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01 Three-Phase Diode Rectifiers Asmar
01 Three-Phase Diode Rectifiers Asmar
01 Three-Phase Diode Rectifiers Asmar
DIODE RECTIFIERS
1
Learning Objectives
After completing this unit, the student should be able to:
• Explain, with the help of voltage and current waveforms, the operation of
three-pulse, six-pulse, and twelve pulse diode (uncontrolled) rectifiers with
resistive, inductive, and capacitive loads
2
In industrial applications where three-phase ac voltages are available, it is
preferable to use three-phase rectifier circuits, compared to single-phase
rectifiers.
Three-phase rectifiers have the following advantages compared with single-
phase rectifiers:
• higher output voltage for a given input voltage
• lower amplitude ripples, i.e. output voltage is smoother
• higher frequency ripples, simplifying filtering
• higher power-handling capability
• higher overall efficiency
Three-phase rectifiers use either three, six, or twelve diodes. Using more
diodes reduces the cost by distributing the load current, thus allowing the
use of lower rated devices.
3
Three-Phase Half-Wave Rectifiers
A basic three-phase half-wave rectifier consisting of three diodes and a
resistive load is shown in Figure 1.
Figure 2.
5
Voltage Waveforms
The output voltage is shown in Figure 3.
Observations:
i. The output voltage across the load vo
follows the peaks of the input phase
voltage and pulsates between Vm and
0.5 Vm.
fr = 3 f s
6
vS
vo (max) v s (max) Vm
io (max) Im (say)
RL RL RL
The average load current is given by
3I m 3 3
io ( av) sin Im
3 2
Diode Currents
The individual diode currents are equal to the load
current during the time when a particular diode
conducts for its 120o interval. Each diode current is
then zero for a 240o interval.
io(max) = I D(max) = Im
9
It can be shown that for this rectifier circuit
v ripple( rms)
Ripple factor, RF
vo ( rms)
io ( rms) vo ( rms)
Form factor, FF RF 2 1
io av vo av
Conversion Efficiency
The effectiveness of the rectifier in converting the input ac power to useful dc
power is given by the figure of merit called the conversion efficiency.
Mathematically, conversion efficiency, ηc,
10
Worked Example
A three-pulse uncontrolled rectifier is connected to a 3-Ф, 4-wire, 220 V AC
source. If the load resistance is 20 Ω, find
(a) the maximum load voltage
(b) the average load voltage
(c) the average load current
(d) the maximum load current
(e) the maximum diode current
(f) the PIV rating of the diode
(g) the average diode current
3 3
vo ( av) Vm 148.5 V
2
12
Solution (continued)
c) Average output current
vo ( av) 148.5
io ( av) 7.425 A
RL 20
(d) Max output current
vo (max) Vm 179.6
io (max) 9A
RL RL 20
(e) Max diode current
i D (max) io (max) 9 A
14
Three-Phase Full-Wave Rectifiers: R Load
The three-phase full-wave (six-pulse) bridge rectifier is one of the most important
circuits in high power applications. The rectifier can be connected directly to a
three-phase source, or it can use a three-phase transformer connected in a Δ-Y. Y-
Δ, or Δ-Δ connection. Figure 7 shows a three-phase diode bridge rectifier supplied
from a Δ-Y transformer.
• The bridge rectifier uses both the negative and positive half of the
input voltage to supply power to the load.
• Two series diodes are always conducting, while the other four are
blocking
• Current flows out from the most positive source terminal, through
an odd-numbered diode, through the load, through an even-
numbered diode, and then back to the most negative source
terminal.
16
Average Load Voltage
The average load voltage is given
by
3 3 3 2
vo ( av) Vm VLL
where Vm = peak value of the phase voltage.
18
The average current in one of the diodes is
only one-third of the load current:
io ( av)
i D ( av)
3
The rms value of the diode current is
io ( rms)
iD ( rms) = 0.5518Im
3
Line Currents
The line currents iA, iB, iC supplied by the
transformer can be obtained from Kirchhoff’s
current law:
i A i1 i4 Figure 10. A three-phase full-wave
diode bridge rectifier circuit.
iB i3 i6
iC i5 i2
19
The line currents are plotted in Figure 11. Note that the three line currents
consist of identical waves that are 120o out of phase.
