Output current ripple factor performance of half-wave rectifier with and without freewheeling diode

The objective of this work is to investigate the ripple factor of half-wave rectifier circuits. The ripple factor is one of the important characteristics necessary when designing a power electronic converter. The ripple factor measures how much deviation the converter output parameter has, such as the output current, from its nominal designed value. In this paper the ripple factor of the output current of half-wave rectifiers is investigated. More specifically, the ripple factor of output current from more practical half-wave rectifiers that include inductive load with or without a freewheeling diode are analyzed and then compared to that of the basic half-wave rectifier consisting only of a resistive load. Derivation of the equations for the ripple factor for the three half-wave rectifier circuits is first presented. From these results, plots are generated using Pspice that will allow us to conveniently compare the ripple factor performance of each of the rectifiers.