2. SCR Turn off
• To turn OFF the conducting SCR the below
conditions must be satisfied.
• The anode or forward current of SCR must be
reduced to zero or below the level of holding
current and then,
• A sufficient reverse voltage must be applied across
the SCR to regain its forward blocking state.
•SCR Turn OFF Methods
•Natural Commutation
•Forced Commutation
•Class A Commutation
•Class B Commutation
•Class C Commutation
•Class D Commutation
•Class E Commutation
Turn off process is called commutation.
Commutation means the transfer of currents
from one path to another.
it cannot be turned OFF through the gate .
It turn off by reducing the anode or forward current below the holding
current level.
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3. But if we apply the forward voltage immediately after
the current zero of SCR, it starts conducting again
even without gate triggering.
This is due to the presence of charge carriers in the
four layers. Therefore, it is necessary to apply the
reverse voltage, over a finite time across the SCR to
remove the charge carriers.
Hence the turn OFF time is defined as the time
between the instant the anode current becomes zero
and the instant at which the SCR retains the forward
blocking capability.
The excess charge carriers from the four layers must
be removed to bring back the SCR to forward
conduction mode.
This process takes place in two stages.
In a first stage excess carriers from outer layers are
removed and in second stage excess carriers in the
inner two layers are to be recombined.
Hence, the total turn OFF time tq is divided into two
intervals; reverse recovery time trr and gate recovery
time tgr.
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4. Thyristor Commutation
• But after turning on, it will conduct continuous until the
thyristor is reverse biased or the load current falls to zero.
• The process used for turning off a thyristor is called as
commutation.
• By the commutation process, the thyristor operating mode
is changed from forward conducting mode to forward
blocking mode.
• the thyristor commutation methods or thyristor
commutation techniques are used to turn off.
• The commutation techniques of thyristors are classified into
two types:
1. Natural Commutation
2. Forced Commutation
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5. Natural Commutation (Line Commutation)
• Generally, if we consider AC supply, the
current will flow through the zero
crossing line while going from positive
peak to negative peak. Thus, a reverse
voltage will appear across the device
simultaneously, which will turn off the
thyristor immediately. This process is
called as natural commutation as
thyristor is turned off naturally without
using any external components or circuit
or supply for commutation purpose.
• Natural commutation can be observed in
AC voltage controllers, phase controlled
rectifiers and cycloconverters.
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6. Forced Commutation
• The thyristor can be turned off by reverse biasing the SCR or by using active or passive
components.
• Thyristor current can be reduced to a value below the value of holding current. Since,
the thyristor is turned off forcibly it is termed as a forced commutation process.
• The basic electronics and electrical components such as inductance and capacitance are
used as commutating elements for commutation purpose.
• Forced commutation can be observed while using DC supply; hence it is also called as DC
commutation.
• The external circuit used for forced commutation process is called as commutation circuit
and the elements used in this circuit are called as commutating elements.
The Forced commutation is classified as-
a) Voltage commutation
b) Current commutation
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7. • • Current commutation-SCR is turned off by reducing anode current
below holding current.
• Voltage commutation-SCR is turned off by applying large reverse
voltage across it.
• Classification of Forced Commutation Methods.
The forced commutation can be classified into different methods as
follows:
1. Class A: Self commutated by a resonating load
2. Class B: Self commutated by an LC circuit
3. Class C: C or L-C switched by another load carrying SCR
4. Class D: C or L-C switched by an auxiliary SCR
5. Class E: An external pulse source for commutation
6. Class F: AC line commutation
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9. Class A: Self Commutated by a Resonating Load
When the SCR is triggered, anode current flows
and charges up C with the dot as positive.
The L-C-R form a second order under-damped
circuit.
The current through the SCR builds up and
completes a half cycle. The inductor current will
then attempt to flow through the SCR in the
reverse direction and the SCR will be turned off.
The capacitor voltage is at its peak when the SCR
turns off and the capacitor discharges into the
resistance in an exponential manner. The SCR is
reverse-biased till the capacitor voltages returns to
the level of the supply voltage V.
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10. Class B: Self Commutated by an L-C Circuit
The Capacitor C charges up in the dot as positive
before a gate pulse is applied to the SCR. When
SCR is triggered, the resulting current has two
components. The constant load current Iload flows
through R – L load. This is ensured by the large
reactance in series with the load and the
freewheeling diode clamping it. A sinusoidal
current flows through the resonant L- C circuit to
charge-up C with the dot as negative at the end of
the half cycle. This current will then reverse and
flow through the SCR in opposition to the load
current for a small fraction of the negative swing
till the total current through the SCR becomes
zero. The SCR will turn off when the resonant–
circuit (reverse) current is just greater than the
load current. The SCR is turned off if the SCR
remains reverse biased for tq>toff, and the rate of
rise of the reapplied voltage < the rated value.
