Physics Investigatory

Project

Rectifiers :

- PRINCIPLE, TYPES AND APPLICATIONS

DONE BY
-DAKSHESH BALACHANDRAN- XII B
Acknowledgement
We would like to express our sincere
gratitude to our Principal and the School
Management for proving the resources
and support necessary for the successful
completion of the project. We extend our
gratitude to our Physics teacher, for their
guidance and support throughout this
project. We are also thankful to our
school lab assistant, for providing the
necessary materials and helping us set
up the experiment.
Rectifiers: Principles, Types, and
Applications

Table of Contents :

1. Introduction ------------------------------------1
2. What is a Rectifier? -----------------------------2
3. Types of Rectifiers ------------------------------4
- Half-Wave Rectifier
- Working Principle
- Circuit Diagram
- Advantages and Disadvantages
- Full-Wave Rectifier
- Working Principle
- Circuit Diagram
- Advantages and Disadvantages
- Controlled Rectifiers
- Working Principle
 - Types (SCR, IGBT)
4. Applications of Rectifiers-----------------------15
- Power Supplies
- Signal Demodulation
- Welding
- Miscellaneous Applications
5. Experimental Setup-----------------------------16
- Aim
- Requirements
- Procedure
- Observations
- Results
6. Conclusion--------------------------------------18

7. Bibliography------------------------------------19

--------------------------------------------------------
INTRODUCTION

In electronics, many devices and systems require

a stable DC voltage for their operation. To
achieve this, we use rectifiers to convert
alternating current (AC) into direct current (DC).
Rectifiers play a crucial role in power supplies,
radios, and various other electronic circuits,
ensuring that devices receive the appropriate
form of current to function correctly. This
document provides a comprehensive overview of
rectifiers, their types, working principles,
applications, and experimental setups.
WHAT IS A RECTIFIER?

A rectifier is an electronic device that converts AC

into DC using one or more p-n junction diodes.
The primary function of a rectifier is to allow
current to flow in only one direction, thus
achieving rectification. This section covers the
fundamental principles of rectification, the types
of diodes used, and their roles in different
rectifier designs.

Diode Basics:
- Structure: P-N junction
- Function: Allows current flow in one direction
- Types: Silicon, Germanium, etc.
TYPES OF RECTIFIER:

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 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 a half-wave rectifier :

WORKING OF A HALF WAVE RECTIFIER:

In this section, let us understand 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
in the below 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 current 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 PLATFORM:

The half-wave rectifier waveform before and

after rectification is shown below in the figure.

APPLICATIONS OF HALF WAVE RECTIFIER:

Here are a few common applications of half-wave

rectifiers:
 • They are used for signal demodulation
purpose.
• They are used for rectification applications.
• They are used for signal peak applications.

DISADVANTAGES OF HALF WAVE RECTIFIER:

• High ripple factor.

• The average output voltage obtained is very
less.
• Power output is less.
• An elaborate filter is needed to get a DC
output.
• Rectification efficiency is low.
• The transformer utilization factor is less.
• The DC output obtained from the half-wave
is less.
• The half-wave rectifier is not good at audio
systems.
• The wave produced by the half-wave rectifier
is not DC.

Advantages of Half-Wave Rectifier:

• Half wave rectifier is a simple circuit.

 • It has a low cost.
• We can easily use it.
• We can easily construct it.
• It has a low number of components,
therefore it is cheap.

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 half-wave 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 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.

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
rectifier, DC voltage is obtained for both positive
and negative half cycles.

Advantages of Full-Wave Rectifier:

• The rectification efficiency of full-wave

rectifiers is double that of half-wave
rectifiers. The efficiency of half-wave
rectifiers is 40.6% while the rectification
efficiency of full-wave rectifiers is 81.2%.
• The ripple factor in full-wave rectifiers is low
hence a simple filter is required. The ripple
 factor in a full-wave rectifier is 0.482 while in
a half-wave rectifier it is about 1.21.
• The output voltage and the output power
obtained in full-wave rectifiers are higher
than that obtained using half-wave rectifiers.

The only disadvantage of the full-wave rectifier is

that they need more circuit elements than the
half-wave rectifier which makes it costlier.
APPLICATIONS OF RECTIFIERS

Rectifiers are used in various applications across

different fields:

4.1 Power Supplies: Rectifiers convert AC from the

mains into DC to power electronic devices and
circuits.

4.2 Signal Demodulation: Used in communication

systems to extract information from modulated
signals.

4.3 Welding: Provides the required polarized

voltage for electric arc welding.

4.4 Miscellaneous Applications: Includes use in

devices like mosquito repellents and battery
chargers.
EXPERIMENTAL SETUP

5.1 Aim :To study the characteristics and

performance of half-wave and full-wave rectifiers
through practical experimentation.

5.2 Requirements:
- Diodes
- Step-down transformer
- Resistive load
- Power supply
- Oscilloscope
- Connecting wires

5.3 Procedure:
1. Assemble the circuit for a half-wave rectifier.
2. Observe the output waveform using an
oscilloscope.
3. Repeat the procedure for a full-wave rectifier.
4. Compare the output waveforms and analyze
the performance.

5.4 Observations: Note the differences in ripple

factor and DC output quality between the half-
wave and full-wave rectifiers.

5.5 Results: The full-wave rectifier produces a

smoother DC output with lower ripple compared
to the half-wave rectifier, demonstrating its
higher efficiency.
CONCLUSION

In conclusion, this experiment has demonstrated

the critical role of rectifiers in converting AC into
DC to provide stable power for electronic devices.

By exploring their types, working principles, and

applications, we have gained valuable insights
into their importance in modern electronics.
Rectifiers are indispensable components in
ensuring the proper functioning of countless
systems, from power supplies to communication
devices.

This study reinforces their significance and

provides a solid foundation for understanding
their practical applications in electronic circuits.

.
BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. PhysicsTextbook.com - Half-Wave Rectifiers.

2. ElectronicsForYou.com - Applications of
Rectifiers.
3. Wikipedia.org - Full-Wave Rectifiers.
4. "Electronic Devices and Circuit Theory" by
Robert L. Boylestad.
5. "Power Electronics" by Muhammad H. Rashid.