Chapter 1- Part 1

HALF-WAVE
RECTIFIERS

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INTRODUCTION TO POWER ELECTRONICS
INTRODUCTION TO POWER ELECTRONICS
INTRODUCTION TO POWER ELECTRONICS
What is Power Electronics?
• Power electronics is about changing one form of
electricity to another form of electricity.
• There are four types of power electronics devices:
 AC to AC (change of voltage and/or
frequency)
 AC to DC (rectifier)
 DC to AC (inverter)
 DC-DC (change of voltage)

• Power electronics is everywhere. That cigarette

plug USB adapter that you use in your car to
charge your phone has a 12VDC-5VDC DC-DC
step-down buck converter in it.

• Your laptop charger has an 120VAC or 240VAC

to somewhere between 12VDC - 20VDC circuit in
it. Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Permission required for reproduction or display.
INTRODUCTION TO POWER ELECTRONICS
What does Power Electronics do?

Efficient, flexible conversion and conditioning of electrical energy

•Processing energy rather than information.

•Conversion efficiencies typically in excess of 90% and up to 98% for large systems.

•Typically involves controlled change of voltage/current level and/or frequency.

•Controlled power levels from milli-watts (e.g. portable appliances) through to giga-
watts (e.g. high voltage dc transmission).

•Voltage levels from 1 volt to 800 kV.

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INTRODUCTION TO POWER ELECTRONICS
Growth areas for Power Electronics 

•Connection of renewable energy sources to power grids is not possible without power
electronics.

•Future electricity networks must incorporate power electronics to maintain security of

supply.

•Transport: electric and hybrid drive trains are only possible with efficient and intelligent
power electronics. Weight savings through power electronics will reduce fuel demand.

•Power supplies: new concepts can improve overall efficiency by 2-4%.

•Motor drives: use 50-60% of all electrical energy consumed in the developed world: a
potential reduction in energy consumption of 20- 30% is achievable.

•Lighting: power electronics can improve the efficiency of fluorescent, HID and LED
ballasts by a minimum of 20%.

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INTRODUCTION TO POWER ELECTRONICS
Power electronic devices?
 HALF-WAVE RECTIFIERS

 RESISTIVE LOAD
 RESISTIVE-INDUCTIVE LOAD
 R-L-SOURCE LOAD
 INDUCTOR-SOURCE LOAD
 THE FREEWHEELING DIODE
 HALF-WAVE RECTIFIER WITH A CAPACITOR FILTER
 CONTROLLED HALF-WAVE RECTIFIER

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 HALF-WAVE RECTIFIER: RESISTIVE LOAD

For the positive half-cycle of the source in this circuit, the diode is
on (forward-biased). Considering the diode to be ideal, the voltage
across a forward-biased diode is zero and the current is positive.

For the negative half-cycle of the source, the diode is reverse-

biased, making the current zero. The voltage across the reverse-
biased diode is the source voltage, which has a negative value.

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 HALF-WAVE RECTIFIER: RESISTIVE LOAD

Figure 1.1 (a) Half-wave rectifier with resistive load; (b) Voltage waveforms.

The dc component of the output voltage, Vo is the average value of a

half-wave rectified sinusoid:
T
1 Vm
Vo  Vavg  
2 0
Vmsin(t)d(t) 

(1.1)

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• The dc component of the current for the purely
resistive load is:
Vo Vm
Io   (1.2)
R R

• Average power absorbed by the resistor in Fig. 1.1 (a)

can be
P computed
I R  V / R from
2
rms
2
rms

. When the voltage and current are half-wave rectified

sine waves, 
Vrms 
1
2
 2
 Vm
0 Vm sin(t ) d (t )  2 (1.3)

Vm
I rms  (1.4)
2R
Example 1.1

For the half-wave rectifier of Fig.1.1(a) , the source is a

sinusoid of 120 V rms at a frequency of 60 Hz. The
load resistor is 5  . Determine:
(a) the average load current
(b) the average power absorbed by the load and
(c) the power factor of the circuit

