Rectifiers

Kosala Jayasundara
Department of Electronic & Telecommunication Engineering

Department of Electronics & Telecommunication Engineering

 The Content
Basic half bridge rectifiers and calculations
for different loads
Usage of Free Wheeling diodes
Half wave rectifiers
Quality factors
Full wave rectifiers and three phase
rectifiers
Smoothing and filtering circuits
Thyristor based controlled rectifier

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Diode fundamental equation

I D  I S (e VD / nVT
 1)
ID = diode current
VD = diode voltage
IS = reverse leakage current of the diode
n = emission constant or ideality factor (1 or 2)
VT = kT/q = 26mV at room temperature
K = Boltzmann constant

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Reverse recovery characteristics

trr = reverse recovery time

IRR = maximum reverse current
tb/ ta = softness factor (SF)
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Reverse recovery characteristics
IRR depends on the following factors
1. junction temperature
2. rate of fall of forward current
3. forward current prior to commutation

trr = ta + tb

IRR = ta x dI/dt

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Diode Types
General purpose diodes
Fast recovery diodes
Shotkey diodes
Silicon Carbide Diodes

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 Connecting diodes in parallel

The required resistors and inductors should

be calculated according to the load current,
diode rating and the allowed power loss.
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Diode Circuits with Resistive load

Voltage and current are in-phase

Very easy to handle

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Diode Circuits with RC Load

Vs t / RC
i t    e vc  t   Vs 1  e t / 
R where   RC  time constant

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Diode Circuits with RL Load

i t  
Vs
R

1 e
 RL t
 vL  t   Vs  e
 RL t

L
where    time constant
R
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 Diode Circuits with LC Load

C
i  t   Vs 
sin 0t
L vC  t   Vs 1  cos 0t 
where 0 
1
 resonant frequency vL  t   Vs cos 0t
LC
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 Diode Circuits with RLC Load

Vs 1
I  s   where  
R
is the damping factor
L s2  R s  1 2L
L LC 1
R 1 0  is the resonant frequency
here s 2  s  0 LC
L LC 2
is the characteristic equation in s  domain 1  R 
and r   
2 LC  2 L 
R  R  1
s      02   2  ringing frequency
2L  2 L  LC
s       2 2 Also 0   r2   2
0
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Diode Circuits with DC Sources
RLC Load Case 1 :    0  roots are complex  underdampe d
s1    j r and s 2    j  r
Vs
i t    e t sin  r t
r L

Case 2 :    0  roots are real  overdamped

s1     2   02 and s 2     2   02
Vs
i t    sinh  2   02
L  2   02

Case 3 :    0  roots are equal  critically damped

s1  s 2  
Vs
i t    t  e  t
L
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 Freewheeling Diodes

Mode I : Mode II :

i
Vs
R

1 e
 RL t
 Vs  RL t
i  e
R
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Free Wheeling and L circuits

di
Vs  L
dt
Vs Energy stored in the inductance
i t 2
L 1  Vs  1 Vs2
  t1   L   t1 J
if S is opened at t1 2 L  2 L
Vs
I L  t1
L
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Single-Phase Half-Wave Rectifier – R load

Vm
Vo ,ave 

Vm
Vo ,rms 
2 2
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Quality factors
Pdc
Efficiency (Rectification 
Ratio) Pac

Form Vrms
Factor – shape of the FF 
Vdc
voltage output

Vac
Ripple Factor RF 
Vdc
p dc
TUF 
Transformer utilization factor VsIs

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Quality factors
Displacement Angle DF  cos( )

Harmonic Factor I I 2 2

1/ 2
I2
1/ 2

HF   2
s s1
    1
s
2
I s1  fundamental _ current  I s1  I
s1 

Vs I s1 I
Power PF  cos( )  s1 cos( )
Factor Vs I s Is
I s ( peak )
CF 
Crest Factor Is

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Single-Phase Half-Wave Rectifier – L
load

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Single-Phase Half-Wave Rectifier – C
load

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Single-Phase Half-Wave Rectifier – RE
load

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Single-Phase Half-Wave Rectifier – RL
load

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 Single-Phase Full-Wave Rectifier –
Center Tapped

2Vm
Vo ,ave 

V
Vo ,rms  m
2

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Diode Circuits with DC Sources

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 Single-Phase Full-Wave Rectifier –
Bridge

2Vm
Vo ,ave 

V
Vo ,rms  m
2

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 Three phase bridge
rectifier

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Rectifier Circuit Design Calculations
Diode current rating (average and RMS)
Load inductance (limiting output ripple)
Filter capacitance calculation (output)
LC output filter calculation
LC input filter calculation
Effect of load and source inductance for
output voltage

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Diode current rating calculation

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Load inductance calculation (to avoid
output ripple current)

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Filter capacitance calculation

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LC output filter calculation

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LC input filter calculation

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Effect of load and source inductance for
output voltage
Output voltage reduction due to the
inductances

VX  6 fLc I dc

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Thyristor controlled rectifier
Output power can be
changed using
thyristors
Only the firing angle
is changed to alter
the average voltage
and hence power
output

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Full wave rectifier Two thyristors
are switched
alternatively to
rectify the
waveform
No need to use
four thyristors

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Thyristor controlled rectifier

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Triggering method

As the cathode of each thyristor is on

different potentials, isolated firing
methods must be used. Isolation (pulse)
transformer is a good option for that.

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 Three phase rectifier
Method is the same for three phase rectifier

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