Scribd
Upload
105 views5 pages

Capacitor Filter Circuit Overview

The document discusses filtering and regulating the output voltage of a rectifier circuit. It explains that a filter, typically a capacitor, is used to smooth the pulsating DC voltage from the rectifier and remove the ripple voltage. A capacitor filter works by charging when the voltage increases and discharging when it decreases, with a higher capacitor value providing longer discharge time and lower ripple voltage. The document also introduces ripple factor as a measurement of filtering efficiency and discusses using a Zener diode as a regulator to ensure a constant output voltage.

Uploaded by

مصطفى عدنان احمد
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
105 views5 pages

Capacitor Filter Circuit Overview

The document discusses filtering and regulating the output voltage of a rectifier circuit. It explains that a filter, typically a capacitor, is used to smooth the pulsating DC voltage from the rectifier and remove the ripple voltage. A capacitor filter works by charging when the voltage increases and discharging when it decreases, with a higher capacitor value providing longer discharge time and lower ripple voltage. The document also introduces ripple factor as a measurement of filtering efficiency and discusses using a Zener diode as a regulator to ensure a constant output voltage.

Uploaded by

مصطفى عدنان احمد
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Filter

The output from the rectifier circuit is a DC pulsating voltage. This voltage
has DC components (unidirectional) as well as AC components (ripple
voltage). The ripple voltage need to be removed to get a pure, almost
constant, DC voltage. This is smoothing or filtering of the voltage. This can
be done by connecting a filter at the output of the rectifier. Depending on
the filtering efficiency, the change in the value of the output voltage can be
smoothed out (removing the ripple). The most commonly used filter is the
capacitor, in addition to other kinds of filters. A filter is connected in parallel
with the rectifier circuit.
Capacitor as a filter:

Figure (2.17)
The figures above show the action of smoothing the output voltage for
(a)half wave rectified voltage and (b)full wave rectified output voltage.
As the voltage increases, the capacitor charges, as the voltage decreases,
the capacitor discharges, it continues discharging until the voltage increases
again, the capacitor starts to charge again. From the above figure, it is clear
that the ripple voltage(VPP)is less for full wave rectification.

The rate of discharge depends on the time constant RC. Long time constant
(large value of C) means slow discharge, VPP is less i.e. the ripple voltage is
less.
Small C will give low time constant which means fast discharge, VPP is high.

This means that a high value of C (high RC time constant) leads to lower
ripple of the output voltage. This means that the change in the value of the
DC output voltage has decreased (the ripple voltage has decreased). The
output voltage is almost a DC voltage equal to the peak value of the input
voltage.
Edcout = Edc + VPP/2

Ripple factor(r): This is a measurement of ripple. It gives an indication of


how efficient the filter is in removing the AC components present in the
output voltage. Ripple Factor is defined as the ratio of the rms value of
ac component present in the rectified output to the average value of the
rectified output. Its value should be less than one.

A high ripple factor means that there is high ripple in the output voltage
(undesirable case). The output voltage should be of constant value that is
the ac components (ripple voltage) should very small, this requires a small
ripple factor.

Ripple factor of a capacitor filter:


r=1/2√3 C RL f
for small values of r, the time constant must be high and this is done either
by a large C or a large RL .
Regulation
This is the last stage of the power supply. A regulator is added to ensure
that the output voltage remains constant.
A Zener diode is used as a regulator. It is connected such that it is reversed
biased, at the breakdown region at(VZ). The voltage across it, is constant at
(VZ) regardless of the current passing through it.
So a Zener diode is connected in parallel with the filter, such that is reversed
biased at VZ.

Figure (2.18)

You might also like