An Economical Auxiliary Commutated Thyristor Three-Phase Inverter Suitable for Pulse Frequency Modulation

A new economical auxiliary impulse commutated thyristor inverter is described that is capable of providing a wide range of output ac voltage and output frequency which is useful in variable speed ac drive applications. Output voltage control is provided by a pulse frequency modulation technique, and input dc voltage to the inverter is constant and can be provided by a diode rectifier bridge. The parameters for the various circuit elements, such as commutating inductances and capacitances, di/dt limiting series thyristor inductances, and dv/dt limiting RC snubber circuits are all calculated from a dynamic simulation of a single-phase version of the inverter circuit using a software named ATOSEC I developed at the Universitédu Québec for a CDC 6400/IBM-370 computer. Experimental results obtained on a practical single-phase inverter are compared with those predicted from computer simulation and performance characteristics obtained in the case of a practical three-phase pulse frequency modulated inverter providing variable output voltage and variable output frequency are reported.