File:Rectifier.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
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.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
~52 min read
Encyclopedic overview
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.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “rectifier” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.