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11. Class C: C or L-C Switched by another Load
Carrying SCR This configuration has two SCRs.
One of them may be the main
SCR and the other auxiliary. Both
may be load current carrying
main SCRs. Assume SCR2 is
conducting. C then charges up in
the polarity shown. When SCR1
is triggered, C is switched across
SCR2 via SCR1 and the discharge
current of C opposes the flow of
load current in SCR2.
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12. Class D: L-C or C Switched by an Auxiliary SCR
The circuit shown in Figure (Class C) can be converted to Class D if the
load current is carried by only one of the SCR’s, the other acting as an
auxiliary turn-off SCR. The auxiliary SCR would have a resistor in its anode
lead of say ten times the load resistance. SCRA must be triggered first in
order to charge the upper terminal of the capacitor as positive. As soon as
C is charged to the supply voltage, SCRA will turn off. If there is
substantial inductance in the input lines, the capacitor may charge to
voltages in excess of the supply voltage. This extra voltage would
discharge through the diode-inductor-load circuit. SCRA must be triggered
first in order to charge the upper terminal of the capacitor as positive. As
soon as C is charged to the supply voltage, SCRA will turn off. If there is
substantial inductance in the input lines, the capacitor may charge to
voltages in excess of the supply voltage. This extra voltage would
discharge through the diode-inductor-load circuit. When SCRM is triggered
the current flows in two paths: Load current flows through the load and
the commutating current flows through C- SCRM -L-D network. The charge
on C is reversed and held at that level by the diode D. When SCRA is re-
triggered, the voltage across C appears across SCRM via SCRA and SCRM
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13. Class E: External Pulse Source for
Commutation
The transformer is designed with sufficient iron
and air gap so as not to saturate. It is capable of
carrying the load current with a small voltage drop
compared with the supply voltage. When SCR1 is
triggered, current flows through the load and pulse
transformer. To turn SCR1 off a positive pulse is applied to the
cathode of the SCR from an external pulse generator via the pulse
transformer. The capacitor C is only charged to about
1 volt and for the duration of the turn-off pulse it
can be considered to have zero impedance. Thus
the pulse from the transformer reverses the
voltage across the SCR, and it supplies the reverse
recovery current and holds the voltage negative
for the required turn-off time.
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14. Class F: AC
Line
Commutated
If the supply is an alternating voltage, load current will flow during the positive
half cycle. With a highly inductive load, the current may remain continuous for
some time till the energy trapped in the load inductance is dissipated. During
the negative half cycle, therefore, the SCR will turn off when the load current
becomes zero ‘naturally’. The negative polarity of the voltage appearing across
the outgoing SCR turns it off if the voltage persists for the rated turn-off period
of the device. The duration of the half cycle must be definitely longer than the turn-off time of
the SCR. The commutation process involved here is representative of that in a
three phase converter. The converter has an input inductance Ls arising manly
out of the leakage reactance of the supply transformer. Initially, SCRs Th1 and
Th1′ are considered to be conducting. The triggering angle for the converter is
around 600. The converter is operating in the continuous conduction mode
aided by the highly-inductive load. When the incoming SCRs, Th2 and Th2′ are
triggered, the current through the incoming devices cannot rise instantaneously
to the load current level. A circulating current Isc builds up in the short-
circuited path including the supply voltage, Vs-Ls-Th1′- Th2 and Vs- Ls-Th2′-
Th1 paths.
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15. Device turn off time and circuit turn off time
• Device turn off time is the time required by the thyristor to regain its
forward blocking capabilities from the time it is switched off, one of
the condition required for it to turn off is that it should have reverse
biased voltage applied across it and the time duration for which it is
done is called circuit turn off time.
• If the circuit turn off time is less than device turn off time then
forward bias voltage gets applied across even before the thyristor
could regain its forward blocking capabilities and gets turn on again or
the device turn off is unsuccessful
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16. • Circuit turn-off time of an SCR is defined as the time
(a) taken by the SCR to turn off
(b) required for the SCR current to become zero
(c) for which the SCR is reverse biased by the commutation circuit
(d) for which the SCR is reverse biased to reduce its current below
the holding current
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17. SERIES COMBINATION OF SCR
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Equalizing resistor R
Vbm = voltage across one SCR
n = no of SCR
^Ib = difference of latching
current
POWER DISSIPATION BY SCR = V^2/R
20. • FIND the value of R if Vs= 1000V, RL= 1 OHM,
rated current of each SCR1= 700 A . Voltage rating
of SCR1=1550 V , SCR2=1450 V. Also find the
power loss in the resistor R.
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