PIV VLL (m )
20
Worked Example
A six-pulse uncontrolled rectifier is
connected to a 3-Ф, 208 V, 60 Hz
source. If the load resistance is 5 Ω,
find
i. the average load voltage
ii. the average load current
iii. the average diode current
iv. the maximum diode current Figure 12. A six-pulse uncontrolled rectifier.
v. the PIV rating of the diode
vi. the conversion efficiency, ηc
21
Solution
(i) The maximum value of the line voltage is
3 3 3 3
vo ( av) Vm 169.81 280.85 V
(ii) Average load current
vo ( av) 169.81
io ( av) 56.17 A
RL 5
(iii) Average diode current
io ( av)
56.17
i D ( av) 18.723 A
3 3
22
Solution (continued)
c
Po ( dc)
vo2( av) / RL
vo2( av)
280.852 0.998
Po ( av) v2
o ( rms) / RL v2
o ( rms) 1.6554 169.81
2
23
Worked Example
A three-phase bridge rectifier has a purely resistive load of R. Determine
(a) Peak output voltage
(b) RMS output voltage
(c) DC output power
(d) Total output power
(e) Efficiency, η
(f) FF
(g) RF
The rectifier delivers Idc = 50 A at an output voltage of Vdc = 300 V and the source
frequency is 50 Hz.
24
Solution
(a) Peak output voltage
From Vdc = 1.654Vm, (e) Efficiency, η
Vdc 300 Pdc 15000
Vm 181.269 V 0.998
1.654 1.654 Po 15030
(b) RMS output voltage
(f) Form factor
From Vrms = 1.654Vm,
Vrms 300.253
Vrms 1.654 181.378 300.253 V FF 1.001
Vdc 300
(c) DC output power
(g) Ripple factor
Pdc Vdc I dc 300 50 15000 W
Vac
(d) Total output power RF
2
Vdc
Vrms 300.2532
Po 15.03 W
R 6
25
Three-Phase Full-Wave (Six-Pulse) Rectifiers: R-L Load
For the case where L is infinitely large, the R-L load can be approximated as a
constant current load. To the load resistance R, the diodes and inductor
combination forms what is called a stiff current source.
io L
D1 D3 D5
ia
van
ib
n vbn vo
ic R
vccn
D4 D6 D2
• In the top group, the diode with its anode at the highest potential will conduct
and the other two become reverse biased.
• In the bottom group, the diode with its cathode at the lowest potential will
conduct and the other two become reverse biased.
• The commutation of current from one diode to the next is instantaneous in the
ideal case of zero source or leakage inductance.
io L
D1 D3 D5
ia
van
vbn ib
n R vo
ic
vccn
D4 D6 D2
3 3
vo ( av) Vdc Vm
where Vm = peak value of the phase voltage. In term of the rms
line-to-line voltage,
3 3 3 2
vo ( av) Vm VLL
For a constant output current, its rms value is the same as its
average value, that is,
io ( rms) io ( av) I dc
The diode conducts for one third of the cycle. Therefore, the average
diode current is
io ( Av) I dc
i D ( av)
3 3
29
The rms value of the diode current is
io ( rms) I dc
i D ( rms)
3 3
From the relation iA = i1 – i4, we can obtain an expression relating the rms
value of the line current to the rms value of the diode current as
i A( rms) 2iD ( rms)
Since the line currents are exactly of the same waveform to each other, then
30
The value of inductance of the smoothing choke required to produce the specified
peak-to-peak output current ripple can be obtained from the relation
io
x100% 0.17 Pdc io
io f sW L
( av)
Δio
where
Δio = peak-to-peak output current ripple io(av)
31
Worked Example
A three-phase full-wave diode bridge rectifier supplied from a 415 V, 50 Hz
source has an R-L load. If the inductance is very large and the load
resistance is 5 Ω, determine
(a) the average load voltage
(b) the rms diode current
(c) the rms line current, and
(d) the input power factor.
