Exercise 4

Ripple in Choppers

EXERCISE OBJECTIVE When you have completed this exercise, you will be familiar with ripple in
choppers.

DISCUSSION OUTLINE The Discussion of this exercise covers the following points:

ƒ Ripple
ƒ Ripple versus inductance / capacitance
ƒ Ripple versus switching frequency

DISCUSSION Ripple

The residual current or voltage variation at the output of a chopper is called

“ripple”. Figure 34 shows a typical current waveform with ripple at a buck chopper
output. Because of ripple, the maximum current value is higher than the average
current value. Without ripple, the maximum current and the average current are
the same.
Output current ‫ܫ‬ை

Max (peak)

Average Ripple

Time

Figure 34. Current ripple at the output of a buck chopper.

Ripple voltage is commonly expressed as a peak-to-peak value because it is

easy to measure on an oscilloscope and simple to calculate theoretically. Filter
circuits intended for the reduction of ripple are usually called smoothing or
filtering circuits.

The presence of ripple is unwanted because it has many undesirable effects.

Some of the effects are:

 High current ripple increases the maximum current in a circuit. High

currents may reduce the life of some electric and electronic
components. For instance, high currents reduce the life of the
brushes in dc motors, and require high capacity components.

© Festo Didactic 86356-00 55

Exercise 4 – Ripple in Choppers  Discussion

 High current ripple produces electromagnetic interference

(disturbance) that can affect the operation of other electrical and
electronic circuits. The disturbance can cause interruptions, or limit
the performance of some circuits for instance.

 When the ripple frequency and its harmonics are within the audio
band, they may be audible.

 High voltage ripple increases the maximum voltage in a circuit. High

voltages may reduce the life of some electric and electronic
components. For instance, high voltages also require components
having high breakdown voltages.

Ripple versus inductance / capacitance

You have seen in the previous exercise that inductors oppose current variations
and that capacitors oppose voltage variations. When the electronic switch ܳ
shown in Figure 35 closes, current starts to flow through inductor ‫ ܮ‬and a
magnetic field builds up around the coil of the inductor (energy is stored in the
magnetic field). While the magnetic field is building up, the current in
inductance ‫ ܮ‬increases gradually at a rate inversely proportional to the opposition
to the current flow produced by inductor ‫( ܮ‬this opposition is proportional to the
inductance of the inductor). When electronic switch ܳ opens, the magnetic field
around the coil collapses gradually. This provides electrical energy that keeps
current flowing in inductor ‫ ܮ‬until the magnetic field collapsed completely. This
explains why current continues to flow even after switch ܳ closes, as shown in
Figure 35. Larger inductors have a larger inductance and build larger magnetic
fields (store more energy), and thus the time taken to build the magnetic field
(and to make the magnetic field collapse) is also longer. For this reason, large
inductors oppose current variations more than small inductors as shown in
Figure 35.

The opposition to current flow causes a reduction in ripple. Without inductor ‫ ܮ‬in
the circuit of Figure 35, the output current waveform and the switching control
signal waveform would be similar. In a complete cycle, there would be periods
when the current is null and other periods when current is high, two operating
conditions resulting in a maximal amount of ripple (this is not desirable).

56 © Festo Didactic 86356-00

Exercise 4 – Ripple in Choppers  Discussion

Buck chopper

‫ܮ‬

‫ܧ‬ூ ‫ܥ‬ ‫ܦ‬ ‫ܱܫ‬

Switching control signal

ܳ on ܳ off
Amplitude (V)

Switching 5
control
signal

0
Time

No inductor Small inductor Large inductor

Output current ‫ܫ‬ை

Time

Figure 35. Opposition to current variations caused by inductors.

Similarly, capacitors oppose voltage variations by storing electrical energy. Inside

a capacitor, the terminals connect to two metal plates separated by a
dielectric (non-conducting material). When a voltage is applied across the plates
of a capacitor, an electric field builds up in the dielectric (electrical energy is
stored). When the voltage applied to the capacitor is removed, the energy stored
in the capacitor supplies the circuit for a period of time. The amount of electrical
energy a capacitor can store is proportional to the capacitance. Large capacitors
store more energy (i.e., have a higher capacity) than small capacitors and
oppose more voltage variations. Increasing the size of capacitors is a means of
reducing voltage ripple.

© Festo Didactic 86356-00 57

Exercise 4 – Ripple in Choppers  Procedure Outline

Ripple versus switching frequency

It is not always possible and economical to increase the size of inductors and
capacitors to reduce the ripple. As you will observe in the procedure of this
exercise, increasing the size of an inductor requires more space and adds weight
to a device. Instead of increasing the size of inductors and capacitors, the ripple
can also be reduced by increasing the switching frequency.

