International Journal Of Applied Research In Science And Engineering
Volume 2, Issue 7, November-2017
OPERATION AND SIMULATION OF THREE PHASE INVERTER
WITH 120°, 150° AND 180° CONDUCTION MODE
Solanki Apurva A1, Maheshwari Mayur H2
1
Student, 2Assistant Professor
Electrical Department, Dr. Jivraj Mehta Institute of Technology, Mogar, Anand, Gujarat, India
Abstract: Today most of the appliances and machine works
on AC power. If the AC supply is not available for limited
time period at that time we need to convert stored DC power
in to AC power. This can be done by the power electronics
equipment called as an Inverter. Basically inverter uses a
power electronic switch as a form of an array. Different
types of inverters are available in market for different
purpose. By applying different patterns of switching of
array gives an appropriate output. In this paper we are
going to represents the basic overview of three phase
inverter with conduction mode of 120°, 150° AND 180°.
The Three phase inverter working and output waveforms
are justify the three different mode of operation. In this
paper a 150° conduction mode of three phase voltage
source inverter (VSI) is presented. In this mode of three
phase VSI each switch conducts for 150° time period. Here
compared to only 4 level and 3 level in 180° and 120°
conduction modes, the output Phase voltage of VSI
becomes 7 level, 12 step waveform respectively.
I. INTRODUCTION
DC-AC inverters have been widely used in industrial
applications such as uninterruptible power supplies, static
frequency changes and AC motor drives. Recently, the
inverters are also playing important roles in renewable
energy applications as they are used to link a photovoltaic or
wind system to a power grid. Like DC-DC converters, the
DC-AC inverters usually operate in a pulse width modulated
(PWM) way and switch between a few different circuit
topologies, which means that the inverter is a nonlinear,
specifically piecewise smooth system. In addition, the control
strategies used in the inverters are also similar to those in
DC-DC converters. For instance, current-mode control and
voltage-mode control are usually employed in practical
applications. In the last decade, studies of complex behavior
in switching power converters have gained increasingly more
attention from both the academic community and
industry.The function of inverter is to change a DC input
voltage to symmetric AC output voltage of desired
magnitude and frequency. The output voltage could be fixed
or variable at a fixed or variable frequency. A variable output
voltage can be obtained by varying the dc input voltage and
maintaining the gain of inverter constant. On the other hand,
if the DC input voltage is fixed and it is not controllable, a
variable output voltage can be obtained by varying the gain
of the inverter, which is normally accomplished by pulse
with modulation control within the inverter. The inverter gain
may be defined as the ratio of the AC output voltage to the
Copyright 2017.All rights reserved.
ISSN: 2456-124X
DC input voltage. The output voltage waveforms of an ideal
inverter should be sinusoidal. However, the waveforms of
practical inverter are non-sinusoidal and contain certain
Harmonics. For low and medium-power applications,
square-wave or quasi-square-wave voltages may be
acceptable; and for high-power applications, low distorted
sinusoidal wave-forms are required. With the availability of
high-speed power semiconductor devices, the harmonic
contents of output voltage can be minimizedOr reduced
significantly by switching techniques.
II. CONSTRUCTION OF THREE PHASE VSI
Basic Construction of 3-phase voltage source inverter (VSI)
is shown in Figure 1. Three single phase inverters can be
connected in parallel in order to get a three phase output.
They are used normally for high power applications. In order
to obtain three phase balanced voltages, the gating signals of
the three single phase inverters should be advanced or
delayed 120° with respect to each other. Depending upon
application 3- phase VSI contains six switches like IGBT,
MOSFET, GTO etc. Here the feedback diodes, connected
across the switches S1 to S6, will return back the stored
energy from inductive load to the DC supply. Three phase
VSI takes DC power as input and converts DC power into
AC power if the proper gate signals are given to the
switches. To make the input dc voltage constant sometimes a
large capacitor is connected at the input terminals of the
inverter which is also suppressing the harmonics fed back to
the dc source.
Figure 1.Three Phase Voltage Source Inverter
There are three conduction modes of 3- phase voltage source
inverter (VSI).
A. 180° Degree Conduction Mode
In this conduction mode each switch conducts for π- radians
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International Journal Of Applied Research In Science And Engineering
Volume 2, Issue 7, November-2017
or 180° time period. Here three switches will conduct
simultaneously, two of which are from one group (upper
three or lower three) and remaining one from the other group
at any instant of time. After every 60° or π/3- radians, one of
the conducting switches is turned off and other switch will
start conducting. In this conduction mode, upper switch of
the leg turns off and at the same time lower switch of the
same leg will be turned on.
So, there is no time delay between the turnings off and
turning on of upper and lower switches of same leg. There
for it may be possibility of short circuiting of DC supply
through upper and lower switches of same leg.
………………………….. (1)
Operation of switches in 180° conduction modes is shown in
Table I.
Table I. Conduction of Switches in 180° Conduction Mode
Figure-2 Line Voltage in 180° conduction mode
Figure-3 Phase Voltage in 180° conduction mode
Copyright 2017.All rights reserved.
ISSN: 2456-124X
B. 120° Degree Conduction Mode
In this conduction mode each switch conducts for 120° time
period or 2π/3 radians. Here two switches will conduct
simultaneously at any instant of time. After every 60° or π/3
radians, one of the conducting switches is turned off and
other switch will start conducting. In this conduction mode
there is a delay of π/6 between turning on and turning off of
switches of same leg. So there is no possibility of short
circuit.
…………………. (2)
Operation of switches in 120° conduction modes is shown in
Table II. Here switch utilization factor and rms output value
of switches is less compared to 180° conduction mode.
Table II. Conduction of Switches in 120° Conduction Mode
Figure-4 Line voltage in 120° conduction mode
Figure-5 Phase voltage in 120° conduction mode
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International Journal Of Applied Research In Science And Engineering
Volume 2, Issue 7, November-2017
C. 150° Degree Conduction Mode
For 150° mode, each thyristor conducts for 150° of a cycle in
voltage source inverter (VSI). For completing one cycle of
the output ac voltage unlike 180° mode & 120° mode
