Rectifier and Inverter

Rectifier
 Contents

 General Concepts

 Types

 Applications

 Uncontrolled Half Wave Rectifiers

 Uncontrolled Full Wave Rectifiers

 Controlled Half Wave Rectifiers

 Controlled Full Wave Rectifiers

 General Concepts
 A rectifier is an electronic device that converts an
alternating current into a direct current by using one or
more P-N junction diodes.

 A diode behaves as a one-way valve that allows current to

flow in a single direction. This process is known as
rectification.

 A rectifier can take the shape of several physical forms

such as solid-state diodes, vacuum tube diodes, mercury-
arc valves, silicon-controlled rectifiers, and various other
silicon-based semiconductor switches.
 Types

 Rectifiers are mainly classified into two types: Uncontrolled

Rectifier and Controlled Rectifier.

 The type of rectifier whose voltage cannot be controlled is

known as an uncontrolled rectifier. Uncontrolled rectifiers are
further divided as follows:

 Half Wave Rectifier

 Full Wave Rectifier
 Types
 The type of rectifier that converts only the half cycle of the
alternating current into the direct current is known as a half-
wave rectifier. Likewise, a full-wave rectifier converts both
positive and negative half cycles of the AC.

 A type of rectifier whose voltage can be varied is known as

the controlled rectifier.

 SCRs, MOSFETs and IGBTs are used to make an uncontrolled

rectifier a controlled one.

 There are two types of controlled rectifiers, and they are

Half Wave Controlled Rectifier and Full Wave Controlled
Rectifier.
 Applications

 Rectifiers are used in electric welding to provide

polarized voltage

 Half-wave rectifiers are used as a mosquito repellent

 Half-wave rectifiers are used as a signal peak detector

in AM radio

 Rectifiers are used in modulation, demodulation and

voltage multipliers
 Uncontrolled Half Wave Rectifier
 Half-wave rectifiers transform AC voltage to DC voltage.

 A halfwave rectifier circuit uses only one diode for the

transformation.

 A halfwave rectifier is defined as a type of rectifier that allows

only one-half cycle of an AC voltage waveform to pass while
blocking the other half cycle.

 A half-wave rectifier is the simplest form of rectifier and

requires only one diode for the construction of a half-wave
rectifier circuit.
 Uncontrolled half Wave Rectifier

A halfwave rectifier circuit consists of three main components:

A diode

A transformer

A resistive load
 Uncontrolled half Wave Rectifier

 A high AC voltage is applied to the primary side of the step-

down transformer.

 The obtained secondary low voltage is applied to the diode.

 The diode is forward-biased during the positive half cycle of

the AC voltage and reverse-biased during the negative half
cycle.
Uncontrolled half Wave Rectifier
 Uncontrolled Full Wave Rectifier
 A full wave rectifier is defined as a rectifier that converts the
complete cycle of alternating current into pulsating DC.

 Unlike halfwave rectifiers that utilize only the halfwave of the

input AC cycle, full-wave rectifiers utilize the full cycle. The
lower efficiency of the half-wave rectifier can be overcome by
the full-wave rectifier.

 Full wave rectifiers can be classified as:

 Centre-tapped full wave rectifier.

 Bridge rectifier.
 Centre Tapped Full Wave Rectifier
 The circuit of the full wave rectifier consists of a step-down
transformer and two diodes that are connected and centre-
tapped. The output voltage is obtained across the connected
load resistor.

 The anode of the centre-tapped diodes is connected to the

transformer’s secondary winding and connected to the load
resistor.

 During the positive half cycle of the alternating current, the

top half of the secondary winding becomes positive while the
second half of the secondary winding becomes negative.
 Centre Tapped Full Wave Rectifier
 During the positive half cycle, diode D1 is forward-biased as it
is connected to the top of the secondary winding while diode
D2 is reverse-biased as it is connected to the bottom of the
secondary winding. Due to this, diode D1 will conduct acting
as a short circuit and D2 will not conduct acting as an open
circuit.

 During the negative half cycle, the diode D1 is reverse biased

and the diode D2 is forward biased because the top half of the
secondary circuit becomes negative and the bottom half of
the circuit becomes positive.

 Thus in full wave rectifiers, DC voltage is obtained for both

positive and negative half cycles.
Centre Tapped Rectifier
 Bridge Rectifier

 The bridge rectifier circuit is made of four diodes D1, D2, D3,
D4, and a load resistor RL.

 The four diodes are connected in a closed-loop configuration

to efficiently convert the alternating current (AC) into Direct
Current (DC).

 The main advantage of this configuration is the absence of the

expensive centre-tapped transformer.

 Therefore, the size and cost are reduced.

Bridge Rectifier
 Bridge Rectifier
 The input signal is applied across terminals A and B, and the
output DC signal is obtained across the load resistor
RL connected between terminals C and D.

 The four diodes are arranged in such a way that only two
diodes conduct electricity during each half-cycle.

 D1 and D3 are pairs that conduct electric current during the

positive half cycle/. Likewise, diodes D2 and D4 conduct electric
current during a negative half cycle.