Figure 36 shows a waveform having the same average value as the one shown
in Figure 34 but with less ripple. The difference in ripple is caused by an increase
in frequency of the switching control signal: doubling the switching frequency
reduced the ripple by 50% and the maximum voltage reached by
approximately 20%. Increasing the switching frequency is a good way of
reducing both the current and voltage ripples. In modern equipment, high
switching frequency (10 000 Hz and more) is common practice to minimize
ripple.
Output current ‫ܫ‬ை

Max (peak)
Average Ripple

Time

Figure 36. Increasing the switching frequency reduces ripple.

PROCEDURE OUTLINE The Procedure is divided into the following sections:

ƒ Setup and connections

ƒ Current ripple versus switching frequency and inductance
ƒ Voltage ripple versus switching frequency and capacitance

PROCEDURE

High voltages are present in this laboratory exercise. Do not make or modify any
banana jack connections with the power on unless otherwise specified.

Setup and connections

In this part of the exercise, you will set up and connect the equipment.

58 © Festo Didactic 86356-00

Exercise 4 – Ripple in Choppers  Procedure

1. Refer to the Equipment Utilization Chart in Appendix A to obtain the list of

equipment required to perform this exercise.

Before installing the Filtering Inductors/Capacitors module in the Workstation,

take a look inside the module and observe the difference in size between the
two inductors. It is quite evident that the biggest inductor (50 mH) is heavier
and requires more space. The difference in size and weight between the two
capacitors is also evident.

Install the required equipment in the Workstation.

2. Connect the Power Input of the Data Acquisition and Control Interface to
a 24 V ac power supply.

Connect the Low Power Input of the IGBT Chopper/Inverter to the Power
Input of the Data Acquisition and Control Interface. Turn the 24 V ac power
supply on.

3. Connect the USB port of the Data Acquisition and Control Interface to a USB
port of the host computer.

Connect the USB port of the Four-Quadrant Dynamometer/Power Supply to

a USB port of the host computer.

4. Make sure that the main power switch of the Four-Quadrant Dynamometer/
Power Supply is set to O (off), then connect the Power Input to an ac power
outlet.

Set the Operating Mode switch of the Four-Quadrant Dynamometer/Power

Supply to Power Supply.

Turn the Four-Quadrant Dynamometer/Power Supply on by setting the main

power switch to I (on).

5. Connect the Digital Outputs of the Data Acquisition and Control

Interface (DACI) to the Switching Control Inputs of the
IGBT Chopper/Inverter using a DB9 connector cable.

Connect Switching Control Input 1 of the IGBT Chopper/Inverter to Analog

Input 1 of the Data Acquisition and Control Interface using a miniature
banana plug lead.

Connect the common (white) terminal of the Switching Control Inputs on the
IGBT Chopper/Inverter to one of the two analog common (white) terminals on
the Data Acquisition and Control Interface using a miniature banana plug
lead.

6. Turn the host computer on, then start the LVDAC-EMS software.

© Festo Didactic 86356-00 59

Exercise 4 – Ripple in Choppers  Procedure

In the LVDAC-EMS Start-Up window, make sure that the Data Acquisition
and Control Interface and the Four-Quadrant Dynamometer/Power Supply
are detected. Make sure that the Computer-Based Instrumentation and
Chopper/Inverter Control functions for the Data Acquisition and Control
Interface are available, as well as the Standard Functions (C.B. control) for
the Four-Quadrant Dynamometer/Power Supply. Select the network voltage
and frequency that correspond to the voltage and frequency of your local
ac power network, then click the OK button to close the LVDAC-EMS
Start-Up window.

7. Set up the circuit shown in Figure 37. Use the 50 mH inductor in the Filtering
Inductors/Capacitors module to implement ‫ܮ‬ଵ . In this circuit, resistor ܴଵ is a
resistive load and ‫ܮ‬ଵ is a smoothing inductor.

Chopper/Inverter ‫ܮ‬ଵ
50 mH
ܳଵ

‫ܧ‬ூ ܴଵ
‫ܥ‬஻௎ௌ ‫ܦ‬ସ
100 V 57 ȍ

Switching control signals

from digital outputs
on DACI

Figure 37. Buck chopper circuit with a resistor load and a smoothing inductor.

8. Make the necessary connections and switch settings on the Resistive Load
in order to obtain the resistance value required.

Current ripple versus switching frequency and inductance

In this part of the exercise, you will observe the ripple on the output current of a
buck chopper. You will first observe how the ripple varies when the switching
frequency is changed and then when the size of the inductor is changed.

