CHAPTER 2:

AC TO DC CONVERTERS
(RECTIFIER)

Norazila jaalam

REFERENCE:
D. W. Hart, Power Electronics. 2011.
2.1 Single phase uncontrolled rectifiers
2.11 Introduction
2.12 Uncontrolled half-wave, R-load
2.13 Uncontrolled half-wave, R-L load
2.14 Uncontrolled half-wave, R-C load

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 2.11 Introduction
 RECTIFIER definition: an electrical device that converts AC to DC (flows
in 1 direction only) by using power diodes or by controlling the firing
angles of thyristors/controllable switches.
 Rectification purpose? To produce an output that is purely DC or to
produce voltage/current waveform that has DC component
 Basic block diagram•

+ -
i
+
AC R Vo AC input DC output
vi = Vm sin wt -
 2.12 Uncontrolled half-wave, R-load
 The simplest of networks to examine with a time-varying
signal appears in figure below (ideal model is used)

+ Vd -

i
+ +
Vin R
Vo
- -

 Over one full-cycle (defined by the period of T), the average

value (the algebraic sum of the areas above and below the
axis) is zero
 This circuit is called a half-wave rectifier that will generate a
waveform vo
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 2.12 Uncontrolled half-wave, R-load
+ Vd -

i
+ +
Vin R
Vo
- -

 During the interval t = 0  T/2, substituting the short circuit equivalence

for the ideal diode will result in the equivalent circuit of:
+ Vd - vi  vo
i
diode on +
Vin R
+
Vo
- -

 Result: the output signal, vo is an exact replica of the applied signal, vi

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 2.12 Uncontrolled half-wave, R-load
 During T/2  T, the diode is in off-state (open-circuit)  no path for
charge to flow
 Thus:
Vo  iR  (0) R  0V

+ Vd -

i
+ +
R Vo = 0V
Vin Vo
- -

 half-wave rectification - process of removing one-half of the input

signal to produce dc output
 The DC component, Vo of an output voltage is the average value of a
half-wave rectifier sinusoid
Vo  Vavg 6
 2.12 Uncontrolled half-wave, R-load
+ Vd -

i
DC output voltage;
V
AC
+
Vo  Vave  VDC  m  0.318Vm
R Vo 
vi = Vm sin wt -
" DC" output current ,
Vo  Vm  1  Vm
Io     
R    R  R
Average power absorbed by resistor,
V 2 rms
P  I rms R 
2

R

1 Vm
ON OFF where, Vo , rms   [Vm sin(t )] d (t ) 
2

2 0
2
Vo , rms Vm
I o , rms  
R 2R
*When diode OFF, vD = vs since io = 0
Efficiency ,
vs  vd  vo Pdc V I
  dc dc
 vd  vs  vo Pac Vrms I rms 7
 2.12 Uncontrolled half-wave, R-load
• Application of half-wave rectifier
 Mostly used in low power application
 Low power battery charger circuit
 Soldering iron circuit
 Pulse generator circuit

Vo = 0V

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 Example 1
Consider the half-wave rectifier circuit with a resistive load of
25 and a 60 Hz ac source of 110Vrms.
i. Calculate the average values of load voltage (Vo) and
average load current (Io).
ii. Calculate the rms values of voltage and current across
the resistor.
iii. Calculate the average power delivered to the load.

+ Vd -

i
+
AC R Vo
vi = Vm sin wt -

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Answer Example 1
 

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Example 2
For the half-wave rectifier, the source is a sinusoid of
120Vrms at a frequency of 60Hz. The load resistor is 5.
Determine
(i) the average load voltage and average load current
(ii) the average power absorbed by the load
(iii) the power factor of the circuit

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 Answer Example 2
 

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 Revision: uncontrolled rectifiers R-load
+ Vd -

i • The switch is closed at t = 0

AC R
+
Vo
•  the diode becomes FB in
vi = Vm sin wt - the interval 0 < t <0.01
• Vd =0, thus Vo = Vs
• for t>0.01, Vs becomes
Vs negative and diode becomes
RB
Vo • since Io = 0, thus Vo = IoR =0

Io vs  vd  vo
Vo  Vavg
 vd  vs  vo

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2.12 Uncontrolled half-wave, R-L load
 Industrial loads typically contain inductance as well as
resistance.
 The ripple factor of output current can be reduced to some
extent by connecting an inductor in series with the load
resistance
 The Kirchhoff voltage law (KVL) equation that describes
the current in the circuit for the FB ideal diode is:

