PWM rectifier (

Pulse-width modulation Pulse-width modulation (PWM), also known as pulse-duration modulation (PDM) or pulse-length modulation (PLM), is any method of representing a signal as a rectangular wave with a varying duty cycle (and for some methods also a varying peri ...

rectifier 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. The process is known as ''rectification'', since it "straightens" t ...

) is an AC to DC power converter, that is implemented using forced commutated power

electronic Electronic may refer to: *Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductors * ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal *Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device *Electronic c ...

semiconductor A semiconductor is a material with electrical conductivity between that of a conductor and an insulator. Its conductivity can be modified by adding impurities (" doping") to its crystal structure. When two regions with different doping level ...

switch In electrical engineering, a switch is an electrical component that can disconnect or connect the conducting path in an electrical circuit, interrupting the electric current or diverting it from one conductor to another. The most common type o ...

es. Conventional PWM converters are used for wind turbines that have a permanent-magnet alternator. Today, insulated gate bipolar

transistors A transistor is a semiconductor device used to Electronic amplifier, amplify or electronic switch, switch electrical signals and electric power, power. It is one of the basic building blocks of modern electronics. It is composed of semicondu ...

are typical switching devices. In contrast to

diode A diode is a two-Terminal (electronics), terminal electronic component that conducts electric current primarily in One-way traffic, one direction (asymmetric electrical conductance, conductance). It has low (ideally zero) Electrical resistance ...

bridge rectifiers, PWM rectifiers achieve bidirectional power flow. In frequency converters this property makes it possible to perform regenerative braking. PWM rectifiers are also used in distributed power generation applications, such as microturbines,

fuel cell A fuel cell is an electrochemical cell that converts the chemical energy of a fuel (often hydrogen fuel, hydrogen) and an oxidizing agent (often oxygen) into electricity through a pair of redox reactions. Fuel cells are different from most bat ...

s and

windmill A windmill is a machine operated by the force of wind acting on vanes or sails to mill grain (gristmills), pump water, generate electricity, or drive other machinery. Windmills were used throughout the high medieval and early modern period ...

s. The major advantage of using the pulse width modulation technique is the reduction of higher order harmonics. It also makes it possible to control the magnitude of the output voltage, and improve the power factor by forcing the switches to follow the input voltage waveform using a PLL loop. Thus, we can reduce the total harmonic distortion ( THD).

Types of PWM rectifiers

Warsaw rectifier The Warsaw rectifier is a PWM rectifier, pulse-width modulation (PWM) rectifierinvented by in 1992. Features The Warsaw Rectifier provides the following features: * Unity power factor * Three-wire input, which does not require a connection t ...

(invented 1992) *

Vienna rectifier The Vienna Rectifier is a three-phase AC pulse-width modulation rectifier, invented in 1993 by Johann W. Kolar at TU Wien, a public research university in Vienna, Austria. Features The Vienna Rectifier provides the following features: * Three-p ...

(invented 1993)

References

Electronic circuits {{electronics-stub