This presentation may contain errors that

will be corrected in class. It is your

responsibility to take note of these
corrections. These are supplementary
material only and should not be used as

EE126 | JPAR | 1920s1 | Chap6

substitute to the class discussions and
reading materials. Not everything that you
need to know is included in these notes.

0
EE126
Chapter 6
Uncontrolled Rectifier
1920s1 - JPARamoso
Objectives
• Evaluatethe performance of single- and three-
phase half- and full-wave uncontrolled rectifiers
• Analyze uncontrolled rectifiers with resistive
loads
• Describe the effects of inductive loads on rectifier

EE126 | JPAR | 1920s1 | Chap6

output

2
Performance Parameters
• Characteristics of a good rectifier:
– With minimum harmonic content
– Can maintain input current as sinusoidal as possible
– Maintain in-phase relationship of input & output

• Harmonic contentsof voltage & currents can be

EE126 | JPAR | 1920s1 | Chap6

found using Fourier series

3
Performance Parameters
1. Average output (load) voltage & current, VDC & IDC
2. RMS output voltage & current, VRMS & IRMS
3. Output DC and AC power, PDC & PAC
4. Efficiency / Rectification Ratio, η
5. Effective (rms) value of the output’s AC component, Vac

EE126 | JPAR | 1920s1 | Chap6

6. Form factor (FF) & ripple factor (RF)
7. Transformer utilization factor, TUF
8. Displacement factor, DF
9. Harmonic factor / total harmonic distortion
10. Input power factor (PF)

4
Rectification Ratio
• Figure of merit; compares efficiency

• Mathematically defined as
Pdc Vdc I dc

EE126 | JPAR | 1920s1 | Chap6

η= =
Pac Vrms I rms

5
Voltage components
and shaping
• Output voltage = DC + AC (ripple)
• Effective (rms) value of AC:
2
Vac = Vrms − Vdc2
• Form factor: measures shape of output voltage

EE126 | JPAR | 1920s1 | Chap6

FF = Vrms / Vdc
• Ripple factor: measure of the ripple content

RF = Vac / Vdc = FF 2 − 1
6
Transformer Utilization Factor
• Mathematically defined as
Pdc
TUF =
VAsec
where
VAsec = volt-ampere rating

EE126 | JPAR | 1920s1 | Chap6

of the transformer secondary
• Measure of how much AC power is needed to
produce a watt of DC power

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 Harmonic Content

EE126 | JPAR | 1920s1 | Chap6

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 Harmonic Content

EE126 | JPAR | 1920s1 | Chap6

https://www.allaboutcircuits.com/technical-articles/the-importance-of-total-harmonic-distortion/
9
 Harmonic Content

EE126 | JPAR | 1920s1 | Chap6

https://www.allaboutcircuits.com/technical-articles/the-importance-of-total-harmonic-distortion/
10
Notes:
• HFis measure of the distortion of the waveform;
also known as total harmonic distortion (THD)
& & (/& & (/&
𝐼% − 𝐼%( 𝐼%
𝐻𝐹 = & = −1
𝐼%( 𝐼%(
– Is = RMS value of input supply current

EE126 | JPAR | 1920s1 | Chap6

– Is1 = RMS value of fundamental component of the input
supply current
– Is1 = Is if the input current is purely sinusoidal: PF=DF
and Φ=impedance angle θ (for RL loads)

11
Notes:
• Distortion
Factor (DF) is also known as
,-.
displacement power factor (DPF) 𝐷𝐹 = ,-
0- ,-.
• Input Power Factor (PF) 𝑃𝐹 = 0- ,-
cos 𝜙
,-(789:)

EE126 | JPAR | 1920s1 | Chap6

• Crest Factor (CF) 𝐶𝐹 = ,-

• Ideal
rectifier:
η=100%, Vac=0,
RF = HF = THD = 0,
FF = TUF = PF = DPF = 1
12
Example:
Single-phase rectifiers
•Determine for a half-wave uncontrolled rectifier with a purely
resistive load R:
a) efficiency,
b) FF,
c) RF,

EE126 | JPAR | 1920s1 | Chap6

d) TUF,
e) diode PIV
• Repeat the same analysis for the single-phase center-tapped
and full-wave bridge-type rectifiers.

