Using of IGBT in

UPS

THE MERLIN GERIN KNOW- HOW

1.abstract

Author: Jean-Noël FIORINA

Contents

1. abstract.............................................................................................................................3

2. appropriate configurations for each range ....................................................4

n introduction.........................................................................................................................4
n the main functions used in the UPS...............................................................................4
n the main configurations ....................................................................................................5

3. the semiconductors used in the various functions ...................................6

n the thyristor.........................................................................................................................6
n the GTO (Gate Turn Off Thyristor) .................................................................................6
n the MOS transistor (Metal Oxyde Semiconductor)......................................................6
n the bipolar transistor.........................................................................................................6
n l'IGBT (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor)....................................................................6

4. bipolars / IGBT .............................................................................................................8

n control..................................................................................................................................8
n the switching characteristics............................................................................................8
n reliability..............................................................................................................................9

5. a few details on the main UPS functions ......................................................10

n the rectifier........................................................................................................................10
n specific element of a high performing UPS: the PWM inverter................................10
n regulation..........................................................................................................................11
n the step up converter......................................................................................................11

6. impact of inverter chopping frequency on UPS performance ............12

n the losses..........................................................................................................................12
n importance of efficiency..................................................................................................13
n behaviour of UPS on non-linear loads .........................................................................13
n acoustic noise..................................................................................................................14
n example of a medium power configuration (Comet)..................................................15
n example of a high power configuration (Galaxy) ........................................................15

7. development and technological watch at MGE UPS SYSTEMS .........16

8. conclusions ......................................................................................................................17

MGE UPS SYSTEMS MGE0123UKI - 06/98 2

1.abstract

The UPS market is highly competitive. As a result, UPS performance and

reliability requirements are steadily increasing and can only be satisfied
if the components used keep pace.
The present article provides a comparative analysis of the different
semiconductors available for UPS components and their respective
applications. Easy control, excellent switching characteristics and high
reliability today make IGBTs the best choice for medium and high-power
UPS. They significantly improve UPS performance, particularly in terms of
efficiency, acoustic noise, size and weight.

MGE UPS SYSTEMS MGE0123UKI - 06/98 3

2. appropriate configuration for each range

introduction MGE UPS SYSTEMS employs a staff of 2000 and boasts 4 plants worldwide.
The current range extends from 150 VA to 800 kVA and covers a field
of applications mainly geared towards the supply of computer sites, but also
including telecommunications, industrial processes, the medical and military sectors.
The ever-increasing demand for performance and reliability calls for
the use of components in turn ever-more reliable and efficient. From this viewpoint,
the IGBT is today the ideal choice in three-phase medium and high power UPS (220
to 460V). The purpose of this paper is to describe the improvements that
the IGBT make to the UPS.

The UPS ranges

range Pulsar Comet Galaxy
low powers medium power high power
powers 0.4 kVA à 4 kVA 5 kVA à 30 kVA 30 kVAà several MVA
application microcomputers networks > 5 large systems,
networks up to 5 substations industrial processes,
substations minicomputers hospitals,
telecommunications... telecommunications...
type off-line (1) / on line (2) on-line on-line
installation offices computer room technical room
parameters simplicity, cost, acoustic reliability, acoustic reliability, efficiency,
to optimise noise noise, overall VTHD on non-linear
dimensions, weight load

(1) an off-line UPS replaces the faulty mains after a switching time.
(2) an on-line UPS continuously supplies the application.

the main functions used This section provides a brief description of the various functions used in the UPS.
in the UPS Some of these functions will be described in greater detail in the paragraphs below.
n the rectifier: Supplies a dc voltage from the mains which will be used to supply
the battery and the inverter;
n the charger: Keeps the battery charged;
n the inverter: Supplies an ac voltage regulated in voltage and frequency from
the dc voltage of the rectifier/charger. It chops the dc voltage with a “Pulse Width
Modulation” (PWM) mode ; then the signal obtained is filtered to supply the output
sinusoïdal voltage.
n the transformer: The inverter can only supply a peak to peak voltage 20 % less
than its supply voltage. The transformer ensures the necessary voltage is supplied
at the output;
n the step up converter: Used to generate a dc voltage higher than that supplied
by the rectifier or the battery, thus making it possible to produce an output voltage
equal to or greater than the input voltage without using a transformer. This option is
advantageous if weight and overall dimensions are priorities;
n the filter: designed to eliminate higher rank harmonics, which cannot be achieved
by the inverter regulation without using high chopping frequencies to
the detriment of UPS efficiency;
n the static switch: If the application requirements exceed the possibilities of
the UPS, the static switch automatically switches the application, without breaking,
to the input mains. This is not possible if the UPS is acting as a frequency converter.