+ Vd -

di i
Vm  Ri  L
dt AC R
voltage
source
L

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 2.12 Uncontrolled half-wave, R-L load
+ Vd -

i
• due to the inductance load, the output current
(Io) increases more slowly during FB
AC R
vs  vd  vo • When the output voltage (Vo) becomes zero
voltage
source  vd  vs  vo L again, Io is still positive (bcoz L stored energy)
• When Vi becomes negative, L releasing the
stored energy and current begins to decrease
Vi • Diode continues to conduct beyond t=0.01
while the negative supply voltage is supported
by the inductor till current is zero at t=0.014
• beyond this point, diode becomes RB.
Vo • That means, the load current flows not only
during Vs > 0, but also for a portion of Vs < 0.
• Both Io and Vo remains zero till the beginning
of the next cycle where upon the process
Io repeats.
• The negative segment will results on reducing the
average output voltage.
• The larger the Inductance, the larger negative segment
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 2.12 Uncontrolled half-wave, R-L load
 The angle when the current reaches zero is known as β (when the diode turns off):

   where,
 
sin(    )  sin( )e   
0 V Vm
 t 
 
 sin( wt   )  sin( )e    for 0  t  
m
i ( wt )   Z Z
The average power absorbed by load , 0 for   t  2

1
2  L  L
and Z  R 2  (L) 2 ,   tan 1  ,  
P
2  p(t ) d (t )
0
 R  R

1
2 rms current ,

2  v(t )i (t ) d (t ) 1
2
1 2

I rms  i (t ) d (t )   i (t ) d (t )
2
0
2 0
2 0
OR
and , average current ,
PI 2
rms R ; Since the average power 1


2 0
Io  i (t ) d (t )
absorbed by inductor is zero (0).

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Example 3
 For the half wave rectifier shown below, given Vm = 100V,
R = 100Ω, L = 0.1H, ω = 377 rad/s, and β = 3.5 rad or 201o.
Determine:
(i) Z, θ, ωτ
(ii) an expression for the current in this circuit, i(ωt)
(iii) the average current
(iv) the rms current
(v) the power absorbed by the R-L load
(vi) the power factor + Vd -

AC R
voltage
source
L
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 2.13 Uncontrolled half-wave, R-C load
 the amount of ripple voltage can be further reduced by using larger
value capacitors
DVo = ripple voltage
+ - vo = vC
i ON
OFF
+
AC C R Vo
vi = Vm sin wt -
wt
q a
2 q

• When vs at positive cycle, the diode turned ON and the capacitor is charged
• When wt = q, while vs is reducing the capacitor starts to discharge
• This causes the diode to turn OFF since vC > vs
• This condition continues until vC = vs that is when wt = 2p+a .
- The purpose of capacitor is to reduce the variation in the output voltage,
making it more like dc.
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2.13 Uncontrolled half-wave, R-C load

The output voltage is described by :   tan 1   RC 

Vm sin t 2    t  2     tan 1   RC   
Vo (t )    ( t  )/ RC
V e   t  2     RC
where, V  Vm sin 

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 2.13 Uncontrolled half-wave, R-C load
• The effectiveness of capacitor filter is determined by the
variation in output voltage, or expressed as maximum and
minimum output voltage, which is peak-to-peak ripple voltage
where it is given by:
Vo  Vmax  Vmin
 Vm  Vm sin 
 Vm (1  sin  )

- if VVm and /2, then ripple can be approximated as:

 2   Vm 
Vo  Vm     
 RC   fRC 

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2.13 Uncontrolled half-wave, R-C load
 The expression of capacitor current is given by:

 The source current which is same as the diode current is:

 The output voltage ripple can be reduced by increasing the

filter capacitor, C. But this results in a larger peak diode
current.
Vm sin 
I D , peak  CVm cos  
R
 sin  
 Vm  C cos   
 R  21
Example 4:
 The half-wave rectifier of figure below has a 120-V source at 60 Hz,
R = 500 Ω, α = 48o and C =100 µF. Determine:
(a) an expression for output voltage
(b) the peak-to-peak voltage variation on the output
(c) the peak diode current
(d) value of C if ∆Vo is 1 percent of Vm
(e) new value of IDpeak

+ -
i
+
AC C R Vo
vi = Vm sin wt -

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Example 5:
 The half-wave rectifier given in Figure below has an input voltage of Vm
(t) = 340 sin (314t) V, α = 60o, and θ =93.5o.
(a) Design the circuit such that the peak diode current is limited to 300A
(b) Calculate the peak-to-peak output ripple voltage
(c) Sketch the output waveform, Vo

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