Modelling and Simulation of a DC Chopper Using Single Phase Matrix Converter Topology

Choppers are widely used for traction motor control in electric automobiles and other electric transportation system. In those applications, control of dc motor's speed is required where the supply is dc or an ac voltage that has been rectified. This paper presents work on development of four quadrant DC chopper based on the SPMC topology, an advanced topology that hypothetically could perform many different converter functions. Prior to hardware implementation a computer simulation model was developed using the Power System Block Set (PSB) within the MATLAB/Simulink (MLS) environment, to study the behaviour of the proposed converter. Successful results presented are mainly due to the use of resistive load to reduce complexities. Results from PSB simulation are compared with those obtained from PSpice to ascertain its validity. The output is being synthesized using Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) technique. It is shown that the same SPMC topology could be used as a DC chopper extending the versatility of the topology a desirable feature in the future as increases in costs for skilled manpower could be traded-off with versatile technology.