3.

1 Diode models
Lecture 3. Diodes and Rectification
+ VD - ID
In this lecture: Used in circuit sim
ID
packages
3.1 Diode models
3.2 Half-wave rectifier Real
Diode VD
3.3 Full-wave (bridge) rectifier
3.4 Three-phase rectifier VD>0: Forward biased
+ VD - ID
• The first major power electronics question that we will answer is (short cct.)
ID
VD<0: reverse biased
Given an A.C. input voltage, how to produce a D.C. output voltage? Ideal (open circuit)
Diode VD
• Producing D.C. supply voltages from A.C. input is called rectification. A first approximation
• The device we will be mostly using is the diode. + VD - ID VD>V0:Forward-biased
VD<V0: reverse biased
V0
+ VD - ID (The contact potential,
VD V0 , is typically about
ID Ideal Voltage
Diode
V0 0.7 V)
sink
A better approximation

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3.2 Half-wave rectifier • Heavy low-pass filtering is needed to produce a usable D.C. voltage,
usually with a slight ripple (Figure 3.3):
The simplest way to produce a D.C. voltage from an A.C. voltage is the half-
wave rectifier. IR vR(t)
Vm
Rf
vin(t)=Vmsinωt Vin Cf R VR ωt
Vm ωt π 2π 4π
IR
π 2π 4π

Vin R VR vR(t) Figure 3. 3 Filtering smoothes the output voltage

Vm ωt The size of this D.C. output voltage is simply the average value of the
π 2π 4π rectified voltage:
Figure 3. 1 A Half-wave rectifier
1 ⎡
π 2π
Figure 3. 2 (a) Sinusoidal input voltage, ⎤
(b) Half-wave rectified output voltage VDC = ⎢ ∫ Vm sin ωt dωt + ∫ 0 dωt ⎥
2π ⎣ 0 π ⎦

=
Vm
[− cos ωt ]0
π

2π
• Vin is a sinusoidal A.C. voltage (perhaps from the mains, perhaps from a
= m [1 + 1] = m = 0.318Vm
V V
transformer) 2π π

• The diode (ideally) passes current when the voltage across it is positive, So the D.C. voltage is only 31% of Vm! That’s not very high.
and stops current when VD is negative, producing a chopped-off sine
wave across R (Figure 3.2(b)).
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Now the maximum available power from the source is the power that would 3.3 Full-wave (bridge) rectifier
be drawn without any rectifier in the middle – just the A.C. source and the
load. Its value is The full wave rectifier produces a positive output voltage for both positive and
2
negative input voltages.
2
Vrms V
Pmax = = 0.5 m
R R

So the power delivered to the load through the half-wave rectifier is only A B

P=
VDC
2

=
(0.318Vm ) = 0.202 P
2 Vin
max
R R
C D
RL VLoad
So the half-wave rectifier can pass only 20% of the source’s available power
to the load – not very effective! How can it be improved?

Figure 3. 4 Full-wave rectifier

Here’s how it works:

• To get an impression of how it works, model the diodes A, B, C and D

as ideal diodes. Later you can take account of contact potential V0, but
for the moment a first approximation will do.

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The input and output voltages looks like

When Vin >0, diodes B
B and C switch on and A vin(t)=Vmsinωt
and D switch off. Vm
Vin>0
ωt
C Positive current flows π 2π 4π
RL VLoad>0
down through RL.
vR(t)
Vm ωt
When Vin <0, diodes B π 2π 4π
A and C switch off and A Figure 3. 5 Sinusoidal input voltage, full-wave rectified output voltage
Vin<0 and D switch on.
D As with the half-wave case, heavy filtering will produce a reasonably smooth
RL Vload>0
Negative current flows D.C. output voltage, whose value is the average value of the wave above:
up, hence positive
2π
current again flows Area under the graph in one cycle 1
T
1
VDC = V = = ∫ v R (t ) dt = ∫v ( t ) d ωt
down through RL. 2π
R
length of one cycle T t =0 ωt = 0

