RECTIFIERS

• Rectifier is an electronic device which is used for converting

an alternating quantity (Voltage or current) into unidirectional
i.e. DC quantity (Voltage or current).
Need of Rectification:
• Every electronic circuit such as amplifiers, needs a DC power
source for its operation.
• This DC voltage has to be obtained from AC supply.
• For this the AC supply has to be reduced - Stepped down first
using a Step down transformer and then converted to dc by
using rectifier.
AC Source and DC Source
Basic Block Diagram of Regulated Power
Supply
Transformer: The AC line voltage available for commercial purpose is not
suitable for electronic circuits.
• Most of the electronic circuits require a considerably lower voltage.
• The transformer is a device used to convert the ac line voltage to a voltage
level more appropriate to the needs of the circuit to be operated
• At the same time, the transformer provides electrical isolation between the ac
line and the circuit to be operated.
• This is an important safety consideration.
• The output of the transformer is still an ac voltage, but now of an appropriate
magnitude for the circuit to be powered.
Rectifiers: Rectifier is a device which convert AC voltage in to pulsating DC
• A rectifier utilizes unidirectional conducting device Ex : P-N junction diodes
• Depending up on the period of conduction
 Half wave rectifier
 Full wave rectifier
• Depending up on the connection procedure
 Bridge rectifier
Filter Circuits: The output from the rectifier section is a pulsating DC.
• The filter circuit reduces the peak-to-peak pulses to a small ripple voltage.
• Filter is formed from reactive circuit elements such as capacitors and/or
inductors and resistors.
Voltage Regulator: A voltage regulator generates a fixed output voltage of a
preset magnitude that remains constant regardless of changes to its input
voltage or load conditions.
• The voltage regulators may be constructed from a zener diode, discrete
transistors and/or integrated circuits
Types of Rectifier
Half Wave Rectifier
During Positive Half Cycle
During negative Half Cycle
 Half Wave Rectifier Parameters
• Ripple Factor
• Rectification Efficiency
• TUF (Transformation Utilization Factor)
• % Regulation
Rectification Efficiency
If RL >> Rf then η=0.406 or 40.6%
Transformer Utilization Factor
 Full wave rectifiers
 A full wave rectifier allows unidirectional current through the load
during the entire 360 degree of input cycle.

Full Wave Rectifier

 The output voltage have twice the input frequency.

24
The Center-Tapped Full wave rectifier
The Center-Tapped Full wave rectifiers
 The Center-Tapped Full wave
rectifiers
• A center-tapped transformer is used with two diodes that conduct
on alternating half-cycles.
F D1
+ –
During the positive half-
+
Vin
I
Vout cycle, the upper diode is
0
–
0 forward-biased and the
+ +
RL lower diode is reverse-
– –
biased.
– +
D2

F D1
– +

During the negative half- –

V in
cycle, the lower diode is +
V o ut

0 0
forward-biased and the – +
RL
upper diode is reverse- + I –

biased. + –
D2

28
Input and output waveform
 Full wave rectifier
• Ripple factor is (0.48)
• Rectifier efficiency is high(81.2%)
• TUF is high(0.693)
Input and output waveform
 Bridge Full Wave Rectifier
• Advantages of the bridge rectifier
• The rectification efficiency of a full-wave rectifier is double
of that of a half-wave rectifier.
• No center tap is required in the transformer secondary so
in case of a bridge rectifier, the transformer required is
simpler.
• TUF is higher than center-tap FWR
• 2 Disadvantages of Bridge Rectifier
• It requires four diodes.
• The use of two extra diodes causes an additional voltage
drop thereby reducing the output voltage.
 Comparison of Rectifiers
S. No. Particulars Half-wave Centre-tap Bridge type

1. No. of diodes 1 2 4

Center Tap
2. Transformer No Yes No
necessary

Rectification
3. efficiency 40.6% 81.2% 81.2%

4. Ripple factor 1.21 0.48 0.48

5. Output fin 2fin 2fin

frequency

6. TUF 0.286 0.692 0.812

Basic Block Diagram of Regulated power
Supply
 Filters
• The filter circuit is necessary for smoothing of the voltage
obtained by the rectifier.
• The obtained DC voltage contains AC components. These AC
components are called ripples.
• The filter circuit is needed to remove the ripples from DC
output voltage so that the output voltage across the load
will be regulated.
• A filter circuit comprises of generally inductor and capacitor.
• The inductor allows DC only to pass through it and capacitor
allows AC only to pass through it.
• Thus, a circuit formed by the combination of inductors and
capacitors can effectively filter the signal according to the
application.