inverter, 150° has twelve steps with each of 30° duration. The
switching patterns are presented per cycle with each pattern
duration is 30°. These transistors conduct in one interval,
while only two transistors conduct in the next one, as in 180°
and 120° conduction modes respectively.
…………… (3)
Operation of switches in 150° conduction modes is shown in
Table III.
Table III. Conduction of Switches in 150° Conduction Mode
Figure-6 Line voltage in150° conduction mode
Copyright 2017.All rights reserved.
ISSN: 2456-124X
Figure-7 Phase voltage in 150° conduction mode
From above figures we can conclude that in 150° conduction
mode gives more sinusoidal line voltages compared to 180°
and 120° conduction modes. Power factor of load cannot be
determined by the designers but conduction mode is a
facility for designer. So the suitable conduction mode should
be selected considering high RMS and low THD of the
output voltage. Usually THD of the output voltage depends
on the power factor and the conductive angle.
Compared to conventional 180° and 120° conduction modes,
150° conduction mode has the following advantages.
 A dead-time period of 30° is provided between two
series switches. This is large enough to avoid short
circuit on dc supply.
 Compared to 120°mode, it increases the RMS
values of output voltages to almost those obtained
by 180° mode.
 Produces seven level output phase voltage
waveforms compared to only four and three levels
in 180° and 120° modes respectively.
 It eliminates Lower Order Harmonics (LOH) to a
larger extent.
 Highly reduces the DF & THD of output voltage
waveform.
Pulse Modulation Techniques
Gate pulse is required for control the conduction of
MOSFETs in inverter. It decides the conduction period
which gives variable output voltage. We are using the PWM
technique to generate gate pulse for the MOSFETs. There are
different methods of PWM control which is also described in
this section.
One of the main sections of this project is to construct a three
phase PWM program which generates the appropriate pulses
or signals that control the switching operations (On/Off) of
the inverter circuit (MOSFETs). It was required to design the
program in such a way that the generated PWM signals are
able to produce an output which enables the power circuitry
to control the Voltage within a limit of 10% - 100%. This
implied that the range of frequency varies between 5 Hz – 50
Hz.
In PWM the pulses representing successive sample values of
s(t) have constant amplitudes but vary in time duration in
direct proportion to the sample value. The pulse duration can
be changed relative to fixed leading or trailing time edges or
a fixed pulse center. To allow for time-division multiplexing,
the maximum pulse duration may be limited to a fraction of
the time between samples.
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International Journal Of Applied Research In Science And Engineering
Volume 2, Issue 7, November-2017
Fig 8: Pulse width modulation
Why Pulse Width Modulation?
Pulse-width modulation (PWM) of a signal or power source
involves the modulation of its duty cycle, to either convey
information over a communications channel or control the
amount of power sent to a load.
Advantages of Pulse Width Modulation
Pulse width modulation technique has several advantages
over analog control.
 The entire control circuit can be digital, eliminating
the need for digital to analog converters.
 Using digital control lines will reduce the
susceptibility of your circuit to interference.
 Motors may be able to operate at lower speeds if
you control them with PWM. When you use an
analog current to control a motor, it will not produce
significant torque at low speeds.
 The output voltage control can be obtained without
any additional components.
 With this method, lower order harmonics can be
eliminated or minimized along with its output
voltage control.
 As higher order harmonics can be filtered easily the
higher order harmonics can be minimized.
There are many forms of modulation used for communicating
information. When a high frequency signal has amplitude
varied in response to a lower frequency signal we have AM
(amplitude modulation). When the signal frequency is varied
in response to the modulating signal we have FM (frequency
modulation). These signals are used for radio modulation
because the high frequency carrier signal is needed for
efficient radiation of the signal.
When communication by pulses was introduced, the
amplitude, frequency and pulse width become possible
modulation options. In many power electronic converters
where the output voltage can be one of two values the only
option is modulation of average conduction time.
Copyright 2017.All rights reserved.
ISSN: 2456-124X
Classification of Pulse Width Modulation
There are various techniques to vary the inverter gain. The
most efficient method of controlling the gain (and output
voltage) is to incorporate pulse width modulation (PWM)
control within the inverters. The commonly used techniques
are:
 Single Pulse width Modulation
 Multiple Pulse width Modulation
 Sinusoidal Pulse width Modulation
 Trapezoidal Pulse width Modulation
 Stair case Pulse width Modulation
In PWM inverters, forced commutation is essential. The
PWM techniques listed above differ from each other in the
harmonic content in their respective output voltages. Thus,
choice of a particular PWM technique depends upon the
permissible harmonic content in the inverter output voltage.
Industrial applications PWM inverter is supplied from a
diode bridge rectifier and an LC filter. The inverter topology
remains the same for a single phase inverter and for a three
phase inverter. But now the devices are now switched ON
and OFF several times within each half cycle to control the
output voltage which has low harmonic content.
Single Pulse Width Modulation
In this control, there‟s only one pulse per half cycle and the
width of the pulse is varied to control the inverter output.
The gating signals are generated by comparing a rectangular
reference signal of the amplitude Ar with triangular carrier
wave of amplitude Ac, the frequency of the carrier wave
determines the fundamental frequency of output voltage. By
varying Ar from 0 to Ac, the pulse width can be varied from
0 to 100 percent. The ratio of Ar to Ac is the control variable
and defined as the modulation index.
Fig 9: Single Pulse Width Modulation
Multiple Pulse Width Modulation
The harmonic content can be reduced by using several pulses
in each half cycle of output voltage. The generation of gate
signals for turning ON and OFF transistors by comparing a
reference signal with a triangular carrier wave. The
frequency Fc, determines the number of pulses per half
cycle. The modulation index controls the output voltage.
This type of modulation is also known as uniform pulse
width modulation (UPWM).
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International Journal Of Applied Research In Science And Engineering
Volume 2, Issue 7, November-2017 ISSN: 2456-124X

