RECTIFIER

A rectifier is an electrical device that converts alternating

current (AC), which periodically reverses direction, to direct
current (DC), which flows in only one direction.

The process is known as Rectification, since it "straightens"

the direction of current. Physically, rectifiers take a number
of forms, including vacuum tube diodes, wet chemical cells,
mercury-arc valves, stacks of copper and selenium oxide
plates, semiconductor diodes, silicon-controlled rectifiers
and other silicon-based semiconductor switches.
Historically, even synchronous electromechanical switches
and motor-generator sets have been used. Early radio
receivers, called crystal radios, used a "cat's whisker" of fine
wire pressing on a crystal of galena (lead sulfide) to serve
as a point-contact rectifier or "crystal detector"
Different Types of Rectifier
Rectifiers are mainly classified into two types as:
1. Uncontrolled Rectifier
2. Controlled Rectifier

Uncontrolled Rectifiers

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
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.
An example of this is a bridge rectifier. A bridge rectifier uses 4 diodes that
are connected in the form of a Wheatstone bridge.

Controlled Rectifiers

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

rectifier.There are two types of controlled rectifiers, and they are Half Wave
Controlled Rectifier and Full Wave Controlled Rectifier. Half-wave controlled
rectifier has the same design as the half-wave uncontrolled rectifier except
we replace the diode with an SCR.
What Are Some Applications of Rectifiers?

Some common applications of rectifiers are:

● 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
FullFull Wave Rectifier
Electric circuits that convert AC to DC are known as rectifiers.
Rectifiers are classified into two types as Half Wave Rectifiers and
Full Wave Rectifiers. Significant power is lost while using a half-wave
rectifier and is not feasible for applications that need a smooth
and steady supply. For a more smooth and steady supply, we use
the full wave rectifiers. In this article, we will be looking into the
working and characteristics of a full wave rectifier.

WDefining Full Wave Rectifiers

A full wave rectifier is defined as a rectifier that converts the
complete cycle of alternating current into pulsating DC.

Unlike half wave 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.

ave Rectifier
Full Wave Rectifier Circuit

The circuit of the full wave rectifier can be constructed in two ways. The first method
uses a centre tapped transformer and two diodes. This arrangement is known as a
centre tapped full wave rectifier. The second method uses a standard transformer with
four diodes arranged as a bridge. This is known as a bridge rectifier. In the next section,
we will restrict the discussion to the centre tapped full wave rectifier only. You can read
our article on bridge rectifier to learn the construction and working of bridge rectifier in
detail.
Working of Full Wave Rectifier

The input AC supplied to the full wave rectifier is very high. The step-down transformer in
the rectifier circuit converts the high voltage AC into low voltage AC. 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.

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 a full wave rectifiers, DC voltage is obtained
for both positive and negative half cycle
Full Wave Rectifier Formula

Peak Inverse Voltage

Peak inverse voltage is the maximum voltage a diode can withstand in the
reverse-biased direction before breakdown. The peak inverse voltage of the full-wave
rectifier is double that of a half-wave rectifier. The PIV across D1 and D2 is 2Vmax.

Average Value of the Output Voltage of Full Wave Rectifier

The formula for calculating the average value of a sinusoidal waveform is

In the given formula,

● T is the fundamental time period of the output voltage waveform

● Vm is the peak value of output voltage waveform
● Vo is the average value of the output voltage waveform

After applying the given formula on the output voltage waveform, we get
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.
Half Wave Rectifier Circuit

A half-wave rectifier is the simplest form of the rectifier and requires only
one diode for the construction of a halfwave rectifier circuit.

A halfwave rectifier circuit consists of three main components as follows:

● A diode

● A transformer

● A resistive load

Given below is the half-wave rectifier diagram:

Working of Half Wave Rectifier

How a half-wave rectifier transforms AC into DC.

1. 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.
2. The diode is forward biased during the positive half cycle of the AC
voltage and reverse biased during the negative half cycle.

3. The final output voltage waveform is as shown in the figure below:

For better understanding, let us simplify the half-wave circuit by replacing the secondary
transformer coils with a voltage source as shown below:

For the positive half cycle of the AC source voltage, the circuit effectively becomes as
shown below in the diagram:
When the diode is forward biased, it acts as a closed switch. But, during the
negative half cycle of the AC source voltage, the equivalent circuit becomes
as shown in the figure below:

When a diode is reverse biased, it acts as an open switch. Since no current

can flow to the load, the output voltage is equal to zero.
Half Wave Rectifier Waveform

The halfwave rectifier waveform before and after rectification is shown below in the figure.
Half Wave Rectifier Capacitor Filter
The output waveform of a halfwave rectifier is a pulsating DC waveform. Filters in
half wave rectifiers are used to transform the pulsating waveform into constant
DC waveforms. A capacitor or an inductor can be used as a filter.