Fig.1.1(a)
solution

(1.2)

Vo Vm
Io  
R R

(1.3)

 V 
1 Vm
Vrms  m sin(t ) 2 d (t ) 
2 0
2
Vm
I rms 
2R
Beer analogy for power factor
 HALF-WAVE RECTIFIER: RESISTIVE - INDUCTIVE LOAD

Kirchhoff’s Voltage Law:

di(t)
Vm sin(t)  Ri(t)  L (1.5)
dt

i(t)  i f (t)  i n (t) (1.6)

• The natural response is the transient that occurs when the
load is energized

• The forced response for this circuit is the current that

exists after the natural response has decayed to zero.

Figure 1.2 (a) Half-wave rectifier with an RL load; (b)

Waveforms.
 In this case, the forced response is the steady-state sinusoidal current that
would exist in the circuit if the diode were not present. This steady-state current
can be found from phasor analysis, resulting in:

V 
i f (t)   m  sin  t    (1.7)
 Z 

 L 
where Z  R 2   L 
2
and   tan 1   (1.8)
 R 

For this first-order circuit, the natural response has the form:
i n (t)  A e  t/  (1.9)

where  is the time constant L/R and A is a constant that is determined from
the initial condition. Adding the forced and natural responses gets the
complete solution:

Vm
i(t)  i f (t)  i n (t)  sin  t     Ae  t /  (1.10)
Z
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The constant A is evaluated by using the initial condition for current.

Vm
i(0)  sin  0     Ae 0  0 (1.11)
Z

Vm V (1.12)
A sin     m sin   
Z Z

Substituting eq (1.12) into eq (1.10) gives,

Vm
i(t)  sin  t     sin    e  t /   (1.13)
Z  

To write the above equation in terms of angle,

Vm
i(t)  sin  t     sin    e t /   (1.14)
Z  

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The point when the current reaches zero in Eq. (1.14) occurs when the diode
turns off. Substituting t = ,
Vm
i()  sin       sin    e /    0 (1.15)
Z  

 Vm 
 Z  sin  t     sin    e t / 

 for 0  t  
 (1.16)
i  t   
0 for   t  2



 L  L
where Z  R 2   L 
2
,   tan 1   , and 
 R  R

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 2
The average power absorbed by the load is I rms R , since the average power
absorbed by the inductor is zero. The rms value of the current is
determined from the current function of eq (1.16)
2 
1 1 2
I rms   (t )d (t )   i (t )d (t ) (1.17)
2
i
2 0
2 0

Average current is

1
Io  
2 0
i (t )d (t ) (1.18)
Example 1.2

For the half-wave rectifier of Fig.1.2 (a), R=100 ,

L=0.1 H, =377 rad/s and Vm=100V. Determine:
a)An expression for the current in this circuit
b)The average current
c)The rms current
d)The power absorbed by the RL load
e)The power factor

Fig.1.2 (a)
solution

 Vm 
 Z sin  t     sin    e 
t / 
 for 0  t  

i  t   
0 for   t  2 



 L  L
where Z  R 2   L 
2
,   tan 1  , and 
(1.16)  R  R

Vm
(1.15) i()  sin       sin    e /    0
Z  


1
2 0
(1.18) Io  i(t )d (t )

2 
1 1 2
I rms  i (t ) d (t ) 
2 0
i (t )d (t )
2
(1.17) 2 0
solution
 HALF-WAVE RECTIFIER: RL-SOURCE LOAD
Supplying power to a DC source from an AC source
The load consists of a resistance, an
inductance, and a dc voltage. Starting
the analysis at t = 0 and assuming the
initial current is zero, recognize that the
diode will
remain off as long as the voltage of the
ac source is less than the dc voltage
Letting  be the value of t that causes
the source voltage to be equal to Vdc,

