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rectifier
Sign in to saveAlso known as one-way conductor, AC-to-DC converter, AC–DC converter
thumb|right|250px|A thyristor (silicon controlled rectifier) and associated mounting hardware. The heavy threaded stud attaches the device to a [[heatsink to dissipate heat.]]
A rectifier is an electronic device that converts alternating electrical current (which flows back and forth) into direct current (which flows in one direction), and it needs to be mounted on a heatsink because the conversion process generates significant heat. Rectifiers are essential components in power supplies and many other electrical systems that require steady, one-directional current to operate properly.
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44 sectionsContents
- Rectifier devices
- Rectifier circuits
- Single-phase rectifiers
- Half-wave rectification
- Full-wave rectification
- Three-phase rectifiers
- Three-phase, half-wave circuit
- Three-phase, full-wave circuit using center-tapped transformer
- Three-phase bridge rectifier uncontrolled
- Three-phase bridge rectifier controlled
- Twelve-pulse bridge
- Voltage-multiplying rectifiers
- Quantification of rectifiers
- Conversion ratio
- Transformer utilization ratio
- Rectifier voltage drop
- Harmonic distortion
- {{anchor|Smoothing capacitor|Reservoir capacitor}}Rectifier output smoothing
- Performance with low impedance source
- Capacitor-input filter
- Choke-input filter
- Resistor as input filter
- Higher order and cascade filters
- Voltage regulators
- Applications
- Rectification technologies
- Electromechanical
- Synchronous rectifier
- {{anchor|Vibrator}}Vibrating rectifier
- Motor–generator set
- Electrolytic
- Plasma type
- Mercury-arc
- {{anchor|Tungar}} Argon gas electron tube
- Diode vacuum tube (valve)
- Solid state
- Crystal detector
- Selenium and copper oxide rectifiers
- Silicon and germanium diodes
- High power: thyristors (SCRs) and newer silicon-based voltage sourced converters
- Active rectifier
- Current research
- See also
- References
thumb|right|250px|A thyristor (silicon controlled rectifier) and associated mounting hardware. The heavy threaded stud attaches the device to a [[heatsink to dissipate heat.]]
A rectifier is an electrical device that converts alternating current (AC), which periodically reverses direction, to direct current (DC), which flows in only one direction.