The circuit diagram below shows how a capacitive filter is used with a half wave
rectifier to smoothen out a pulsating DC waveform into a constant DC waveform.
Half Wave Rectifier Formula
To easily understand all the formulas of a half wave rectifier, let us take the
example of a half wave rectifier using a diode with pure resistive load. The reason
behind using diodes is its un-controlling nature, means, there is no such extra
parameter through which we can control its conduction. And the reason behind
taking resistive load is the linear relationship between the voltage and current

Where,

● Vs = Instantaneous Value of the applied voltage waveform

● Vm = Peak Value of the applied voltage waveform
● ω = Angular frequency
● t = time
● Vsr = RMS Value of the applied voltage waveform
Average Value of Half Wave Rectifier
The formula for calculating the average value of a sinusoidal waveform is

In the given formula, T is the fundamental time period of the waveform and Vm is
the peak value of the waveform.

After applying the given formula on the output waveform of half wave rectifier then we will get
Peak Inverse Voltage of Half Wave Rectifier

It is the maximum voltage that the diode can withstand during the reverse bias
condition. If a voltage is applied more than the PIV then the diode will be destroyed.

Form Factor of Half Wave Rectifier

Form factor is the ratio of rms value to the average value.

F.F = RMS value/ Average value

The form factor of HWR is 1.57, i.e., FF = 1.57

Output DC Voltage

The output voltage (VDC) across the load resistor is denoted by

VDC = Vsmax/ π , where Vsmax is the maximum amplitude of secondary voltage

Applications of Half Wave Rectifier

In day-to-day life, the half-wave rectifier is mostly used in low power applications because of
its major disadvantage being the output amplitude which is less than the input amplitude.
Thus power is wasted and output is pulsated DC resulting in excessive ripple.

Some of the uses and applications of rectifiers are in :

● Appliances

● Used with transformers

● Soldering

● AM radio

● Pulse generated circuits

● Single demodulation

● Voltage multiplier

Use of Rectifier for powering appliances

As we know that all electrical appliances use DC power supply to function thus using
a rectifier in the power supply helps in converting AC to DC power supply. Bridge
rectifiers are used widely for large appliances, where these are capable of converting
high AC voltage to lower DC voltage.

●
Used with Transformer

With the help of a half wave rectifier we can achieve the desired DC voltage with the
use of step up or step down transformers. Even Full Wave Rectifiers are used for
powering up motors and LEDs that work on DC voltage.

Uses of Rectifier While Soldering

Half Wave Rectifiers are used in soldering iron types of circuit and are also used in
mosquito repellent to drive the lead for fumes. In electric welding, rectifiers with
bridge configurations are used to supply steady and polarized DC voltage.

Used in AM Radio

Half wave diode rectifiers are used in AM radio as a detector because the output
contains an audio signal. Due to the less intensity of the current, it is of very little use
to the more complex rectifier.

Uses of Rectifier in Circuits

Pulse generating circuits and firing circuits use half-wave rectifiers.

Used for Modulation

In a modulating signal, for demodulating the amplitude, a half-wave rectifier is used.

To detect the amplitude of modulating the signal, in a radio signal, a full-wave bridge
rectifier is used.

Used in Voltage Multiplier

For the purpose of voltage multiplier circuit, a half-wave rectifier circuit is used.
 BIBLIOGRAPHY

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 CONTENT

➤INTRODUCTION
➤RECTIFIER
➤TYPES OF RECTIFIER
➤APPLICATIONS OF RECTIFIER
➤HALF WAVE RECTIFIER
➤WORKING
➤FORMULAE OF HALF WAVE RECTIFIER
➤USES OF RECTIFIER
➤BIBLIOGRAPHY
 CONTENT

➤INTRODUCTION
➤RECTIFIER
➤TYPES OF RECTIFIER
➤FULL WAVE RECTIFIER
➤HALF WAVE RECTIFIER
➤ADVANTAGES
➤DISADVANTAGES
➤BIBLIOGRAPHY