Circuit diagram of 3 phase inverter is shown with D.C.

Voltage source is connected. 3phase R-L load is connected
which represent the induction motor equivalent load. 3 legs
of MOSFETs are connected. Control circuit is shown in a
subsystem and other measuring parameter also connected
into the circuit. Parameter waveforms and analysis of circuit
are shown into the next pages. Here we had used Multi Pulse
Width Modulation Technique. Also double tune filter is
shown for 3 phase system.
Fig 10: Multiple Pulse Width Modulatio
Control Signal For Inverter
Sinusoidal Pulse Width Modulation
Instead of, maintaining the width of all pulses of same as in m
case of multiple pulse width modulation, the width of each
pulse is varied in proportion to the amplitude of a sine wave
evaluated at the centre of the same pulse. The distortion
factor and lower order harmonics are reduced significantly. +
v >=
The gating signals are generated by comparing a sinusoidal -
reference signal with a triangular carrier wave of frequency
Fc. The frequency of reference signal Fr ,determines the
inverter output frequency and its peak amplitude Ar, controls
AND 1
the modulation index M, and rms output voltage VO. The
number of pulses per half cycle depends on carrier frequency. g1

AND 2
g4

AND 3
g3

Fig 3.11: Sinusoidal Pulse Width Modulation AND 4

g6
III. SIMULATIONS AND RESULTS
Circuit Diagram
AND 5
Continuous
pow ergui g5
RMS
378.6 g1 g3 g5
Vl rms
signal
AND 6
D

D
g

Vp rms
signal 218.3

g2
m

m
S

54.58 Ip1
Iout rms
signal

Iout
Here Multi Pulse Width Modulation Technique is used to
+ i
- A A control the inverter switches.
B B
C C
g1 g1

g4 g4 To control the 6 switches gate signals are required in

v +
-

v +
-

g3 g3
Vl
sequence which shown for 150°conduction mode in chapter
g6 g6

g5 g5 g4 g2
Vp
2. To generate the MPWM pulses we
g6
g2 g2 had compared D.C. voltage with triangular voltage as shown
D
g
D
g

D
g

Control System
above. After comparison we can get the
m

S
m

pulse-train with continuous pulses. Width of these pulses can

S

Iout

control by dc voltage level.