13
Example:
Single-phase rectifiers
( @ 0I
• 𝑉= = 𝑉>? = ∫ 𝑉 sin 𝜔𝑡 𝑑𝜔𝑡 = 1 + cos 𝛼
&@ H B &@
MN(OP) 0N(OP)
•𝜂 = =
MN(QP)
0N(RS-) T U0N(OP) T

0N(RS-)
• 𝐹𝐹 =

EE126 | JPAR | 1920s1 | Chap6

0N(OP)
0Y(RS-) 0N(QP)
• 𝑅𝐹 = 𝑟X = =
0N(OP) 0N(OP)
MN(OP)
• 𝑇𝑈𝐹 =
0- ∗,-
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Example
For the shown half-wave rectifier, the source is a
sinusoid of 120 Vrms at a frequency of 60 Hz. The
load resistor is 5 Ω. Determine
(a) the average load current,
the dc and ac power absorbed by the load and

EE126 | JPAR | 1920s1 | Chap6

(b)

(c) the power factor of the circuit.

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Illustration:
Full-wave with RL load
Consider a bridge type rectifier with RL load, and
the method of Fourier series, the output voltage
can be represented in the following form:
∞
vo (t ) = Vdc + ∑ (a cos nωt + bn sin nωt )

EE126 | JPAR | 1920s1 | Chap6

n
n = 2 , 4 ,...

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Illustration:
Full-wave with RL load
2Vm
Vdc =
π
1 2π
an = vo cos nωtd (ωt )
π∫ 0

EE126 | JPAR | 1920s1 | Chap6

2 π
= ∫ (V
0
m sin ωt )cos nωtd (ωt )
π

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Illustration:
Full-wave with RL load

4Vm ∞
−1
an = ∑ , for n = 2,4,...
π n = 2, 4,... (n − 1)(n + 1)

EE126 | JPAR | 1920s1 | Chap6

an = 0 for n = 1,3,5...

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Illustration:
Full-wave with RL load
1 2π
bn = vo sin nωtd (ωt )
π∫ 0

2 π
= ∫ (V m sin ωt )sin nωtd (ωt )

EE126 | JPAR | 1920s1 | Chap6

π 0

bn = 0

19
Illustration:
Full-wave with RL load

2Vm 4Vm 4Vm

vo (t ) = + cos(2ωt ) − cos(4ωt )
π 3π 15π
4Vm

EE126 | JPAR | 1920s1 | Chap6

− cos(6ωt ) − ...
35π

20
Example
For the RL half-wave rectifier, R=100Ω, L=0.1 H,
𝜔=377 rad/s, and Vm=100 V. Determine
(a) an expression for the current in this circuit,
(b) the average current,

EE126 | JPAR | 1920s1 | Chap6

(c) the rms current,
(d) the power absorbed by the RL load, and
(e) the power factor.

21
Multiphase Rectifiers
(“Star Rectifiers”)
• For power ratings greater than 15kW
• General equations for q-phase rectifiers:
2 π /q q π
Vdc = V cos ω td (ω t ) = V sin
2π / q ∫0
m m
π q

EE126 | JPAR | 1920s1 | Chap6

2 π /q 2 2
⎡ q ⎛π 1 2π ⎞⎤
Vrms = ( )
Vm cos ωtd ωt = Vm ⎢ ⎜ + sin
⎜ ⎟⎟⎥
2π / q ∫0 ⎣ 2π ⎝ q 2 q ⎠⎦
• For resistive loads:
2 π /q
IS = ∫ I m2 cos 2 ωtd (ωt )
2π 0

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Three-phase Star Rectifier
• Can be treated as 3
single-phase half-
wave rectifiers
• Inpractice, connected
with a single primary