MGE UPS SYSTEMS MGE0123UKI - 06/98 4

2. appropriate configuration for each range

the main configurations n classical solution up to the highest powers

battery

Fig. 01

n configurations allowing a reduction in weight and overall dimensions

without transformer

battery

Fig. 02

A step up/converter (described below) is used which compensates losses in the

semiconductors and ensures output voltages of 240V with an input voltage of 220V.

with H.F. transformer

Fig. 03

This configuration uses a high frequency (H.F) power transformer to reduce

transformer weight.
battery

MGE UPS SYSTEMS MGE0123UKI - 06/98 5

3. the semiconductors used in the various functions (cont.)

Some components used for power switching.

the thyristor Produced for voltages up to 6000V, currents of several thousand amps and a direct
voltage drop of approximately 1.5 V, its ignition requires only a small current impulse
whereas its blocking requires cancellation of the entire anode current by branching
off in an auxiliary circuit. Although the thyristor is bulky and costly, it is nevertheless
both reliable and economic to purchase.

the GTO (Gate Turn Off This device can be compared to a thyristor equipped with a blocking control whose
Thyristor) gain is however very low. Although its power range is equivalent to that of
the thyristor, this component is relatively expensive and is mainly used to control
traction engines.

the MOS transistor (Metal Its main advantages are its voltage control and its switching times of under 100 ns.
Oxyde Semiconductor) However it has the drawback of a relatively high direct voltage drop compared with
its competitors. Its limit is around 50A and 500V.

the bipolar transistor This device, doubtless the oldest, did not really become powerful until around 1985
with the triple Darlington modules (3 cascading transistors) of 300 A, 1000 V
and a gain of around 100. Despite this gain, the current control at high powers
continues to be penalising. At high powers, switching times are around 1.5 µs
and the direct voltage drop is 1.5 V.

the IGBT (Insulated Gate From the user’s standpoint, the IGBT can be roughly likened to a bipolar transistor
Bipolar Transistor) monitored by a MOS transistor with the added advantage of a voltage control
and very short switching times (300 ns) for power levels similar to those
of the bipolar. Its main disadvantage is its direct voltage drop of around 3 V for 1200
V components

The graph in figure 4 situates each of the components described in a working

power/frequency context.

1990 2000

Fig. 04

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3. the semiconductors used in the various functions (cont.)

Figure 5 shows the main switching characteristics of the semiconductors used

in the UPS: the saturation voltage at the on-state VCEsat and the switching times Tr
and Tf. The ideal device naturally has zero VCEsat, Tr, Tf.

Fig. 05

Figure 6 shows, for the two main parameters, the relative position of the various
devices currently used for power switching.

Despite their low saturation voltage, thyristors are being increasingly less used
due to the problem of moving them from the ON to the OFF state.

The remainder of this paper thus takes the form of a comparison between bipolar
transistors and IGBT.

Fig. 06

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4. bipolars / IGBT (cont.)

Below two transistors of 300 A, 1000 V for the bipolar and 1200 V for the IGBT are
compared with respect to the following points:
n control;
n switching characteristics;
n reliability.

control The IGBT has a voltage control with the result that the power required for its control
is considerably reduced as can be seen in figure 7.

Fig. 07

The control power of a bipolar is more or less constant whatever the frequency,
whereas the control power of an IGBT increases with frequency, since the input
impedance is mainly capacitive (approximately 20nF) with a negligible leakage
current (500 nA max.).

the switching A rapid examination of the curves below shows that the IGBT’’s superiority
characteristics in switching speed is affected by its more modest performance if we look at
the VCEsat.

The global characteristics of the IGBT remain more or less constant according to
collector current whereas those of the bipolar transistor drop from 75 to 100 % of
its rated collector current. Moreover, its long storage time (up to 15 µs) results
in considerable limitation of its working frequency (Fig. 8).

Fig. 08

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4. bipolars / IGBT (cont.)

reliability n the safety aera: Another advantage of the IGBT is apparent in the safety area.
The IGBT accepts a current twice its rated value without any significant variation
in its voltage capacity.

bipolar
1000 V

I/Ic: ratio of test current over rated collector

current of transistor

Fig. 09

n the control circuit: If we look at figure 7 which shows the control power ratio
between the IGBT and the bipolar transistor, the simplification resulting from use
of IGBT transistors is evident.

Concretely speaking, the table below compares the parameters of a control board
for IGBT and of a control board for bipolar transistors, taking the IGBT control
as a reference.

IGBT bipolar
number of electronic components 1 3.6
number of mechanical parts 1 3.7
connections, clamping points 1 2.6
wiring no yes
dissipated power on the board 1 30

MGE UPS SYSTEMS MGE0123UKI - 06/98 9

5. a few details on the main UPS functions (cont.)

the rectifier The progressive energising of the charger prevents the strong inrush currents
caused by the capacitive loads downstream from the charger. The thyristors
from now on act as a diode, in the case of Comet, or they regulate the DC voltage in
the case of Galaxy.

