Chapter 1-Part 2

FULL-WAVE
RECTIFIERS

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FULL-WAVE RECTIFIERS

 SINGLE-PHASE FULL-WAVE RECTIFIERS

 CONTROLLED FULL-WAVE RECTIFIERS
 THREE-PHASE RECTIFIERS
 CONTROLLED THREE-PHASE RECTIFIERS

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SINGLE-PHASE FULL-WAVE RECTIFIERS:
BRIDGE RECTIFIER - R LOAD

Figure 4.1 Full-wave center-tapped rectifier (a) circuit; (b) voltages and currents.

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 SINGLE-PHASE FULL-WAVE RECTIFIERS:
BRIDGE RECTIFIER - R LOAD

Figure 4-1 Full-wave bridge rectifier. (a) Circuit diagram. (b)

Alternative representation. (c) Voltages and currents.
 SINGLE-PHASE FULL-WAVE RECTIFIERS:
BRIDGE RECTIFIER - R LOAD
• Diodes D1 and D2 conduct together, and D3 and D4 conduct together. Kirchhoff’s voltage law around
the loop containing the source, D1, and D3 cannot conduct simultaneously. The load current can be
positive or zero but can never be negative.

• The voltage across the load is +vs when D1 and D2 are ON. The voltage across the load is -vs when
D3 and D4 are ON.

• The maximum voltage across a reverse-biased diode is the peak value of the source. This can be
shown by Kirchhoff’s voltage law around the loop containing the source, D1, and D3. With D1 ON,
the voltage across D3 is -vs.

• The current entering the bridge from the source is iD1-iD4, which is symmetric about zero. Therefore,
the average source current is zero.

• The rms source current is the same as the rms load current. The source current is the same as the load
current for one-half of the source period and is the negative of the load current for the other half. The
squares of the load and source currents are the same, so the rms currents are equal.

• The fundamental frequency of the output voltage is 2, where  is the frequency of the ac input
since two periods of the output occur for every period of the input. The Fourier series of the output
consists of a DC term and the even harmonics of the source frequency.
 SINGLE-PHASE FULL-WAVE RECTIFIERS:
THE CENTER-TAPPED
CENTER-TAPPED TRANSFORMER- RECTIFIER
TRANSFORMER R LOAD

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 SINGLE-PHASE FULL-WAVE RECTIFIERS:
THE CENTER-TAPPED TRANSFORMER
CENTER-TAPPED TRANSFORMERRECTIFIER

• Kirchhoff’s voltage law shows that only one diode can conduct at a time. Load current
can be positive or zero but never negative.

• The output voltage is +vs1 when D1 conducts and is -vs2 when D2 conducts. The
transformer secondary voltages are related to the source voltage by vs1= vs2= vs( N2/2N1).

• Kirchhoff’s voltage law around the transformer secondary windings, D1, and D2 shows
that the maximum voltage across a reverse-biased diode is twice the peak value of the
load voltage.

• Current in each half of the transformer secondary is reflected to the primary, resulting in
an average source current of zero.

• The transformer provides electrical isolation between the source and the load.

• The fundamental frequency of the output voltage is 2 since two periods of the output
occur for every period of the input.

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 SINGLE-PHASE FULL-WAVE RECTIFIERS:
R LOAD
The voltage across a resistive load for the bridge rectifier of Fig. 4-1 is expressed as:

The DC component of the output voltage is the average value and load current is
simply the resistor voltage divided by resistance:

The rms output current:

Figure 4.3a
SINGLE-PHASE FULL-WAVE RECTIFIERS:
R-L
R - LLOAD
LOAD

Figure 4-3 (a) Bridge rectifier with an RL load; (b) Voltages and
currents; (c) Diode and source currents when the inductance is
large and the current is nearly constant.

