A High-Frequency Variable-Voltage-Fed Inverter

A half-bridge inverter circuit capable of providing a wide range of ac output voltages and frequencies is presented. The inverter uses asymmetrical thyristors (ASCR's), which have the advantages of high-power handling capability, small turn-on and turn-off times, and exhibit the same ruggedness associated with conventional thyristors in regards to surge current and gating requirements. By using ASCR's for the main and auxiliary devices, the inverter offers other advantages such as low snubber-power loss, low commutation loss, simple protection circuits, and the ability to operate at high frequencies with different types of loads. Output voltage control is obtained by feeding the inverter from a variable dc source. Two fixed-value auxiliary dc sources are used to obtain a constant-current interruption capability. The performance of the inverter is evaluated both analytically and experimentally.