Thyristor Rectifiers

Dr John Fletcher
John.Fletcher@eee.strath.ac.uk
Single-phase Rectifiers is
T1
iL

T3
D L
vs vL
• Most common is the bridge configuration T2
R
T4 iD

- uncontrolled (4 diodes)
- half-controlled (2 thyristors and 2 diodes plus
flywheel)
- fully-controlled (4 thyristors optional flywheel)

• Fully-controlled rectifier provides bidirectional power flow.

Half-controlled rectifier
• Flywheel diode is typically is iL
used. T1
T2 Df L
• Current can be continuousv vL
or discontinuous in the s D2
R
load and supply. D1 iD

• Higher mean output

voltages because of
flywheel
Vˆ
VAV  1  cos  
• Current usually 
discontinuous
Fully-controlled Rectifier
• 4 thyristors is iL
T1
• Optional flywheel T3
D L
vs vL
• If α<Φ then conduction is T2
R
continuous. T4 iD

• Continuous current, no
flywheel.
2Vˆ
VAV  cos 

What is this circuit?
• Full or half-wave?
vs
• Flywheel or no flywheel? vL


• Note how load current
waveform defines the i
L
supply current waveform.

is

    
 Three-phase ia
T1 T2 T3
iL

va
secondaryof
supplytransform
er ib
Df load v
L
vc
vb
ic

vs va vb vc va
• Half-wave and full-wave versions

v
L • Controlled and uncontrolled versions
• Half-wave, controlled shown
• Usually assume load L is large (that is it
looks like a current source of constant
current.
ia •
IL Freewheel diode optional.
• Looking at the waveforms is there a
iL freewheel diode?
IL
Three-phase – half-wave, controlled
• Consider if α=0o (triggered continuously). The thyristor connected to phase
with the largest voltage will conduct.

• α is measured from the crossover between A and C phases.

• Each device will conduct for 120o of the cycle.

• α is now delayed. Va is now triggered at (30+α), Vb at (150+α) etc.

• Waveforms are as shown in the diagram. 120o periods on conduction.

Phase A conducts from (30+α), Vb at (150+α)
VA  Vp sin t
 2 
VB  Vp sin  t  
 3 
 2 
VC  Vp sin  t  
 3 
Three-phase – half-wave, controlled
• The phase voltages are VA  Vp sin t
 2 
VB  Vp sin  t  
 3 
 2 
VC  Vp sin  t  
 3 
• The average output voltage:
150
1
VDC 3
2 V
30 
P sin t d (t )

3 3VP
 cos 
2

3VˆL
 cos 
2
Three-phase – half-wave, controlled
• Note: Source current is square. vs va vb vc va

v 
L
• Lots of harmonics!

• And a DC component (bad for

supply transformers). ia
IL

iL

IL
 3-phase, fully-controlled, full-wave
• Six thyristors.
• Assume load is ‘highly inductive’ – constant current
• Thyristor legs are triggered with a trigger angle α

iL

va ia
T1 T3 T5
ib
vc v
L
vb ic
T4 T6 T2
secondaryofsupply
transform
er
 Va Vb Vc Va
• Conduction occurs across
lines that have the largest 
magnitude.
• Each phase conducts for
two periods
- a, two 120o segments 
- b, two 120o segments
- c, two 120o segments
IT6
• Line currents are bi-polar
with no dc component but
still have high harmonic IT3
content.

• We can show that the Ib

average output voltage is

3VˆL IL
VDC  cos 

Output voltage waveform
• Diagram below shows the output voltage waveform (in bold)

• As α increases the area of shaded portion A gets smaller hence

the average voltage decreases

• If α increases beyond 90o the output voltage goes negative.

Bidirectional capability
• This shows what happens as α is
varied from 0o to 180o.
• The shaded portion represents the
average voltage.
• This can be varied from

3VˆL 3VˆL
VDC  to 
 
• The fully-controlled rectifier can also
act as an inverter.
Bidirectional capability
• For example, if α=180o the dc load voltage is negative but has
the same polarity as the load current.

• Hence the load is providing power to the supply.

• This can only happen if (a) there is no flywheel diode present

and (b) the dc load has an energy source.
Commutation Overlap
• Current conduction switched from one diode/thyristor to another in a
finite time.
• This is as a result of finite circuit inductance.
• During phase commutation a short circuit occurs between the outgoing
and incoming phases. See below.
• This leads to a reduction in the average output voltage which is related
to the overlap angle, γ.
va vb vc va
Rectifier Quality Factors
Ripple Factor

• A measure of the quality of the current or voltage waveform.

• The RIPPLE FACTOR is a measure of the departure from ideal and is

defined

RF = rms value of all alternating components

mean value of wave
eg for a rectifier voltage:
1/2
 n
2
RF =  v n  = VAC/VDC =
2
VRMS  VDC
2
/VDC
 n1 
V0
Rectifier Quality Factors
Power Factor and Displacement Factor

• In sinusoidal systems the power factor of any load is defined

P
pf 
S
Vrms I rms cos 

Vrms I rms
• In rectifier systems, currents are non-sinusoidal. Assuming voltages are
sinusoidal then
- the fundamental current component delivers power
- the harmonic currents do not
Rectifier Quality Factors
Power Factor and Displacement Factor

• Hence P  Vrms I (1) rms cos 1

where Φ1=angle between the fundamental current i1 and the supply voltage.

• The power factor is now

Vrms I (1) rms cos 1 I (1) rms
Power Factor   cos 1
Vrms I rms I rms

Distortion Factor Displacement Factor

(a) A single-phase fully controlled bridge rectifier with a flywheel diode
supplies ripple-free current to a highly inductive load.

i) Draw the circuit diagram of the rectifier.

20%
ii) Sketch the waveforms of the voltage across the load and the
current in the connection between the supply and the rectifier
assuming a trigger angle α.
30%
iii) Show, by deriving from first principles, the expressions for
the mean load voltage and the rms value of the ac line
current, are:

V̂ πα
Vav  [cosα  1] Iac  Idc
π π
20%

(b) Write expressions for ripple factor, distortion factor and

displacement factor for rectifier circuits. What effect would
increasing the trigger angle have on the displacement factor of the
supply current?