 When an AC signal is applied across the bridge rectifier,

terminal A becomes positive during the positive half cycle
while terminal B becomes negative.
 Bridge Rectifier
This results in diodes D1 and D3 becoming forward-biased while
D2 and D4 becoming reverse-biased.
 Bridge Rectifier

During the negative half-cycle, terminal B becomes positive while

terminal A becomes negative. This causes diodes D2 and D4 to
become forward-biased and diodes D1 and D3 to be reverse-
biased.
 Bridge Rectifier

 From the figures given above, we notice that the current flow
across load resistor RL is the same during the positive and
negative half-cycles.

 The output DC signal polarity may be either completely

positive or negative. In our case, it is completely positive.

 If the diodes’ direction is reversed, we get a completely

negative DC voltage.

 Thus, a bridge rectifier allows electric current during both

positive and negative half cycles of the input AC signal.
Bridge Rectifier
 Controlled Half Wave Rectifier
 A Single Phase Half Wave Controlled Rectifier circuit consists of
an SCR / thyristor, an AC voltage source and a load.

 The load may be purely resistive, Inductive or a combination of

resistance and inductance.
 Controlled Half Wave Rectifier
Let us assume that thyristor T is fired at a firing angle of α. This
means when ωt = α, a gate signal will be applied and SCR will
start conducting.
 Controlled Half Wave Rectifier
 Thyristor T is forward-biased for the positive half cycle of supply
voltage.

 The load output voltage is zero till SCR is fired.

 Once SCR is fired at an angle of α, SCR starts conducting.

 But as soon as the supply voltage becomes zero at ωt = π, the

load current will become zero.

 After ωt = π, SCR is reversed biased.

 Thus, thyristor T will turn off at ωt = π and will remain in OFF

condition till it is fired again at ωt = (2π+α).
 Controlled Full Wave Rectifier
 In Full Wave Controlled Rectifier both positive and negative
halves of ac supply are used and, therefore, the effective value
of dc voltage is high and ripple content is less compared to half-
wave rectifiers.

 There are two basic configurations of the Full Wave Controlled

Rectifier: mid-point rectifier and bridge converters rectifier.

 The diodes used in full-wave rectifiers may be partially or

completely replaced by thyristors.
 Controlled Full Wave Rectifier
 In a mid­point configuration, two thyristors and a single-phase
transformer with centre-tapped secondary windings are used.

 In the circuit of a mid-point converter with a resistive load, two

thyristors are connected to the centre-tapped secondary of a
transformer.

 The input signal is coupled through the transformer to the

centre-tapped secondary.
Controlled Full Wave Rectifier
 Controlled Full Wave Rectifier
 When terminal A shown in the circuit is positive w.r.t. mid­point
N of the transformer secondary, point B will have negative
polarity w.r.t. mid-point.

 Under this condition, the thyristor TH1 conducts when it is fired

at an angle α.

 The current continues to flow up to angle π radians or 180°

when the supply voltage reverses its polarity and thyristor
TH1 gets turned off by natural commutation.
 Controlled Full Wave Rectifier
 During the negative half cycle of AC supply, terminal B of the
transformer secondary is positive w.r.t. to mid-point N.

 Thyristor TH2 gets turned on when it is gated.

 Usually, the firing angles for the two thyristors are taken to be
equal so as to avoid unequal distribution of load current in the
two halves of the input cycle.

 Each half of the input wave is applied across the load. Thus,
across the load, there are two pulses of current in the same
direction. Hence the ripple frequency across the load is twice
that of the input supply frequency.
Controlled Full Wave Rectifier
Inverters
 Contents
 General Concept

 Working Principle

 Application
 General Concept
 An inverter is a power electronics device which is used to
convert fixed DC (Direct Current) into controlled AC
(Alternating Current)”.

 In other words, the inverter is a static device. It can convert one

form of electrical energy into other forms of electrical energy.
But it cannot generate electrical power.

 The inverter takes DC power from the batteries and converts it

into AC power at the time of the power failure.

 In an inverter, some power semiconductor switching devices

like IGBT, MOSFET, GTO are used because these devices have
self-commutation properties.
 General Concept
 A power inverter converts bulk DC power into AC power and is
used in the power system network.

 For example, power inverters are used at the receiving end of

HVDC transmission lines.

 This inverter is known as a grid-tie inverter.

Working Principle
 Working Principle
 The 12V DC supply from the positive terminal of the battery
comes to the primary winding of the transformer which is
centre-tapped.

 The two ends of the primary winding of the transformer (A and

B points) are connected to the two-way switch to the ground.

 If the switch connects to A point of the primary winding. The

current flows from the battery into the upper half of primary
winding (o) through A contact of the switch to the ground.

 If the switch turns from A point to B point. This time the current
number 1 stops flowing. Then, the current 2 flows to the ground
through o and contact B of the switch.
 Working Principle
 Here, 2 ways switch is controlled with the square wave oscillator
it generates a frequency of 50 Hz.

 It causes the switch to select between A and B points at the

speed of about 50 times per second.

 Also, currents 1 and 2 flow to the transformer alternately at a

rate of 50 times per second. So, the current flows into the
transformer alternately look like AC voltage.

 When current flow in primary winding EMF is induced and a

current will be induced into the secondary winding of the
transformer.

 Which causes an AC voltage of 220V 50Hz.

 Applications
 When the AC main power supply is not available,
an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) uses a battery and
inverter.

 Power inverters are basically, used in the HVDC transmission

line. It is also used to connect two asynchronous AC systems.

 The output of the solar panel is DC power. The solar inverter is

used to convert DC power into AC power.