3 2
Vdc VLL
Hence,
3 2
Vdc 415 560.5 V
(b) The rms diode current is related to the average load current by
I dc Vdc
I D ( rms) where I dc
3 R
Hence,
Vdc 560.5
I D ( rms) 64.72 A
3R 35
33
(c) The rms line current is related to the average load current as follows:
2
I L ( rms) I dc
3
Hence,
2 Vdc 2 560.5
I L ( rms) 91.529 A
3 R 3 5
(d) For a lossless conversion process, the average input power is equal to
average load power. Hence,
Pin Po I dcVdc
560.5
2
62.8 kW
5
Rectifier input VA,
Sin 3VLL I L
vo ( av) 3 2 3 2 220
iO ( rms) io ( av)
(f) VLL 5.95 A
R R 50
(Close to the average load current since the ripple is very small).
PO iO ( rms) R 5.952 x 50 1770 W
2
37
Worked Example
A 3-phase bridge rectifier has to supply power to a 360 kW, 240 V dc load. If a
600 V, 3-phase, 60 Hz supply is available, calculate the inductance of the
smoothing choke required, if the peak-to-peak ripple in the output current is
not to exceed 5 percent.
io
Δio
io(av)
Figure 18 38
Solution
The peak-to-peak output current ripple is given by
Pdc = 360 kW
fs = 60 Hz
WL = dc energy stored in the inductor [J]
Substituting the values given into the above expression, we obtain
0.17 360,000
5
60 WL
Hence
WL = 204 J
39
Consequently, the inductor must store 204 J in its magnetic field. The
inductance is found from
1 2
WL LI dc
2
Substituting the known values into the above expression, we obtain
1
204 L 1500 2
2
or
L = 0.18 mH
40
Three-Phase Diode Bridge Rectifier with RC Load
To reduce the ripple on the output voltage, a large capacitor is sometimes
connected in parallel with the load. A circuit diagram for a three-phase diode
bridge rectifier with an RC load is shown in Figure 19.
ii io
D1 D3 D5 ic
ia
van
ib vo
n vbn C R
ic
vccn
D4 D6 D2
Note
For C infinitely large, then the rectifier diodes and capacitor forms what is
called a stiff voltage source.
41
Vab Vac
Va
-Vb
-Vc
Vcb Vbc
Vc Vb
-Va
Vca Vba
(a)
Figure 20: (a) Phasor diagram; (b) voltage and current waveforms of the 3-
phase diode bridge rectifier supplying capacitive load.
42
Operation
43
Operation (continued)
Figure 20(b)
44
Operation (continued)
Figure 20(b)
45
The capacitor is charged in the interval α ≤ωt ≤ β, where
tan
1
and
2 RC
vo 2Vm sin t
vo V
io 2 m sin t
R R
The bridge output current is
Vm
ii ic io 2 1 2 R 2 C 2 cost
R 46
The angle α at which the capacitor charging starts is obtained by solving
the equation
6
RC
RC
sin e
1 R C
2 2 2
Example
A three-phase full-wave rectifier supplies a resistive-capacitive load of 50 A
from a 220 V, 3-phase, 50 Hz supply. Find out the value of the load
capacitance such that the load voltage ripple is less than 5 %.
47
Solution
The output voltage waveform will the waveshape shown in Figure 21.
Figure 21
The per unit ripple is defined by the ratio
vo ( p p )
r
v o ( av)
48
Hence,
r
vo ( p p )
2 vo (max) vo (min) 0.05
vo ( av) vo (max) vo (min)
Therefore,
vo (min) 0.9512 vo(max) 0.9512 311 295.947 volts
Therefore,
vo (max) vo (min) 311 295.947
vo ( av) 303.47 V
2 2
50
Given that io(av) = 50 A, we hence obtain
v o(av) 303.47
R 6.0494
i o(av) 50
Hence
72 o
51
1
where tan
RC
Therefore,
1 1
13.89
RC tan
13.89
C 7285 F
2 506.0694
52
Three-Phase Full-Wave Diode Rectifier: RLE Load
For the most general treatment on the six-pulse diode rectifier circuit, we consider
an RLE load, without any assumption about the magnitude of the inductor (see
Figure 22). io
vA D1 D3 D5 R
vB
vo L
vC
D4 D6 D2 E
Figure 22
To start the analysis, we assume that the R. L, and E values are such that they
cause the output voltage to be continuous. The output voltage, vo, within the 0-
to-π/3 interval equals the line-to-line voltage vAB, i.e,
vo (t ) v AB (t )
where vAB(t)=VLL(m)sin(ω t+ π/3), and VLL(m) denotes the peak value of the supply
line-to-line voltage.