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Figure 4.3a
SINGLE-PHASE FULL-WAVE RECTIFIERS:
RR-L
- LLOAD
LOAD
The full-wave rectified sinusoidal voltage across the load can be expressed as a
Fourier series consisting of a DC term and the even harmonics:

The DC current and current amplitude at each frequency are computed from:

The L >> R , the load current is:

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Example 8

The bridge circuit has an ac source with Vm=100V at 60Hz and a series RL load with
R=10Ω and L=10mH
(a)Determine the average current in the load.
(b)Estimate the peak to peak variation in load current based on the first ac term in the
Fourier series.
(c)Determine the power absorbed by the load and power factor of the circuit.
(d)Determine the average and rms current in the diodes.
Figure 4.5
SINGLE-PHASE FULL-WAVE RECTIFIERS:
R-L-SOURCE LOAD

Continuous current

Figure 4-5 (a) Rectifier with RL-source load; (b) Continuous

current: when the circuit is energized, the load current reaches the
steady-state after a few periods; (c) Discontinuous current: the
load current returns to zero during every period.

Discontinuous current

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Figure 4.5
SINGLE-PHASE FULL-WAVE RECTIFIERS:
R-L-SOURCE LOAD

For continuous-current operation, one pair of diodes is always conducting,

and the voltage across the load is a full-wave rectified sine wave. The only
modification to the analysis that was done for an RL load is in the DC term of
the
Fourier series. The DC (average) component of current in this circuit is:

Discontinuous current is analyzed like the half-wave rectifier of Sec. 3.5.

The load voltage is not a full-wave rectified sine wave for this case, so the
Fourier series of Eq. (4-4) does not apply.

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Example 9

For the full-wave bridge rectifier circuit, the AC source is 120V rms at 60Hz.
R=2 Ω, L=10mH and Vdc=80 V. Assume the current is continuous. Determine
the power absorbed by the DC voltage source and the power absorbed by the
load resistor
Figure 4.6
SINGLE-PHASE FULL-WAVE RECTIFIERS:
CAPACITANCE OUTPUT FILTER

Figure 4-6 (a) Full-wave rectifier with capacitance filter; (b) Source and output voltage.

Placing a large capacitor in parallel with a resistive load can produce an output
voltage that is essentially DC. In the full-wave circuit, the time that the capacitor
discharges is smaller than that for the half-wave circuit because of the rectified sine
wave in the second half of each period.

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 SINGLE-PHASE FULL-WAVE RECTIFIERS:
CAPACITANCE OUTPUT FILTER
Assuming ideal diodes,

where  is the angle where the diodes become reverse biased, which is the same
as that for the half-wave rectifier;

The peak-to-peak voltage variation, or ripple, is the difference between maximum

and minimum voltages.

The approximation of peak-to-peak ripple is:

Example 10

The full-wave rectifier has a 120 V source at 60Hz, R= 500Ω and

C = 100 µF.
(a)Determine the peak-peak voltage variation of the output.
(b)Determine the value of capacitance that would reduce the
output voltage ripple to 1 percent of the DC value.
Figure 4.10
SINGLE-PHASE CONTROLLED FULL-WAVE RECTIFIERS:
R LOAD

Figure 4-10 (a) Controlled full-wave bridge rectifier; (b) Controlled full-wave center-tapped transformer rectifier; (c)
Output for a resistive load.

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 SINGLE-PHASE CONTROLLED FULL-WAVE RECTIFIERS:
R LOAD

• Output is controlled by adjusting the delay angle of each SCR, resulting in an output
voltage that is adjustable over a limited range.

• For the bridge rectifier, SCRs S1 and S2 will become forward-biased when the source
becomes positive but will not conduct until gate signals are applied. Similarly, S3
and S4 will become forward-biased when the source becomes negative but will not
conduct until they receive gate signals.

• For the center-tapped transformer rectifier, S1 is forward-biased when vs is positive,

and S2 is forward-biased when vs is negative, but each will not conduct until it
receives a gate signal.

