What is an INVERTER and how it works - Sine wave - Square wave - 3D animation

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Inverters have assumed a fundamental role due to the dramatic growing of electric machines and especially of all technologies related with renewable energies.
But what is an inverter and what is it for?

In electronics, the inverter is an electronic input / output device that can convert DIRECT CURRENT as input into ALTERNATING CURRENT as output and change its AMPLITUDE and FREQUENCY parameters.

As we’ve already explained in our previous video on the history and operation of the electric motor, the common electrical socket in our homes provides us with ALTERNATING CURRENT. It is generally used to power larger electrical devices such as home appliances, etc..

If we look at the ALTERNATING CURRENT we will see a wave pattern in which the voltage alternates between its two maximum and minimum symmetrical peaks, passing through a zero value.
The alternating current can be compared to sea level between its extreme conditions of high and low tide. Among these extreme level values, sea water will flow at intermediate levels, also changing direction.

The common batteries on the other hand provide CONTINUOUS CURRENT and represent a typical example of DIRECT CURRENT voltage generators. Their characteristic is a fixed polarity at the terminals, called positive and a negative pole. This type of current is mainly used by devices such as electronic boards, and is also generated by solar panels.

The CONTINUOUS CURRENT is always theoretically at the same voltage and its current always goes in the same direction, as a time function can represented by a straight line. For analogy we can imagine a river or a channel that flows continuously, in a straight line, in one direction, with a constant flow.

Inverters are often used in solar or photovoltaic panels. These devices in fact always generate direct current, while as we have said, the appliances in our homes use alternating current. To operate the appliances, therefore, a conversion from direct current to alternating current is required.

This is why there are various types of inverters on the market. JAES in its catalog offers a wide selection of inverters from the major manufacturers.

A more complex type of inverter is necessary when it is integrated into a frequency converter or into a control unit, to manage and control the speed, torque and direction of AC motors.

As we saw in our previous video on the sizing of centrifugal pumps, a practical way to change the rotation speed of the pump impeller is to use a frequency converter to maintain unaltered the other design parameters.

It is common to find inverters for the control of pumps, fans, compressors and basically in any rotating equipment.

As we see in this animation, the inverter is coupled to a rectifier, so the Alternating Current is converted into Direct Current, and then again into Alternating Current. The interesting part is that the internal drivers will change the frequency and consequently the shape of the sine wave. This configuration precisely controls the performance of a motor connected to a mechanical load such as a compressor, etc..

In this video we will explain how to obtain an electric current output with a pure sinusoidal wave form from a continuous direct current.
Alternating current periodically and symmetrically reverses its direction. For this reason the average value of the alternating current on a cycle is zero...