CHAPTER 4:

Half Wave Rectifiers

AC – DC Conversion
AC to DC CONVERSION
(RECTIFIER)
1. Single-phase, half wave rectifier
a) Uncontrolled : R load, R-L load
b) Controlled : R load, R-L load
c) Free wheeling diode
2. Single-phase, full wave rectifier
a) Uncontrolled: R load, R-L load
b) Controlled : R load, R-L load
c) Continuous & discontinuous current mode
 RECTIFIERS : INTRODUCTION
 A rectifier converts AC to DC signal.
 DEFINITION: Converting AC (from mains or other AC
source) to DC power by using power diodes or by
controlling the firing angles of thyristors/ controllable
switches.
 The purpose of a rectifier may be to produce an output
that is purely dc @ to produce a voltage @ current
waveform that has a specified dc component.
 This reason limits the half wave rectifier in low
applications only.
Uncontrolled Half - Wave
Rectifier Circuit with
R-LOAD
Uncontrolled Half-Wave Rectifier with Resistive Load
+ vd -
• During the positive half-cycle of
is input voltage, D1 conducts and the
D1 input voltage appears across the
load.
• During the negative half – cycle of
the input voltage, D1 is in a blocking
condition and the output voltage is
zero
• The current produces a voltage
across the load, which has the same
shape as the positive half-cycle the
input voltage.
• Positive half cycle
⇒ diode is on
• Negative half-cycle
⇒ diode is off
 v(t )  V p sin( t )

Vp
i (t )  sin( t )
R
VD,ak VD,ak

I Dak (t ) I Dak (t )
I in I out I out
I in

Vin (t ) R Vout Vin (t ) R Vout

t  0  t    2
Uncontrolled Half-Wave Rectifier with Resistive Load …cont.

The average value of the output (load) voltage, Vdc or Vo or Vavg is determined by
finding the area under the curve over a full cycle.

(4.0)

(4.1)
Uncontrolled Half-Wave Rectifier with Resistive Load …cont.
The dc component of the current for the purely resistive load is

(4.2)

The root-mean-square (rms) value of the output voltage, Vrms

(4.3)

The rms value of the output current, Irms

Average power absorbed by the resistor can be computed from

Uncontrolled Half - Wave
Rectifier Circuit with
RL-LOAD
Uncontrolled Half-Wave Rectifier with Resistive- INDUCTIVE Load
Uncontrolled Half-Wave Rectifier with Resistive- INDUCTIVE Load cont..
Uncontrolled Half-Wave Rectifier with Resistive- INDUCTIVE Load cont..
Uncontrolled Half-Wave Rectifier with Resistive- INDUCTIVE Load cont..
Uncontrolled Half-Wave Rectifier with Resistive- INDUCTIVE Load cont..
The Half-wave Controlled Rectifier
 Normal rectifiers are considered as uncontrolled rectifiers.
 Once the source and load parameters are established, the
dc level of the output and power transferred to the load
are fixed quantities.
 A way to control the output is to use SCR instead of diode.
 Two condition must be met before SCR can conduct:
1. The SCR must be forward biased (VSCR>0)
2. Current must be applied to the gate of SCR
 The simplest controlled rectifier uses a single device,
such as a thyristor, to produce variable voltage D.C.
from fixed voltage A.C. mains. The circuit arrangement
is shown below
Voltage waveforms for two delay angles are shown below:
 The thyristor is turned on in
the positive half-cycle, some
time after supply voltage
zero, by the application of a
gate pulse with delay angle
α.
 In the negative halfcycle, the
thyristor is reverse biased
and cannot switch on.
 The larger the delay angle,
the smaller is the average
load voltage.
HALF - WAVE CONTROLLED
RECTIFIER CIRCUIT WITH
R-LOAD
Average voltage:  RMS voltage:

 RMS current:

 Average power absorbed by

resister:
Example 1:
Design a circuit to produce an average voltage of 40V
across 100Ω load resistor from a 120Vrms 60 Hz ac source.
Determine the power absorbed by the resistor.
Briefly describe what happen if the circuit is replaced by
diode to produce the same average output.
Half - Wave Controlled
Rectifier Circuit with
RL-LOAD

 Let Vs(t) be Vm sin (wt). At ωt=0,
the current through the circuit is
zero.
 As wt becomes > 0, Vs becomes
positive.
 If a diode instead of an SCR has
been used, the diode would start
conduction at ωt = 0.
 With an SCR, the conduction does
not start till the SCR is triggered. Let
the SCR be triggered when ωt=α.
Then α is called the firing angle and
the SCR continues to conduct.
 When ωt=π, the source becomes
zero, but at this instant, the current
through the circuit is not zero and
there is some energy stored in the
inductor.
 When Vs becomes negative, the
current through the circuit would
not become zero suddenly because
of the inductor. The inductor acts as
a source and keeps the SCR
forward-biased till the energy
stored in the inductor becomes
zero.
 Let the current through the circuit
become zero at ωt= and the value
of β > π.
 For β< ωt < 2π, the current through
the circuit is zero
 Average output voltage:  RMS current:

 Average current:  Average power absorbed by

the load:
Example 2:
 A half wave rectifier has a source of 120V RMS at 60Hz.
R=20 ohm, L=0.04H, and the delay angle is 45 degrees.
Determine:
(a) the expression for i(ωt),
(b) average current,
(c) the power absorbed by the load.
Half - Wave RECTIFIER WITH
FREEWHELLING DIODE
 The average voltage and current can
be increased by making β=1800.
 This can be done by adding a
freewheeling diode Dm.
 The effect of this diode is to prevent
a negative voltage appearing across
the load, and as a result, the
magnetic stored energy is increased
 At ωt = π, the current from D1 is
transferred to Dm and this process is
called commutation of diodes.
 Depending on the load time
constant, the load current may be
discontinuous.
 Load current is discontinuous with a
resistive load and continuous with
very high inductive load.
 The continuity of the load current
depends on its time constant
τ = ωL/R.