Notice that the rectified voltage repeats itself every π radians, not 2π.
Therefore, we can most easily find the average from 0 to π:

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 ωt =π
1 Vm
[− cos ωt ]ωωtt ==π0 2Vm 3.4 Three-phase rectifier
VDC =
π ∫V
ωt = 0
m sin ωt dωt =
π
=
π
= 0.637Vm

This is 64% of Vm -- twice the average output voltage for the half-wave case.
The power drawn is • Synchronous generators produce power most efficiently in the form of a
three-phase supply:
P=
VDC
=
(0.637Vm ) = 0.405 Vm
2 2 2

R R R
o three sinusoidal voltages, each the same amplitude, each 120°
out of phase with other
Now recall: the maximum power available is
o in other words, 6.666 ms lagging each other. (How did I get 6.666
V V
2 2
V
2 ms? Hit the forum!)
Pmax = rms = m = 0.5 m
R 2R R
o Balanced three-phase power is also very efficient to transport
0.405
So the power that the bridge rectifier delivers is , or about 81% of the
0 .5
maximum possible. Much better! • Industrial processes using large machines often use three-phase
motors, but often the three-phase voltage needs to be rectified. How?
• The output voltage ripple is still vmax – vmin = Vm - 0 = Vm: quite large.
This must be filtered out.

• You will find one on the power board of just about every low-current
electronic device that requires a D.C. driving voltage – P.C.s, stereos,
TVs etc.
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ƒ When vA(t) is greater than vB(t) and vC(t), diode A conducts and vLOAD=
VA vA(t). Diodes B and C turn off:

v A (t ) = Vm sin ωt o vdiode B = vB - vLOAD = vB – vA < 0

VB
⎛ 2π ⎞ R VLOAD o vdiode C = vC - vLOAD = vC – vA < 0
v B (t ) = Vm sin⎜ ωt − ⎟
⎝ 3 ⎠
VC
⎛ 4π ⎞ π 5π
v C (t ) = Vm sin⎜ ωt − o This happens for one third of the cycle of vA: ≤ ωt <
⎟ 6 6
⎝ 3 ⎠
N
5π 3π
Figure 3. 6 A three-phase rectifier ƒ Similarly, when ≤ ωt < :
6 2

ƒ VA, VB and VC are three-phase voltages with respect to the neutral – o vB(t) is biggest, so
same amplitude, 120° out of phase:
o vLOAD=vB(t)
v(t)
VA VB VC 3π 13π
Vm ƒ Similarly, when ≤ ωt < :
2 6
ωt
o VC(t) is highest, so
2π π 4π
3 3 o vLOAD=vC(t)

Figure 3. 7 Three-phase voltages

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So vLOAD looks like ƒ As before, the D.C. output voltage (obtained after filtering) is just the
average value of vLOAD(t):
vLOAD(t)
Area under curve for one cycle
Vm VDC = v LOAD =
length of one cycle

π 5π 3π ωt ƒ Each cycle is just one third (T/3 ↔ 2π/3) of the original period (T ↔ 2π),
6 6 2 so
5π
6 5π

[− cos ωt ]ωt = π6
3 3Vm ωt =
Figure 3. 8 Three-phase rectifier output voltage VDC =
2π ∫V
π
m sin ωt dωt =
2π 6
ƒ vLOAD is a piecewise function: 6

3Vm ⎡ 3 3 ⎤ 3 3Vm
o Between π/6 and 5π/6, v LOAD (t ) = VM sin ωt = ⎢ + ⎥= = 0.827 Vm
2π ⎣ 2 2 ⎦ 2π

2π ⎞
o Between 5π/6 and 3π/2, v LOAD (t ) = VM sin⎛⎜ ωt − ⎟ So the D.C. output voltage (after some filtering) is nearly 83% of Vm –
⎝ 3 ⎠
very high, much more useful!
4π ⎞
o Between 3π/2 and 13π/6, v LOAD (t ) = VM sin⎛⎜ ωt − ⎟
⎝ 3 ⎠

END OF LECTURE
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