60 © Festo Didactic 86356-00

Exercise 4 – Ripple in Choppers  Procedure

Current ripple versus frequency

9. In LVDAC-EMS, open the Four-Quadrant Dynamometer/Power Supply

window and make the following settings:

 Select the Voltage Source (+) function.

 Set the voltage to 100 V.

 Start the voltage source.

10. In LVDAC-EMS, open the Chopper/Inverter Control window and make the
following settings:

 Select the Buck Chopper (high-side switching) function.

 Set the switching frequency to 400 Hz.

 Set the Duty Cycle Control parameter to Knob.

 Set the duty cycle to 50%.

 Make sure that the acceleration time is set to 0.0 s.

 Make sure that the deceleration time is set to 0.0 s.

 Set the ଵ parameter to PWM.

 Start the buck chopper.

11. In LVDAC-EMS, open the Oscilloscope window and display the following
parameters: the voltage at the buck chopper input (input E1), the switching
control signal (AI-1), and the load voltage and current (inputs E2 and I2).

Select the Continuous Refresh mode, then set the time base to display two
complete cycles, and set the trigger controls so that the Oscilloscope triggers
when the rising edge of the switching control signal (AI-1) reaches 2 V.

Select convenient vertical scale and position settings in the Oscilloscope to

facilitate observation of the waveforms. Figure 38 shows an example of what
the Oscilloscope should display.

© Festo Didactic 86356-00 61

Exercise 4 – Ripple in Choppers  Procedure

Oscilloscope Setting
Channel-1 Input .............................. E1
Channel-1 Scale ................... 100 V/div
Channel-1 Coupling ........................DC
Channel-2 Input ............................ AI-1
Channel-2 Scale ....................... 5 V/div
Channel-2 Coupling ........................DC
Channel-3 Input ............................. E-2
Channel-3 Scale ..................... 50 V/div
Channel-3 Coupling ........................DC
Channel-4 Input ...............................I-2
Channel-4 Scale ....................... 1 A/div
Channel-4 Coupling ........................DC
Time Base ........................... 0.5 ms/div
Trigger Source .............................. Ch2
Trigger Level .................................. 2 V
Trigger Slope ............................. Rising

Figure 38. Voltage and current waveforms of a buck chopper operating at 400 Hz with a 50 mH
inductor.

12. Determine the maximum (peak) value and the ripple magnitude (peak-to-
peak value) of the current at the buck chopper output (input I2) using the
Oscilloscope. Record your results in the corresponding cells of Table 6.

a Use the horizontal cursors of the Oscilloscope to obtain good measuring

accuracy.

Print or save the waveforms displayed on the Oscilloscope for future

reference. It is suggested that you include these waveforms in your lab
report.

Table 6. Maximum current and current ripple magnitude at the buck chopper output.

Current ripple magnitude

Inductance Switching frequency Maximum current
[peak-to-peak value]
(mH) (Hz) (A)
(A)

400
50
2000

2000
2
10 000

13. Slowly vary the switching frequency from 400 Hz to 5000 Hz using the
Switching Frequency knob in the Chopper/Inverter Control window. If the
ambient noise in your laboratory is low, you should be able to hear a tone
associated with the switching frequency.

62 © Festo Didactic 86356-00

Exercise 4 – Ripple in Choppers  Procedure

14. In the Chopper/Inverter Control window, set the switching frequency

to 2000 Hz.

Determine the maximum value and the ripple magnitude of the current at the
buck chopper output (input I2) using the Oscilloscope. Record your results in
the corresponding cells of Table 6. Change the time base setting as
necessary.

Print or save the waveforms displayed on the Oscilloscope for future

reference. It is suggested that you include these waveforms in your lab
report.

15. Compare the ripple magnitude measured at 400 Hz and 2000 Hz (shown in
Table 6). Do your results confirm that the ripple decreases when the
switching frequency is increased?

‰ Yes ‰ No

16. What is the effect of a ripple reduction on the maximum value of current at
the output of the buck chopper?

17. Stop the buck chopper and the voltage source.

Current ripple versus inductance

18. Replace the 50 mH inductor in your circuit with the 2 mH inductor of the
Filtering Inductors/Capacitors module to implement ‫ܮ‬ଵ .

Do not modify the parameters set in LVDAC-EMS.

Start the buck chopper and the voltage source.

19. In the Oscilloscope, make sure that convenient vertical scales and positions
are set to facilitate observation of the waveforms.

Determine the maximum value and the ripple magnitude of the current at the
buck chopper output (input I2) using the Oscilloscope. Record your results in
the corresponding cells of Table 6.

