 storage element.
Applications: Below is a list of common applications that each converter is used in.
- AC Voltage Controller: Lighting Control; Domestic and Industrial Heating; Speed Control of Fan,Pump or Hoist Drives, Soft Starting of Induction Motors, Static AC Switches (Temperature Control, Transformer Tap Changing, etc.)
- Cycloconverter: High-Power Low-Speed Reversible AC Motor Drives; Constant Frequency Power Supply with Variable Input Frequency; Controllable VAR Generators for Power Factor Correction; AC System Interties Linking Two Independent Power Systems.
- Matrix Converter: Currently the application of matrix converters are limited due to non-availability of bilateral monolithic switches capable of operating at high frequency, complex control law implementation, commutation and other reasons. With these developments, matrix converters could replace cycloconverters in many areas.
- DC Link: Can be used for individual or multiple load applications of machine building and construction.
Simulations of power electronic systems
Power electronic circuits are simulated using computer simulation programs such as PLECS, PSIM and MATLAB/simulink. Circuits are simulated before they are produced to test how the circuits respond under certain conditions. Also, creating a simulation is both cheaper and faster than creating a prototype to use for testing.
Applications of power electronics range in size from a switched mode power supply in an AC adapter, battery chargers, audio amplifiers, fluorescent lamp ballasts, through variable frequency drives and DC motor drives used to operate pumps, fans, and manufacturing machinery, up to gigawatt-scale high voltage direct current power transmission systems used to interconnect electrical grids. Power electronic systems are found in virtually every electronic device. For example:
- DC/DC converters are used in most mobile devices (mobile phones, PDA etc.) to maintain the voltage at a fixed value whatever the voltage level of the battery is. These converters are also used for electronic isolation and power factor correction. A power optimizer is a type of DC/DC converter developed to maximize the energy harvest from solar photovoltaic or wind turbine systems.
- AC/DC converters (rectifiers) are used every time an electronic device is connected to the mains (computer, television etc.). These may simply change AC to DC or can also change the voltage level as part of their operation.
- AC/AC converters are used to change either the voltage level or the frequency (international power adapters, light dimmer). In power distribution networks AC/AC converters may be used to exchange power between utility frequency 50 Hz and 60 Hz power grids.
- DC/AC converters (inverters) are used primarily in UPS or renewable energy systems or emergency lighting systems. Mains power charges the DC battery. If the mains fails, an inverter produces AC electricity at mains voltage from the DC battery. Solar inverter, both smaller string and larger central inverters, as well as solar micro-inverter are used in photovoltaics as a component of a PV system.
Motor drives are found in pumps, blowers, and mill drives for textile, paper, cement and other such facilities. Drives may be used for power conversion and for motion control. For AC motors, applications include variable-frequency drives, motor soft starters and excitation systems.
In hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), power electronics are used in two formats: series hybrid and parallel hybrid. The difference between a series hybrid and a parallel hybrid is the relationship of the electric motor to the internal combustion engine (ICE). Devices used in electric vehicles consist mostly of dc/dc converters for battery charging and dc/ac converters to power the propulsion motor. Electric trains use power electronic devices to obtain power, as well as for vector control using pulse width modulation (PWM) rectifiers. The trains obtain their power from power lines. Another new usage for power electronics is in elevator systems. These systems may use thyristors, inv