EE126 | JPAR | 1920s1 | Chap6

winding and three
secondary windings

23
Three-phase Star Rectifier
• Consider a three-phase source:

EE126 | JPAR | 1920s1 | Chap6

24
Three-phase Star Rectifier
• Output voltage Vdc:

EE126 | JPAR | 1920s1 | Chap6

25
Example:
Three-phase star rectifier
A three-phase star rectifier has a purely resistive load of R
ohms. Determine the following:
(a) efficiency,
(b) FF,
(c) RF,

EE126 | JPAR | 1920s1 | Chap6

(d) TUF,
(e) PIV of each diode,
(f) the peak current through a diode if the rectifier
delivers Idc = 30 A at an output voltage of Vdc = 140 V.
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Three-phase bridge rectifiers
(Six-pulse Rectifiers)

EE126 | JPAR | 1920s1 | Chap6

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Six-pulse rectifier
• Consider the three-phase source with inverses

EE126 | JPAR | 1920s1 | Chap6

28
Six-pulse rectifier
• Output voltage is the highest anode-lowest cathode
difference

EE126 | JPAR | 1920s1 | Chap6

29
Three-phase bridge rectifiers
• Line voltage leads phase voltage by 30 degrees:
vab = 3Vm sin (ωt + 30 )
vbc = 3Vm sin (ωt − 210 )
vca = 3Vm sin (ωt − 90 )

EE126 | JPAR | 1920s1 | Chap6

• Average output voltage:

2 π /6 3 3
Vdc = ∫ 3Vm cos ω td (ω t ) = Vm = 1.654Vm
2π / 6 0 π
where Vm is the peak phase voltage.

30
Three-phase bridge rectifiers
The RMS output voltage is:
2 π /6 ⎛3 9 3⎞
Vrms =
2π / 6 ∫0
( )2
3Vm cos ωt d (ωt ) = ⎜⎜ + ⎟ = 1.6554Vm
⎟
⎝ 2 4π ⎠
If the load is purely resistive, the peak current
through a diode is given by

EE126 | JPAR | 1920s1 | Chap6

I m = 3Vm / R
and the rms value of the diode current is
4 π /6 1 ⎛π 1 2π ⎞
Ir = ∫ I m2 cos 2 (ωt )d (ωt ) = I m ⎜ + sin ⎟ = 0.5518I m
2π 0 π⎝6 2 6 ⎠
31
Three-phase bridge rectifiers
The RMS value of the transformer secondary
current is
8 π /6 2 ⎛π 1 2π ⎞
Is = ∫ I m2 cos 2 ωtd (ωt ) = I m ⎜ + sin ⎟ = 0.7804 I m
2π 0 π⎝6 2 6 ⎠

EE126 | JPAR | 1920s1 | Chap6

the formula involves two diode currents per
transformer secondary hence the initial integration
having 8 “pulses” instead of 4.

32
Example:
Bridge Rectifier
A three-phase bridge rectifier has a purely resistive load of R.
The source frequency is 60 Hz. Determine the following:
a) efficiency,
b) FF,
c) RF,

EE126 | JPAR | 1920s1 | Chap6

d) TUF,
e) PIV of each diode,
f) peak current through a diode if the rectifier delivers Idc =
60 A at an output voltage Vdc = 280.7.
33
Single-phase rectifiers
with RL/E loads

EE126 | JPAR | 1920s1 | Chap6

34
Single-phase rectifiers
with RL-E loads
• Actual waveform
outputs for RLE circuit,
R= 2.5,
L = 6.5m,
Vo = 10 V,
Input = 120 Vpk 60Hz.

EE126 | JPAR | 1920s1 | Chap6

R – Vo,
B – Io
Y – Vin
G - Is
35
Summary
• Performance parameters of uncontrolled
rectifiers can be calculated based on their
waveforms.
• Multiphase or 3-phase rectifiers are much more
efficient compared to their single-phase
counterparts, as well as making the current

EE126 | JPAR | 1920s1 | Chap6

continuous.
• Inductive loads and EMF loads impose additional
restrictions on the continuity of the output
current.

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