Print or save the waveforms displayed on the Oscilloscope for future

reference. It is suggested that you include these waveforms in your lab
report.

© Festo Didactic 86356-00 63

Exercise 4 – Ripple in Choppers  Procedure

20. Referring to the values in Table 6, compare the magnitude of the ripple
measured at 2000 Hz with both inductors. Is the magnitude of the ripple
measured using the 2 mH inductor lower or higher than that measured using
the 50 mH inductor?

21. Do your results confirm that a large inductor is more effective to smooth the
current ripple than a small inductor?

‰ Yes ‰ No

22. Increase the switching frequency from 2000 Hz to 10 000 Hz.

Determine the maximum value and the ripple magnitude of the current at the
buck chopper output (input I2) using the Oscilloscope. Record your results in
the corresponding cells of Table 6.

Print or save the waveforms displayed on the Oscilloscope for future

reference. It is suggested that you include these waveforms in your lab
report.

23. Compare the magnitude of the ripple measured at 2000 Hz with the 50 mH
inductor to that measured at 10 000 Hz with the 2 mH inductor. They should
be rather similar.

Vary the switching frequency until the magnitude of the current ripple
measured using the 2 mH inductor equals that measured using the 50 mH
inductor at 2000 Hz.

Record the switching frequency at which the current ripple magnitude equals
that measured using the 50 mH inductor at 2000 Hz.

Switching frequency: _____

24. Do your measurements confirm that a small inductor can replace a large
inductor to reduce the current ripple when the switching frequency is
increased?

‰ Yes ‰ No

25. Stop the buck chopper and the voltage source.

64 © Festo Didactic 86356-00

Exercise 4 – Ripple in Choppers  Procedure

Voltage ripple versus switching frequency and capacitance

In this part of the exercise, you will observe the ripple on the output voltage of a
buck chopper. You will observe how the voltage ripple varies when the switching
frequency is changed and when the size of the capacitor is changed.

26. Modify your circuit as shown in Figure 39. Use the 210 µF capacitor in the
Filtering Inductors/Capacitors module to implement ‫ܥ‬ଵ . In this circuit,
resistor ܴଵ is used as a current limiter, resistor ܴଶ is a resistive load, and ‫ܥ‬ଵ is
a filtering capacitor. Make sure that you connect the positive (+) terminal of
the 210 µF capacitor to the junction of resistors ܴଵ and ܴଶ .

Chopper/Inverter

ܳଵ

ܴଵ
86 ȍ
‫ܧ‬ூ
100 V ‫ܥ‬஻௎ௌ ‫ܦ‬ସ

‫ܥ‬ଵ ܴଶ
210 µF 171ȍ

Switching control signals

from digital outputs
on DACI

Figure 39. Buck chopper circuit with a resistive load and a filtering capacitor.

27. Make the necessary connections and switch settings on the Resistive Load
in order to obtain the resistance values required.

28. In the Four-Quadrant Dynamometer/Power Supply window, make the

following settings:

 Make sure that the Voltage Source (+) function is selected.

 Make sure that the voltage is set to 100 V.

 Start the voltage source.

© Festo Didactic 86356-00 65

Exercise 4 – Ripple in Choppers  Procedure

29. In the Chopper/Inverter Control window, make the following settings:

 Make sure the Buck Chopper (high-side switching) function is

selected.

 Set the switching frequency to 400 Hz.

 Make sure that the duty cycle is set to 50%.

 Make sure that the acceleration time is set to 0.0 s.

 Make sure that the deceleration time is set to 0.0 s.

 Make sure that the ଵ parameter is set to PWM.

 Start the buck chopper.

30. Make sure that the Oscilloscope is set to display the following parameters:
the voltage at the buck chopper input (input E1), the switching control
signal (AI-1), the voltage across the resistive load ܴଶ (input E2), and the load
current (input I2).

Select the Continuous Refresh mode, then set the time base to display at
least two complete cycles. Set the trigger controls so that the Oscilloscope
triggers when the rising edge of the switching control signal (AI-1)
reaches 2 V.

Select convenient vertical scale and position settings in the Oscilloscope to

facilitate observation of all waveforms. Notice that the ripple magnitude is
very low in this part of the exercise.

31. Determine the maximum (peak) value and the ripple magnitude (peak-to-
peak value) of the voltage across resistive load ܴଶ (input E2) using the
Oscilloscope. Record your results in the corresponding cells of Table 7.

Print or save the waveforms displayed on the Oscilloscope for future

reference. It is suggested that you include these waveforms in your lab
report.