Vp

0.9 m

Vl After comparison we had also added „AND‟ logic with

Modulation Index
square pulses with 150°conduction to get the desired signals.
Fig: Circuit of MATLAB simulation Waveforms are as shown below.

Copyright 2017.All rights reserved. 737

International Journal Of Applied Research In Science And Engineering
Volume 2, Issue 7, November-2017
Gate Pulses Generation With PWM Technique
Fig: Voltage Comparison Of dc with triangle with different
duty cycle: (A) 80% duty cyle (B) 20% duty cycle
Phase Shifting Of Signals
Copyright 2017.All rights reserved.
ISSN: 2456-124X
Fig: (A) Phase Current (B) Phase Voltage (C) Line Voltage
Of Y- Connected R Load with lower switching frequency of
150° Inverter
Fig: (A) Phase Current (B) Phase Voltage (C) Line Voltage
Of Y- Connected R Load With Higher Switching frequency
180° inverter
Harmonics Analysis
Fig: Voltage Harmonics analysis of 180°, fundamental
frequency 50Hz.
Here we can see that the 5th and 7th harmonics are present
into the harmonics spectra which are noted by the arrows.
These harmonics must be eliminated to improve the power
quality of the system with passive filter.
Total THD from the simulation we get 32% nearly which is
higher we have to improve the power quality of the inverter.
THD is mainly because of 5th and 7th harmonics which can
be reduced by 150 degree inverter as shown below
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International Journal Of Applied Research In Science And Engineering
Volume 2, Issue 7, November-2017 ISSN: 2456-124X

Voltage of Three Phase Six-Switch Inverters"

Fig: Voltage Harmonics analysis of 150°, fundamental
frequency 50Hz.
We can easily see that the 5th and 7th lower order harmonics
are reduced by the system and total THD of the system also
reduced with use of 150 degree conduction mode inverter.
Total THD now we get only 17% same as the theoretical
value.
TELKOMNIKA, Vol.9, No.3, December 2011, pp.
497-502.
[4] D. G. Mangrolia, D. B. Karvat, H. D. Patel "Study
and Simulation of Three Phase Voltage Source
Inverter in Different Conduction Modes" The Indian
Journal of Technical Education, April 2012
[5] Mohamed H. Saied, M. Z. Mostafa, T. M. Abdel-
Moneim and H. A. Yousef, "On Three-Phase Six-
Switch Voltage Source Inverter: A 150 Conduction
Mode" IEEE International Symposium on Industrial
Electronics 2006; 1504-1509.
[6] Bandana Bhutia,DrS.M.Ali and Narayan tiadi,
Design of Three Phase PWM Voltage Source
Inverter For Photovoltaic Application ,
ijireeice,Vol. 2, Issue 4,April 2014
[7] Navdeep Singh, Comparative Study between
Traditional Inverers, ijareeie, Vol. 3, Issue 6, June
2014
[8] Ananya Dutta Some Aspects on 3 Phase Bridge
Inverter (180 Degree Modes, ijeijournal., olume 3,
Issue 4(November2013) PP:18-21
[9] Xiangli Li, Zhaoyang Yan, YanniGao, Hanhong Qi,
“The Research of Three-phase Boost/Buck-boost
DC-AC Inverter ,” Energy and Power
Engineering,SciRes 2013, 5, 906-913

IV. CONCLUSION
With help of simulation result we can conclude that THD of
the output voltage level can be improve with help of just
changing the conduction angle. We can get nearly 50%
reductions in harmonics so filter size also reduced.
There is some problem with input current if we using 150
conduction mode but when lower harmonic required at load
side we can easily use this method.

In this paper we have briefly discuss the operation of three

phase voltage source inverter (VSI) with three conduction
mode their switching and also shows their line and phase
voltage waveform. Compared to 180° and 120° conduction
modes, here three phase voltage source inverter (VSI) in 150°
conduction mode with a star-connected load gives 7 level, 12
steps output phase voltage waveform which is more closer to
sinusoidal waveform. This results into reasonable Total
Harmonic Distortion (THD) level value of the output phase
voltages. Because of this the performance and efficiency of
VSI is greatly improved over wide load conditions.

REFERENCES
[1] M.H. Rashid, " Power Electronics: Circuits,
Devices, an Applications", Prentice Hall Inc., 2
Edition, 1993
[2] Mohamed H. Saied, M. Z. Mostafa, T. M. Abdel-
Moneim, H. A. Yousef, "New 13- Space vector
Diagram For the Three Phase Six Switches Voltage
Source Inverter" ICCCP'09 Muscat, Feb. 2009.
Pp.237- 242
[3] EbrahimBabaei, Mehdi Mahaei "Improving Output

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