWM and PFM.
 To understand the PWM control method in DC chopper circuits.
 To understand the operation of quenching DC chopper using Thyristor.

2- Theoretical Background:
A quenching circuit in the context of a step-down DC chopper using a Thyristor
refers to a system designed to control the turn-off or quenching of the Thyristor after it
has been triggered and is conducting current. In a step-down DC chopper (also known as
a buck converter), a Thyristor is typically used as a switching device to regulate the output
voltage by controlling the duration for which the current flows through the load. The
quenching circuit ensures the Thyristor turns off properly, avoiding unwanted power
dissipation and maintaining the efficiency of the system.

A DC-DC chopper is a power electronic circuit used to step down (or step up) DC
voltage. The step-down (buck) chopper reduces the input DC voltage to a lower output
voltage. In this case, a Thyristor (also known as a SCR, Silicon-Controlled Rectifier) can
be used as the main switching element.

Here's a basic breakdown of the circuit:

1. Input DC voltage: This is the source voltage that will be stepped down.

2. Thyristor (SCR): Acts as the main switch in the chopper circuit. It controls the
voltage output by alternating between conducting (ON) and non-conducting
(OFF) states.

3. Inductor and Capacitor: The inductor smooths the output current, while the
capacitor helps smooth the output voltage.

4. Load: The connected device or system that uses the DC voltage.

Operation of the Step-down DC Chopper.

1. Thyristor Conducting (ON): When the Thyristor is turned on, the input DC
voltage is applied to the load through the inductor and capacitor, and energy is
delivered to the load.

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Experiment Five: Quenching Circuit Step down DC Chopper using Thyristor.

2. Thyristor Off-State (Non-conducting): The Thyristor turns off at a specific time,

stopping the current flow. The energy stored in the inductor keeps the current
flowing through the load, while the capacitor smooths out the voltage.

The operation involves the on-off control of the Thyristor to regulate the average voltage
supplied to the load, and it requires the Thyristor to turn off at precise moments.

Role of the Quenching Circuit

The quenching circuit is crucial for ensuring that the thyristor turns off properly. Here's
how:

1. Triggering the Thyristor: Initially, the thyristor is in the off-state. When a proper
triggering signal is applied, the thyristor starts conducting and allows current to
flow.

2. Turn-off Requirement: After the thyristor is conducting, we need to stop the

current flow when the thyristor should turn off. Simply removing the gate trigger
is not enough because a thyristor continues to conduct until the current drops
below a certain threshold (called the holding current). The quenching circuit is
designed to help force the thyristor into a non-conducting state.

3. Forced Turn-off: To quench or turn off the thyristor, the quenching circuit must
provide a rapid reduction in current, which can be achieved by:

o Reducing the current through the thyristor: This is done by providing

a low-impedance path to rapidly discharge any stored energy in the device.

o Using a parallel circuit with a resistor or inductor: This can help

dissipate the energy and ensure the thyristor reaches the off-state.

4. Avoiding Latching: Without proper quenching, the thyristor might stay latched in
the conducting state even after the gate signal is removed. The quenching circuit
ensures that the thyristor turns off and doesn't stay latched in the on-state, which
could cause excessive heating and damage.

To turn-off the main thyristor, in current commutated chopper, Entire main

Thyristor's current should transfer to capacitor. For that, the capacitor polarities should
reverse. To get this, we turn-on auxiliary SCR.

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Experiment Five: Quenching Circuit Step down DC Chopper using Thyristor.

To calculate the starting point of turn-off time of SCR:

t-off = Time to get capacitor reversed (t1) + Time to get capacitor current equal to load
current (t2).

𝑡1 = 𝜋√𝐿𝐶

1
𝜔=
√𝐿𝐶
𝑖𝑜
𝑡2 = ( )/𝜔
𝐶
𝑉𝑑𝑐 √ 𝐿

Where io is the constant load current when the main thyristor is on, Vdc is the input DC
voltage.

Figure 1: DC chopper using thyristor.

Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) is a technique used to encode a message or control

a device by varying the width of pulses in a signal. The fundamental idea behind PWM is
to adjust the duty cycle of a periodic square wave (on/off signal) to control the power
delivered to a load, the speed of motors, the brightness of LEDs, or other applications where
the average power needs to be controlled.

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Experiment Five: Quenching Circuit Step down DC Chopper using Thyristor.

Key Concepts of PWM

1. Frequency (Period): The frequency of a PWM signal is the rate at which the
signal oscillates from low to high (or off to on) in a given time period. It is the
reciprocal of the period (the time taken for one complete cycle of high and low
states). The unit of frequency is typically Hertz (Hz).

2. Duty Cycle: The duty cycle is the percentage of time that the signal is high (on)
during one period of the waveform. It is the key parameter that controls the amount
of power delivered to a load.

o Duty cycle = ton / t period *100%

o A duty cycle of 100% means the signal is continuously on (high).

o A duty cycle of 0% means the signal is continuously off (low).

o A duty cycle of 50% means the signal is on for half of the period and off
for the other half.

3. Pulse Duration (Width): The time duration for which the signal stays in the high
state in each cycle is called the pulse width. This is what directly affects the duty
cycle. A longer pulse width corresponds to a higher duty cycle, meaning the load
will be powered more.

3- Apparatus:
 AC voltage source.
 Oscilloscope.
 Multimeters.
 Power Thyristors.
 Resistors.
 Inductors.
 Capacitors.
 Diodes.

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Experiment Five: Quenching Circuit Step down DC Chopper using Thyristor.

4- Procedure
Part One
(Mat lab – Simulink Application): DC chopper using thyristor.

I. Build the following model.

II. Consider the following parameters to calculate the required values:

i. Vdc = 100 volt.
ii. R = 10 Ohm.
iii. L = 1e-6 H.
iv. C = 25e-6 F.
v. Frequency = 50 Hz.
III. Calculate the parameters mentioned below

Thyristor’s turn off time

Duty cycle Ton Vdc (output)

10%

25%

50%

80%

95%

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Experiment Five: Quenching Circuit Step down DC Chopper using Thyristor.

Part Two (Practical Work): Experiment Procedure:

Figure (2): The main circuit.

Figure (3): The control circuit.

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Experiment Five: Quenching Circuit Step down DC Chopper using Thyristor.

1. Connect +15V, -15V, GND to the direct current units.

2. Build the circuits in the figures 2+3.
3. Set the frequency of the GOTT module 588007 to 50Hz.
4. Switch on the GOTT modules 588001&588002.
5. Use DMM to measure the reference voltage.
6. On the oscilloscope choose the DC coupling.
7. Watch the output on the oscilloscope when potentiometer voltage = 2, 3, 4, 5 volts.
8. Fill the table below. Draw the relation of (Vref - Ton).
9. Draw the relation of (Duty cycle – output voltage).

Vref (V) Ton (mSec) Duty cycle % Vdc (output) V

Discussion Questions:

1. Compare between hard switching and soft switching in PWM

converters.
2. What is the function of DC-DC converters?
3. What is the deference between DC chopper and voltage regulator?

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