53
Since the output voltage waveform repeats itself every π/3 rad, the average
output voltage vo(av) can be found as
T
1
vo ( av) Vdc vo (t )
T0
In terms of angle θ (= ωt), the average output voltage can be obtained from
?3
1
vo ( av) Vdc
/3
0
VLL ( m) sin t d
3
/3
3 3
VLL ( m ) cos t VLL ( m )
3 o
3 2
vo ( av) VLL
54
The output current io(t) is given by the expression
t
Vm sin e tan E
k
io (t ) sin t
Z 3
cos
1 e 3 tan
sin kE 0
sin
cos
3
1 e 3 tan
or
sin
k E sin cos
3
1 e 3 tan
E
where k E
VLL (m ) 55
All the equations derived from the RLE load can be easily for simpler loads
by using the following substitutions:
1. R-E load (such as a battery charged from a rectifier) :
Set φ = 0.
2. R-L load (such as an electromagnet or solenoid): Set
kE = 0.
3. R load (such as an electrochemical process) : Set kE
= 0.
56
The load angle, φ, is zero, since no load inductance is assumed. Therefore,
the condition
k E sin
sin cos
3
3 tan
1 e
3
k E sin 0.866
3 2
3 2 3 2
vo ( av) VLL x 230 310.6 V
57
The average output current, io(av), is given by the simple expression
vo ( av) E
io ( av)
R
since no dc voltage appears across the load inductance. Thus,
310.6 270
io ( av) 56.4 A
0.72
58
Effect of source inductance on the output voltage
When a source inductance Ls is present on the
secondary side of the transformer source the current
cannot change instantly but must be transferred
gradually from one diode pair to the other over a
commutation interval µ, as shown in Figure 23(b).
3 2 L I
Vdc VLL 1 s dc
VLLm
(b)
Figure 23 59
Example:
A three-phase bridge rectifier is supplied from a Y-connected 208-V, 60-Hz
supply. The average load current is 60 A and has negligible ripple. Calculate the
percentage reduction of output voltage due to commutation if the line
inductance per phase is 0.5 mH.
Solution
Given Lc = 0.5 mH, f = 60 Hz, Idc = 60 A, VLL 208 V
Therefore,
VLLm= √2 x VLL = √2 x 208 = 294.156 V
Hence
3VLLM Ls I dc
Vdc 1
VLLm
1
3 2 208 2 60 0.5 103 60
2 208
270.1 V
60
Twelve-Pulse Rectifier
The 12-pulse diode rectifier is used when a lower ripple voltage is required. On
way to obtain a 12-pulse diode rectifier circuit is to connect two three-phase
rectifiers in connected in series, as shown in Figure x. One of the bridges is
supplied through a Y-Y connected transformer, and the other through a Y-Δ (or
Δ-Y) transformer.
Figure 24. Two 6-pulse circuits connected in series to make a 12-pulse rectifier.
61
Twelve symmetric pulses result from shifting
the 3-phase ac sources supplying the two
bridges by π/6 with respect to one another. The
shift required is provided by the 3-phase Y-Y
and Y-Δ transformers used to supply power to
the two diode bridges. Because each of the 6-
pulse bridges operates independently, the
output voltage vo is the sum of vo1 and vo2:
The turns ratio for the delta is different from the star by √3; hence
Iprimary = Istar + Idelta,
giving the stepped wave shown in Figure 26.
Figure 26. Current waveshapes in the primary windings of the Y-Y and Y-Δ
transformers. 63
The peak output voltage of the twelve-pulse rectifier occurs midway between
alternate peaks of the six-pulse rectifier. Adding the voltages at that point gives
64
The Fourier series for the two currents are similar, but some terms have different
algebraic signs. The ac system current, which is the sum of those transformer
currents, has the Fourier series
4 3 1 1
iac (t ) iY (t ) i (t ) I o (cos o t cos11 o t cos13 o t .....).
11 13
Thus, some of the harmonics on the ac side are cancelled by using the twelve-
pulse scheme rather than the six-pulse scheme. The harmonics that remain in the
ac system are of the order 12k±1. Cancellation of harmonic 6(2n-1)±1 has
resulted from this transformer and rectifier configuration.
65