Performance Comparison between Phase Control, Pulse Power and Bidirectional Power Thyristors under ac Surge Conditions

This paper presents a comparative analysis between different types of thyristor technologies (phase control, pulse power and bidirectional) with respect to their supportability to single- and multi-cycle sinusoidal ac current surges. The methodology adopted is entirely based on data sheet information. The main contribution of this paper is to provide a comprehensive insight regarding the device that best suits such applications. Three sets of commercial devices, including the three technologies, will be evaluated. Their data sheet parameters will be compared and their performance when submitted to predefined surge profiles will be investigated both in simulation and experimental fields. The main contributions of this paper are the proposition and demonstration of a useful method to compare different thyristors for ac surge conditions and the demonstration of its effectiveness by the comparison of several devices.