• If the delay angle is zero, the rectifiers behave exactly as uncontrolled rectifiers with
diodes.
SINGLE-PHASE CONTROLLED FULL-WAVE RECTIFIERS:
R LOAD
Tne average output voltage is:

The average output current is:

The power delivered to the load is a function of the input voltage, the delay
angle, and the load components; P = I2rms(R) is used to determine the power in
a
resistive load, where
Example 11

The full wave controlled bridge rectifier has an AC input of 120 rms at 60Hz and
a 20Ω load resistor. The delay angle is 40. Determine the average current in the
load, the power absorbed by the load and the source voltamperes.
Figure 4.16a
THREE-PHASE RECTIFIERS

Figure 4-16 (a) Three-phase full-bridge rectifier; (b) Source and output voltages; (c) Currents for aresistive load.
Figure 4.16a
THREE-PHASE RECTIFIERS

Figure 4-17 Three-phase rectifier currents when the output is filtered.

Figure 4.16a
THREE-PHASE RECTIFIERS

• Kirchhoff’s voltage law around any path shows that only one diode in the top half of the bridge
may conduct at one time (D1, D3, or D5). The diode that is conducting will have its anode
connected to the phase voltage that is highest at that instant.

• Kirchhoff’s voltage law also shows that only one diode in the bottom half of the bridge may
conduct at one time (D2, D4, or D6). The diode that is conducting will have its cathode
connected to the phase voltage that is lowest at that instant.

• As a consequence of items 1 and 2 above, D1 and D4 cannot conduct at the same time.
Similarly, D3 and D6 cannot conduct simultaneously, nor can D5 and D2.

• The output voltage across the load is one of the line-to-line voltages of the source. For
example, when D1 and D2 are on, the output voltage is vac. Furthermore, the diodes that are on
are determined by which line-to-line voltage is the highest at that instant. For example, when vac
is the highest line-to-line voltage, the output is vac.

• There are six combinations of line-to-line voltages (three phases taken two at a time).
Considering one period of the source to be 360, a transition of the highest line-to-line voltage
must take place every 360/6 = 60. Because of the six transitions that occur for each period of
the source voltage, the circuit is called a six-pulse rectifier.

• The fundamental frequency of the output voltage is 6, where  is the frequency of the three-
 THREE-PHASE RECTIFIERS

The current in a conducting diode is the same as the load current. To determine the
current in each phase of the source, Kirchhoff’s current law is applied at nodes a, b,
and c,

Since each diode conducts one-third of the time, resulting in

 THREE-PHASE RECTIFIERS

The Fourier series for the output voltage can be expressed as,

The average or DC value of the output voltage is:

The amplitudes of the AC voltage terms (harmonics) are:

Example 12

The three-phase rectifier has a three-phase source of 480 Vrms line to line and
the load is a 25Ω resistance is series with a 50mH inductance. Determine
(a)The DC level of the output voltage,
(b)The DC and first AC term of the load current.
(c) The average and rms current in the diodes.
(d)The rms current in the source.
(e)The apparent power from the source.
Figure 4.20
CONTROLLED THREE-PHASE RECTIFIERS

Figure 4-20 (a) A controlled three-phase rectifier; (b) Output voltage for 45.
Figure 4.20
CONTROLLED THREE-PHASE RECTIFIERS

The output of the three-phase rectifier can be controlled by substituting SCRs for diodes. Figure
4-20(a) 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 the interval between when the SCR becomes forward-biased and when the
gate signal is applied. Figure 4-20(b) shows the output of the controlled rectifier for a delay
angle of 45.

The average output voltage is:

Example 13

A three-phase controlled rectifier has an input voltage which is

480V rms at 60Hz. The load is modeled as a series resistance and
inductance with R=10Ω and L=50mH.
(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.
Figure 4.20
SUMMARY

• Single-phase full-wave rectifiers can be of the bridge or center-tapped transformer types.

• The average source current for single-phase full-wave rectifiers is zero.

• The Fourier series method can be used to analyze load currents. A large inductor in series
with a load resistor produces a load current that is essentially DC.

• A filter capacitor on the output of a rectifier can produce an output voltage that is nearly
DC. An LC output filter can further improve the quality of the dc output and reduce the peak
current in the diodes.

• Switches such as SCRs can be used to control the output of a single-phase or three-phase
rectifier.