5.

Controlled Rectifier
EE307 – Power Electronics
Spring 2019
Introduction to Controlled Rectifiers
• Diode rectifiers provide fixed output voltages only
• To obtain controlled output voltages phase control thyristors are used
• Output voltage controlled using delay or firing angle of thyristor
• Thyristor turned on using gate pulse and turned off by natural commutation
• Simple, high efficiency
• Also called AC-DC converters
• Used in industrial applications like variable speed drives
 Phase Controlled Converters
• Classified into two types:
• Single phase converter
• Three phase converter
• Each type can be subdivide into:
• Semi converter: one quadrant converter, one polarity of output current and voltage
• Full Converter: two quadrant converter, output voltage polarity can be both positive
or negative, but current has only one polarity
• Dual Converter: can operate in all four quadrants. Both output voltage and currents
can be either positive or negative
 Phase Controlled Converters
+V Semi-Converter
Dual-Converter Positive Voltage, Positive Current
Positive and negative Voltage,
Positive and negative Current

Full-Converter
Positive and negative Voltage,
-I +I Positive Current

-V
Halfwave Controlled Rectifier with R Load
 Ig = 0

OFF
 At α
Ig = +ve

ON

IR
 Ig = 0

OFF
Halfwave Controlled Rectifier with R Load
• In simple half wave rectifier, replace the diode with a thyristor
• When no gate signal is applied (between 0 and α), the output voltage is
zero
• SCR is in forward blocking mode
• When gate signal is applied at α, SCR remains ON between α and π
• SCR remain on till negative half cycle on input waveform
• Delay/ firing angle 𝜔𝑡 = 𝛼 (time after the input voltage starts to go
positive until thyristor is fired)
• Type of semi-converter
Average Voltage VDC
1 𝜋
𝑉𝑑𝑐 = න 𝑉𝑚 sin 𝜔𝑡 𝑑(𝜔𝑡)
2𝜋 𝛼
𝑉𝑚
𝑉𝑑𝑐 = 1 + cos 𝛼
2𝜋
The average output voltage is maximum at 𝛼 = 0
𝑉𝑚
𝑉𝑑𝑐 =
𝜋
𝑉𝑚
The output voltage can be varied from 0 to
𝜋
RMS Voltage VRMS
1/2
1 𝜋 2
𝑉𝑟𝑚𝑠 = න 𝑉𝑚 𝑠𝑖𝑛2 𝜔𝑡 𝑑(𝜔𝑡)
2𝜋 𝛼

1/2
𝑉𝑚 1 sin 2𝛼
𝑉𝑟𝑚𝑠 = 𝜋−𝛼+
2 𝜋 2
Example 1
If a halfwave fully controlled semi-converter has a purely resistive load of R
and the delay angle is 𝛼 = 𝜋Τ2, determine:
(a) the rectification efficiency
(b) the form factor
(c) the ripple factor
(d) the TUF
(e) the peak inverse voltage (PIV) of 𝑇1
• 𝑉𝑑𝑐 = 0.1592𝑉𝑚 Rectification efficiency: Form Factor:
• 𝐼𝑑𝑐 = 0.1592𝑉𝑚ൗ𝑅 𝑃𝑑𝑐 𝑉𝑟𝑚𝑠
𝝶= = 20.27% 𝐹𝐹 = = 222.1%
𝑉𝑑𝑐
(0.1592𝑉𝑚 )2ൗ 𝑃𝑎𝑐
• 𝑃𝑑𝑐 = 𝑅
TUF: Ripple Factor:
𝑃𝑑𝑐 0.15922
• 𝑉𝑟𝑚𝑠 = 0.3536𝑉𝑚 𝑇𝑈𝐹 = =
𝑉𝑠 𝐼𝑠 0.707 × 0.3536 𝑅𝐹 = 𝐹𝐹 2 − 1
0.3536𝑉𝑚 RF = 198.3%
• 𝐼𝑟𝑚𝑠 = ൗ𝑅 = 0.1014
(0.3536𝑉𝑚 )2ൗ 1
• 𝑃𝑎𝑐 = 𝑅 𝑇𝑈𝐹
= 9.86
Full-wave Controlled Rectifier with R Load
• During +ve HC, T1 and T4 are forward biased, turn on when gate pulse is
given at 𝜔𝑡 = 𝛼 and input voltage is applied to load
• During –ve HC, T2 and T3 are forward biased, turn on at 𝜔𝑡 = 𝛼 + 𝜋 and
input voltage applied to load
• Load receives voltage during both half cycles
• Average value of output can be varied by altering the firing angle 𝛼