Table 7. Maximum voltage and voltage ripple magnitude at the buck chopper output.

Voltage ripple magnitude

Capacitance Switching frequency Maximum voltage
[peak-to-peak value]
(µF) (Hz) (V)
(V)

400
210
2000
2000
5
10 000

66 © Festo Didactic 86356-00

Exercise 4 – Ripple in Choppers  Procedure

32. In the Chopper/Inverter Control window, set the switching frequency

to 2000 Hz.

Determine the maximum value and the ripple magnitude of the voltage
across resistive load ܴଶ (input E2) using the Oscilloscope. Record your
results in the corresponding cells of Table 7.

Print or save the waveforms displayed on the Oscilloscope for future

reference. It is suggested that you include these waveforms in your lab
report.

33. Stop the buck chopper and the voltage source.

34. Replace the 210 µF capacitor in your circuit by the 5 µF capacitor of the
Filtering Inductors/Capacitors module to implement ‫ܥ‬ଵ .

In the Chopper/Inverter Control window, Make sure that the switching

frequency is set to 2000 Hz. Do not modify the other parameters set in
LVDAC-EMS.

Start the buck chopper and the voltage source.

35. In the Oscilloscope, make sure that convenient vertical scales and positions
are set to facilitate observation of the waveforms.

Determine the maximum value and the ripple magnitude of the voltage
across resistive load ܴଶ (input E2) using the Oscilloscope. Record your
results in the corresponding cells of Table 7.

Print or save the waveforms displayed on the Oscilloscope for future

reference. It is suggested that you include these waveforms in your lab
report.

36. Referring to the values in Table 7, compare the magnitude of the ripple
measured using both capacitors at 2000 Hz. Is the magnitude of the ripple
measured using the 210 µF capacitor lower or higher than that measured
using the 5 µF capacitor?

37. Do your results confirm that a large capacitor is more effective for smoothing
the voltage ripple than a small capacitor?

‰ Yes ‰ No

© Festo Didactic 86356-00 67

Exercise 4 – Ripple in Choppers  Conclusion

38. Increase the switching frequency from 2000 Hz to 10 000 Hz.

Determine the maximum value and the ripple magnitude of the voltage
across resistive load ܴଶ (input E2) using the Oscilloscope. Record your
results in the corresponding cells of Table 7.

Print or save the waveforms displayed on the Oscilloscope for future

reference. It is suggested that you include these waveforms in your lab
report.

39. Compare the ripple magnitude measured at 2000 Hz and 10 000 Hz (shown
in Table 7) with the 5 µF capacitor. Do your results confirm that the
magnitude of the ripple decreases when the switching frequency is
increased?

‰ Yes ‰ No

40. Compare the maximum value of voltage measured at 2000 Hz

and 10 000 Hz with the 5 µF capacitor to the magnitude of the ripple
measured at each frequency (shown in Table 7). Does your comparison
confirm that the maximum value of voltage decreases when the magnitude of
the ripple decreases?

‰ Yes ‰ No

41. Compare the magnitude of the voltage ripple measured at 400 Hz with
the 210 µF capacitor to that measured at 10 000 Hz with the 5 µF capacitor.
They should be similar.

Do your measurements confirm that a small capacitor can replace a large

capacitor to smooth the voltage ripple when the switching frequency is
increased?

‰ Yes ‰ No

42. Stop the buck chopper and the voltage source.

Close LVDAC-EMS, turn off all equipment, and remove all leads and cables.

CONCLUSION In this exercise, you learned that voltage ripple and current ripple are undesired.
For instance, high levels of current ripple are associated with high circuit currents
that require high capacity components and can also cause premature wear of
components. Furthermore, ripple produces disturbances that can affect the
operation of electrical circuits.

You saw that because inductors oppose current variations, they are widely used
to smooth current waveforms. You observed that increasing the size of inductors
and increasing the switching frequency are two means of reducing the current
ripple.

68 © Festo Didactic 86356-00

Exercise 4 – Ripple in Choppers  Review Questions

You also saw that because capacitors oppose voltage variations, they are widely
used to smooth (filter) voltage waveforms. You observed that increasing the size
of capacitors and increasing the switching frequency are two means of reducing
the voltage ripple.

REVIEW QUESTIONS 1. Explain why it is important to reduce the ripple in chopper as much as
possible?

2. What is a smoothing inductor used for?

3. What can be done to limit the voltage ripple?

4. Should a smoothing capacitor be connected in series or in parallel with the

load in a circuit?

5. What can be done to improve the smoothing capability of an inductor?

© Festo Didactic 86356-00 69