Controlled rectifiers

You should be able to know:

• List the types of controlled rectifiers.
• Explain the operation of controlled rectifiers.
• Explain the characteristics of controlled rectifiers.
• Calculate the performance parameters of controlled rectifiers.
• Evaluate the effects of load inductance on the load current.
 Introduction
 Uncontrolled (diode rectifiers) provide a fixed output voltage only.
 To obtain controlled output voltages, phase-control thyristors are used instead of diodes.
 The output voltage of thyristor rectifiers is varied by controlling the delay or firing
angle of thyristors.
 A phase-control thyristor is turned on by applying a short pulse to its gate and
turned off due to natural or line commutation;
 in the case of a highly inductive load, it is turned off by firing another thyristor of
the rectifier during the negative half-cycle of input voltage.
The phase-control converters can be classified into two types,
depending on the input supply:
(1) single-phase converters and
(2) three-phase converters.
Each type can be subdivided into a
(a) semi converter,
(b) full converter, and
(c) dual converter.
A semi converter is a one-quadrant converter and has one polarity of output
voltage and current.
A full converter is a two-quadrant converter and the polarity of its output voltage
can be either positive or negative.
However, the output current of a full converter has one polarity only.
A dual converter can operate in four quadrants, and both the output voltage and
current can be either positive or negative.
Single-phase half-wave controlled rectifier (resistive load)

• To control the output dc voltage of a rectifier, diodes are replaced with thyristors.
Thyristors or controlled silicon rectifier (CSR) are commonly used in applications
requiring variable dc supplies.

• In this rectifier, the output voltage and current have only one polarity and thus the
rectifier is called semi converter.

• This type of rectifier is not usually used in industrial applications due to the high ripple
content and the low ripple frequency.

• The frequency of output ripple voltage equals the source frequency.

 • The circuit consist of a thyristor T, a voltage source Vs and a
resistive load.
• During the positive half cycle of the input voltage, the
thyristor T is forward biased but it does not conduct until a
gate signal is applied to it.
• When a gate pulse is given to the thyristor T at wt = α, it
gets turned on and begins to conduct
• The thyristor is on, the input voltage is applied to the load.
• During the negative half cycle, The thyristor T gets
reverse biased and gets turned off.
• So the load receives voltage only during the positive half
cycle only.
• The average value of the output voltage can be varied by
varying the firing angle α.
• The wave form shows the plot of input voltage, gate
Note that: α = Firing angle
(delay angle) current, output voltage, output current and voltage across
the thyristor.
Single-phase half-wave controlled rectifier (resistive load)
Calculation of Average Load Output Voltage
the load output voltage and current for one complete cycle of
Conti..
input supply voltage may be written as
• When the output voltage is
VO  Vm sin t for   t  
maximum
i0  Vm sin t / R for   t   • At α = 0
2 𝑉𝑚
1 • Vdm =
VO ( avg ) 
2 V m sin tdt 𝜋
0 • When the output voltage is
  2
1 1 1 minimum
VO ( avg )  
2 0
Vm sin tdt  
2 
Vm sin tdt 
2  V m sin tdt
• At α = 𝜋
1
 • Vo(avg) =0
VO ( avg )  0 
2 
Vm sin tdt  0 • Normalized output voltage
 
1 1
VO ( avg )   Vm sin tdt  Vm   cos t  |
2  2 

1
VO ( avg )  Vm 1  cos  
2
 Conti..
RMS value of load output voltage
2
1
  V sin t  d t
2
Vo(rms)
2
m
0

  2
1 1 1
 0 Vm sin t  dt  2  Vm sin t  dt  2  V sin t  dt
2 2 2
Vo(rms)
2
m


1
  V sin t  dt
2
Vo(rms)
2
m

Vm  sin 2 Vm
Vo(rms)  1        1/ 2  sin 2
2  2 2 
Example

If a single-phase half-wave controlled rectifier has a purely resistive load R and the
delay angle α=π/2, determine a) the converter efficiency, b) ripple factor, and c) the PIV
of the thyristor.

