A modern ASIC controller for a 6-pulse rectifier

This paper illustrates the advantages of silicon implementation of a digital controller for 3-phase 6-pulse power rectifiers, using Electronic Design Automation (EDA) techniques. The control Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) was simulated and then implemented into a XILINX Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA). The paper describes the practical achievement of a new zero crossing detection circuit for the six line-to-line power voltages, which eliminates the use of transformers and performs a good galvanic isolation in conjunction with a high noise immunity. The complete 6-pulse controller including the ASIC, the zero-crossing detector and an interface circuit was commissioned and is currently being comprehensively tested.