Fig. 10

specific element of a high

performing UPS: the PWM A

inverter

Fig. 11

This device converts a dc voltage into an ac voltage whose frequency and distortion
ratio are kept within very strict limits, compatible with supply of modern sources
whose current contains very many harmonic components. The diagram in figure 11
shows an « H » inverter. In the AB and CD « arms », each transistor is energised
in turn in « dc » for 1/2 period 50 or 60 Hz then in H.F. so as to evenly distribute
switching losses between the two transistors.

With a battery voltage Vb, it is theoretically possible to produce an output voltage

of 2 Vb peak to peak (minus the transistors direct voltage drop). This value will be
limited to 1.6 Vb in order to retain an operating margin for regulation.

MGE UPS SYSTEMS MGE0123UKI - 06/98 10

5. a few details on the main UPS functions (cont.)

regulation n free frequency regulation: Figure 12 gives a simplified view of the regulation
principle. An « envelope curve » « reference voltage », calibrated in frequency
and amplitude, is applied to a differential amplifier. The other input receives
the output voltage of the UPS. As is shown in the « envelope curves »
of the diagram below, when the output voltage equals the minimum reference
voltage, the power trans istor becomes conductive, thus causing the output voltage to
rise towards the maximum reference voltage.

Conversely, if the output voltage equals the maximum reference voltage, the power
transistor is blocked.

It can be observed that the chopping frequency, just like the cyclic ratio, are not
really constant but free. They adapt to the difference (battery voltage - output
voltage). At high currents, frequency decreases whereas the cyclic ratio increases.

Fig. 12

n fixed frequency regulation: This is used for operation above 16 kHz with no
descent into the audible spectrum. The amplifier simply modulates the transistor
conduction time.

the step up converter

+

Vs

Fig. 13

During the transistor conduction phase, the choke (not saturable) stores the 1/2 L Is 2
energy then restored to the inverter via the diode.

This device which has the advantage of making the transformer not always
necessary, however results in considerable losses (choke, transistor, diode).
The use of the IGBT in this configuration ensures a substantial reduction in weight
without affecting efficiency.

MGE UPS SYSTEMS MGE0123UKI - 06/98 11

6. impact of inverter chopping frequency on UPS
performance (cont.)

the losses Losses in a single-phase inverter (H bridge, with 4 transistors) for a UPS of 100 kVA
on inductive load. The values given in the tables below are approximate and aim
solely at giving a general idea.

n dynamic losses

Ton Toff
—————— 0.10 0.30 0.50 0.75 1.00 1.50 2.00 2.50 3.00
frequency
0.5 19 58 97 146 194 291 388 485 582

1 39 116 194 291 388 582 777 971 1165

2 78 233 388 582 777 1165 1553 1941 2330

4 155 466 777 1165 1553 2330 3106 3883 4660

8 311 932 1553 2330 3106 4660 6213 7766 9319

16 621 1864 3106 4660 6213 9319 12426 15532 18638

n static losses (VCEsat)

VCEsat 1 1.25 1.5 1.75 2 2.25 2.5 2.75 3 3.25 3.5 3.75 4

P (W) 100 125 150 175 200 225 250 275 300 325 350 375 400
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Example: the following table shows 2 inverters operating with different devices. At 2
kHz, the bipolar transistor provides better efficiency, but the IGBT is superior as from
4 kHz.

chopping frequency —————> 2 kHz 4 kHz 16 kHz

Transistors VCEsa Ton/off statics losses total losses total losses total
t
(V) ( s) losses dyn. dyn. dyn.

IGBT 3 0,3 3000 233 3233 466 3466 1864 4864

bipolar 1.5 1.5 1500 1165 2665 2330 3830 9319 10819

efficiency gain: IGB T / bipolar -0.6 % +0.4 % +6 %

n in conclusion

Switching losses increase with inverter chopping frequency.

Switching losses of an IGBT are 5 times less than those of a bipolar transistor,
whereas its static losses are 2 times greater.

If only efficiency is considered, bipolars may be chosen below 2-3 kHz and IGBT
above this value. However other considerations, in particular components
and control power may invalidate this choice.

