CONTROLLED THREE-PHASE RECTIFIERS

The output of the three-phase rectifier can be controlled by substituting

SCRs for diodes.
Figure 4-20a shows a controlled six-pulse three-phase rectifier.
With SCRs, conduction does not begin until a gate signal is applied while the
SCR is forward-biased.
Thus, the transition of the output voltage to the maximum instantaneous line-
to-line source voltage can be delayed.
The delay angle is referenced from where the SCR would begin to conduct if
it were a diode.
The delay angle is the interval between when the SCR becomes forward-
biased and when the gate signal is applied.

Figure 4-20a
Power Electronics by Daniel W. Hart Chapter 04 1
Figure 4-20b shows the output of the controlled rectifier for a delay
angle of 45o.
The average output voltage is

Fig 4-20a

Eq (4-47) shows that the average

output voltage is reduced as the delay
angle increases.

Fig. 4-16b
Power Electronics by Daniel W. Hart Chapter 04
Fig 4-20b
Harmonics for the output voltage
remain of order 6k, but the
amplitudes are functions of α . 2
A Controlled Three-Phase Rectifier
A three-phase controlled rectifier has an input voltage which is 480 V
rms at 60 Hz. The load is modeled as a series resistance and inductance
with R = 10 and L = 50 mH. (a) Determine the delay angle required to
produce an average current of 50 A in the load. (b) Determine the
amplitude of harmonics n = 6 and n = 12.
(a) The required dc component in the bridge output voltage is Vo = Io R =
(50)(10) = 500 V

From graph

Power Electronics by Daniel W. Hart Chapter 04 3

Twelve-Pulse Rectifiers
The three-phase six-pulse bridge rectifier shows a marked improvement in
the quality of the dc output over that of the single-phase rectifier.
Harmonics of the output voltage are small and at frequencies that are
multiples of 6 times the source frequency.
Further reduction in output harmonics can be accomplished by using two six-
pulse bridges as shown in Fig. 4-22a.
This configuration is called a
12-pulse converter.

Y-Y

Y-Δ

Power Electronics by Daniel W. Hart Chapter 04 Fig.4-22a 4