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. mid

point 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
 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.