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6. impact of inverter chopping frequency on UPS
performance (cont.)

importance of efficiency The following table gives the annual cost over 5 years in US $ induced by a loss of 1
% in efficiency according to various energy tariffs. If we compare this table to
the one above, we understand that the choice of switching devices for high power
UPS should not be limited merely to technical considerations.

cost of kWH in cents —>

————————————— 2 4 6 8 10
UPS power in kVA
1 10 20 30 40
10 70 140 210 280 350
100 700 1400 2010 2800 3500
500 3500 7000 10500 14000 17500

For high power installations, these costs must be marked up by roughly 30 %

to allow for discharge of heat losses.

behaviour of UPS on non- Improvement of the power/weight ratio in electronic equipment has led to
an extensive use of chopping power supplies. Their input stage made up of
linear loads a rectifier and a RC load, forms a non-linear load generating harmonic currents
(Fig. 14). The three-phase rectifiers not shown here, eliminate harmonics 3 but
generate a high harmonic distortion of 5 and 7.

Fig. 14

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6. impact of inverter chopping frequency on UPS
performance (cont.)

n the efficiency/harmonic distortion compromise

The dilemma confronting all UPS manufacturers is frequently the choice

of components and the chopping frequency of the inverter to ensure compatibility
with these non-linear loads and to obtain a minimum VTHD (Voltage Total Harmonic
Distortion) at the UPS output.

Increased chopping frequency out enables an increase in regulation gain and thus a
reduction in output impedance at high frequencies. The size and weight of passive
components can thus be minimised.

However, as seen above, this increase in frequency increases switching losses

and reduces UPS efficiency.

As a rule, efficiency is an important parameter for medium and high power

UPS (see cost table over 5 years with 1 % efficiency in paragraph 6.2.).
Consequently, the inverter will work between 2 and 3 kHz with bipolar
transistors and above 3 kHz with IGBT transistors.

acoustic noise This is generated by the electromagnetic forces created in the magnetic circuits
(transformers, chokes) or by the electrodynamic forces between conductors.
An inverter operating at 16 kHz will not produce an audible noise at this frequency
and only the 50 or 60 Hz component will remain in the magnetic circuits. Removal
of the transformer will thus be an important factor in noise limitation. This feature will
make it possible for personnel and the UPS to work side by side and means
the UPS no longer needs to be installed in a technical room (Comet range).

However an inverter operating in a band below 16 kHz at free or pseudo-

random frequency yields a line-free (and thus resonance free) noise spectrum
and is far less noisy than the same device with fixed frequency in this band
(Galaxy).

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6. impact of inverter chopping frequency on UPS
performance (cont.)

example of a medium power

configuration (Comet)

Fig. 16

As the main drawback of the IGBT is their relatively high VCEsat, it is advisable
to limit their number in the power path. In Fig. 16, the inverter operates at 16 kHz,
uses 2 IGBT and a double voltage source whose mid-point brought to the neutral
yields the same peak to peak value as in the H bridge.

In single-phase, the step up receives a sinusoidal current setpoint, in phase with

the input voltage, making it possible to obtain an input current distortion of 3 %
and a power factor of 0.99.

This set-up optimises weight, overall dimensions, reliability and acoustic noise.

example of a high power

configuration (Galaxy)

Fig. 17

In this set-up, the step up function is assigned to a transformer which, for high
powers, has an efficiency approaching 98 %.

This set-up optimises reliability, efficiency, behaviour on non-linear loads

and acoustic noise (free frequency regulation).

MGE UPS SYSTEMS MGE0123UKI - 06/98 15

7. development and technological watch at MGE UPS
SYSTEMS

UPS prices are constantly dropping. A UPS project must incorporate new
technologies which provide enhanced performances and a reduction in cost price.

One of the characteristic features of the technological watch is a close relationship

with component suppliers, a strategy which has proved decisive in development
of high performing, economic products. The diagram below shows the integration
phases of a new component in the MGE UPS SYSTEMS standards where design
and manufacture of a product are governed by the ISO 9001 standard.

Fig. 18

MGE UPS SYSTEMS MGE0123UKI - 06/98 16

8. conclusions

The switching speed, simple control and overload withstand of the IGBT currently
make it a component of considerable interest.

In high power UPS where the inverter operates between 2 and 4 kHz, the main
advantage of the IGBT is simplification of transistor control (increased reliability).
Its efficiency is equivalent to that of bipolar transistors.

In medium power UPS often installed in computer rooms, the acoustic noise criterion
makes it necessary to remove the 50 or 60 Hz transformer and to add
an inverter operating at a frequency of 16 kHz, thus making the IGBT absolutely
indispensable both due to the reduction in number of components required
to control it and due to the gain in weight and overall dimensions.

Creation of new products calls for a careful, rigorous selection of new components.
As the IGBT is still in the development phase, announcements of new components
are frequent. Existing studies should not be questioned as official approval
of a power semiconductor is long and costly.

MGE UPS SYSTEMS MGE0247UKI – 08/99 17

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Published by: MGE UPS SYSTEMS -06/98
Designed by: AMEG