 For the previous example, draw a) the output voltage,

b) the load current, and c) the voltage a cross the
thyristor.
 Single phase half wave controlled rectifier with RL load

During positive half cycle, anode is connected to the positive

terminal of the supply and the cathode is connected to negative
terminal of supply and the thyristor is forward biased.
When the thyristor is fired at a firing angle (α), the load current
will increase in a finite-time through the inductive load.
The supply voltage from this instant appears across the load.
Due to inductive load, the increase in current is gradual.
 Energy is stored in inductor between α and π.
At π, the supply voltage reverses, but the thyristor is kept
conducting because current through the inductance cannot be
reduced to zero.

WAVEFORMS and circuits of Single phase half wave controlled rectifier with resistive-inductive load
 Conti..
• During negative half cycle, anode is connected to the negative terminal of the
supply and the cathode is connected to positive terminal of supply and the thyristor
is reverse biased.

• Current continues to flow till the energy stored in the inductance is dissipated in the
load-resistor and a part of the energy is fed- back to the source.

• Hence due to energy stored in the inductor, current continues to flow up to angle β.
At angle β, the load-current is zero and due to negative supply voltage, thyristor
turns-off.

• Hence the effect of inductive load is increased in the conduction period of SCR.
 Conti..

The average value of output voltage is given by,


1 Vm
Vdc   Vm sin td t   cos   cos  
2  2
And the rms voltage is given by
 1/ 2
1 Vm  1 
  Vm sin t  dt  2        sin 2  sin 2   
2
Vrms
2  2 
 Single phase full wave fully controlled rectifier

Determine the average

and rms value of the
output voltage?

Waveforms and circuits of Single phase full wave fully

controlled rectifier with resistive load
Single-phase full
converter fig 2.1.
(a) Circuit,
(b)Quadrant,
(c) Input supply voltage,
(d)Output voltage,
(e)Constant load current
(f) Input supply current.
Single-phase Full Converter with RL load
• The circuit arrangement of a single-phase full converter is shown in Figure 2.1a with
a highly inductive load so that the load current is continuous and ripple free.
• During the positive half-cycle, thyristors T1 and T2 are forward biased; when
these two thyristors are turned on simultaneously at ωt = α, the load is connected to
the input supply through T1 and T2.
• Due to the inductive load, thyristors T1 and T2 continue to conduct beyond ωt = π,
even though the input voltage is already negative.
• During the negative half-cycle of the input voltage, thyristors T3 and T4 are
forward biased; the turning on of thyristors T3 and T4 applies the supply voltage
across thyristors T1 and T2 as reverse blocking voltage.
• Figure 2.1b shows the regions of converter operation and Figures 2.1c–f show the
waveforms for input voltage, output voltage, and input and output currents.
• During the period from α to π, the input voltage vs and input current is are
positive, and the power flows from the supply to the load.
• The converter is said to be operated in rectification mode.
• During the period from π to π + α, the input voltage vs is negative and the input
current is is positive, and reverse power flows from the load to the supply.
• The converter is said to be operated in inversion mode.
• The average output voltage can be found from

• and Vdc can be varied from 2Vm/π to -2Vm/π by varying α from 0 to π.

• The maximum average output voltage is Vdm = 2Vm/π and
• the normalized average output voltage is

• The rms value of the output voltage is given by

• With a purely resistive load, thyristors T1 and T2 can conduct from α to π, and
thyristors T3 and T4 can conduct from α + π to 2π.
example 2.2: Finding the Input power Factor of a Single-phase Full Converter
The full converter in Figure 2.1a is connected to a 120-V, 60-Hz supply. The load current Ia
is continuous and its ripple content is negligible. The turns ratio of the transformer is unity.
(a) Express the input current in a Fourier series; determine the HF of the input current, DF,
and input PF.
(b) If the delay angle is α = π/3, calculate Vdc, Vn, Vrms, HF, DF, and PF.
Note: The fundamental component of input current is always 90.03% of Ia and the HF
remains constant at 48.34%.