
66 Electric Motors and Drives
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3-phase
Output
Figure 2.15 Three-phase inverter power circuit
We mentioned then that the controlled rectifier could be used
to regenerate, i.e. to convert power from d.c. to a.c, and this is
of course 'inversion' as we now understand it.
Forced and natural commutation
We have assumed in this discussion that the switching devices
can turn off or 'commutate' on demand, so that the output
(load) current is either reduced to zero or directed to another
leg of the inverter. Transistors and gate-turn-off thyristors (see
next section) can operate like this, but, as explained earlier,