Vm sin   Vdc (1.19)

or
 Vdc 
  sin  
1 (1.20)
 Vm 
Figure 1.3: (a) Half-wave rectifier with RL source load; (b) Circuit for forced
response from ac source; (c) Circuit for forced response from dc source; (d)
Waveforms.
Figure 3.5
HALF-WAVE RECTIFIER : R-L-SOURCE LOAD
The diode starts to conduct at t =  . With the diode conducting, Kirchhoff’s
voltage law for the circuit yields the equation,
di(t)
Vm sin  t   Ri(t)  L  Vdc (1.21)
dt
Total current:
i (t )  i f (t )  in (t ) (1.22)
By using superposition for the two sources, if(t) and in(t) is:
Vm Vdc
if (t)  sin  t     (1.23)
Z R
in (t )  Ae  t / T (1.24)
Adding the forced and natural responses gives the complete response:

(1.25)

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• To solve A, i() = 0:

 Vm Vdc   / T
A   sin(   )   e (1.26)
 Z R
2
• The average power absorbed by the resistor is I rms R where:


1 2
2 
I rms  i (t ) d ( t ) (1.27)
The average power absorbed by the dc source is,

Pdc  I oVdc (1.28)

where Io is the average current, that is,


1
Io  
2 
i (t )d (t ) (1.29)

Assuming the diode and the inductor to be ideal, there is no average power absorbed by
either. The power supplied by the ac source is equal to the sum of the power absorbed
by the resistor and the dc source:

Pac  I 2
rms R  I oVdc (1.30)
Example 1.3

For the circuit with R=2Ω, L=20mH and Vdc=100V.

The ac source is 120V rms at 60Hz. Determine
(a) an expression for the current in the circuit,
(b) the power absorbed by the resistor
(c) the power absorbed by the dc source
(d) the power supplied by the ac source and the power
factor of the circuit
solution

(1.25)

(1.27)
solution

(1.29)
Figure 3.11
HALF-WAVE RECTIFIER : CAPACITOR FILTER

• Creating a DC voltage from an

AC source

• The purpose of the capacitor is to

reduce the variation in the output
voltage, making it more like dc.

• The resistance may represent an

external load, and the capacitor
may be a filter which is part of
the rectifier circuit.

Figure 1.4: (a) Half-wave rectifier with RC load; (b) Input

and output voltages.
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Figure 3.11
HALF-WAVE RECTIFIER : CAPACITOR FILTER
• Assuming the capacitor is initially uncharged and the circuit is energized at
t = 0, the diode becomes forward-biased as the source becomes positive. With
the diode ON, the output voltage is the same as the source voltage, and the capacitor charges.
The capacitor is charged to Vm when the input voltage reaches its positive peak at t = /2

• As the source decreases after t = /2, the capacitor discharges into the load
resistor. At some point, the voltage of the source becomes less than the output
voltage, reverse-biasing the diode and isolating the load from the source. The output voltage
is a decaying exponential with time constant RC while the diode is OFF.

When the source voltage comes back up to

the value of the output voltage in
the next period, the diode becomes
forward-biased, and the output again is the
same as the source voltage. The angle at
which the diode turns on in the second
period, t = 2 + , is the point when the
sinusoidal source reaches the same
Figure 1.4: (a) Half-wave rectifier with RC load; (b) Input
value as the decaying exponential output.
and output voltages.
Figure 3.11
HALF-WAVE RECTIFIER : CAPACITOR FILTER
The output voltage is described by:

The angle at t =  is the point when the diode turns OFF:

The angle at which the diode turns on in the second period, t = 2 +  is calculated
from:

The current in the capacitor is calculated from:

Figure 3.11
HALF-WAVE RECTIFIER : CAPACITOR FILTER
The peak diode current is described by:

The peak-to-peak ripple for the circuit of Fig. 1.4 (a) is expressed as:

The peak-to-peak ripple is approximately:

Figure 3.11
HALF-WAVE RECTIFIER : CAPACITOR FILTER

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Example 1.4

The half-wave rectifier of Fig. 1.4 (a) has a 120-V rms

source at 60 Hz, R =500, and C =100 uF. Determine:
•an expression for output voltage,
•the peak-to-peak voltage variation on the output,
•an expression for capacitor current,
•the peak diode current, and
•the value of C such that Vo is 1 percent of Vm
solution
solution
Figure 3.13
CONTROLLED HALF-WAVE RECTIFIER: R LOAD

Two conditions must be met before the SCR can conduct:

1. The SCR must be forward-biased (VSCR > 0).
2. A current must be applied to the gate of the SCR.

Unlike the diode, the SCR will not begin to conduct as soon as the source becomes
positive. Conduction is delayed until a gate current is applied, which is the basis
for
using the SCR as a means of control. Once the SCR is conducting, the gate current
can be removed and the SCR remains ON until the current goes to zero.
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Figure 3.13
CONTROLLED HALF-WAVE RECTIFIER: R LOAD

A gate signal is applied to the SCR at

t = , where  is the delay/firing
angle. The average (dc) voltage across
the load resistor is:

The rms voltage across the resistor is

computed from:

Figure 1.5: (a) A basic controlled rectifier; (b) Voltage

waveforms.
Example 1.5

• Design a circuit to produce an average voltage of 40

V across a 100 Ω load resistor from a 120 V rms 60Hz
ac source. Determine the power absorbed by the
resistance and the power factor.
solution
Figure 3.14
CONTROLLED HALF-WAVE RECTIFIER: R-L LOAD

SCR OFF

SCR OFF
SCR ON

Figure 1.6: (a) Controlled half-wave rectifier with RL load; (b) Voltage waveforms.

The current is the sum of the forced and natural responses:

(1.33)

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Figure 3.14
CONTROLLED HALF-WAVE RECTIFIER: R-L LOAD
The current is the sum of the forced and natural responses:

The extinction angle is defined as the angle at which the current returns to zero,
as in the case of the uncontrolled rectifier. When t = :

The average (dc) output voltage is:

The average current is computed from:

The rms current is computed from:

Example 1.6

For the circuit with the source of 120 V rms at 60Hz,

R=20Ω, L=0.04H and the delay angle is 45.
Determine:
(a)An expression for i(t)
(b)The average current
(c)The power absorbed by the load
(d)The power factor
solution
Figure 3.15
CONTROLLED HALF-WAVE RECTIFIER: R-L-SOURCE LOAD

Figure 1.7: Controlled rectifier with RL-source load.

The gate signal may be applied at any time that the ac source is larger than
the dc source:

With  specified within the allowable range, the current is expressed as:
Example 1.7

The controlled half-wave rectifier has an ac input of

120Vrms at 60Hz, R=2Ω, L=20mH and Vdc=100V. The
delay angle  is 45. Determine:
(a)An expression for the current
(b)The power absorbed by the resistor
(c)The power absorbed by the dc source in the load
solution
solution
SUMMARY

• A rectifier converts ac to dc. Power transfer is from the ac source to the dc load.

• The half-wave rectifier with a resistive load has an average load voltage of Vm /
and an average load current of Vm /R.

• The current in a half-wave rectifier with an RL load contains a natural and a

forced response, resulting in

•The diode remains on as long as the current is positive. Power in the RL load is
I2rms(R).
solution
SUMMARY
• A half-wave rectifier with an RL-source load does not begin to conduct until the
ac source reaches the dc voltage in the load. Power in the resistance is I2rms(R),
and power absorbed by the dc source is Io(Vdc), where Io is the average load
current. The load current is expressed as:

• A large filter capacitor across a resistive load makes the load voltage nearly
constant. Average diode current must be the same as average load current, making
the peak diode current large.

• An SCR in place of the diode in a half-wave rectifier provides a means of

controlling output current and voltage.