19 August 2019

Advantages and disadvantages of bridge rectifier

With the availabilities of low cost, highly reliable and small-sized silicon didoes bridge rectifier is becoming more and more popular in comparison of center tap and half-wave rectifier. So if you want to learn some different you are the right place for reading so keep reading for a few minutes for the right information regarding full-wave rectifier. Let us have a deep insight into the pros and cons of a full-wave rectifier and also many more advantages over the center tap and other is to be half-wave a rectifier as listed below.

Advantages of bridge rectifier:

  • The need for the center-tapped transformer is eliminated.
  • It can be used in application floating output terminals, no output terminal is grounded
  • Transformer utilization factor, in case of the bridge rectifier, is higher than that of a center tap rectifier.
  • If stepping up or stepping down of the AC voltage is not needed, and it does not even require any transformer.
  • The PIV is one half that of center tap rectifier. Hence bridge rectifier is highly suited for high voltage applications.
  • The transformer is less costly as it is required to provide only half the voltage of an equivalent center-tapped transformer used in a full-wave rectifier.
  • Transformer utilization factor, in case of the bridge rectifier, is higher than that of a center tap rectifier.
  • For high voltage applications, bridge rectifier preferred, because it has high peak inverse voltage.

Advantages of bridge rectifier over a center tap transformer:

  • The size of the transformer used in a bridge rectifier is smaller than that in the center tap transformer.
  • The bridge rectifier utilizes the entire transformer during the entire cycle of a time period of the voltage/ current waveform, center tap uses only for 50% of the transformer.
  • A bridge rectifier may use a transformer or may not use a transformer. It depends on the necessity of stepping up or down of voltages.
  • The number of diodes used in a bridge rectifier is 4, while the number of diodes used in the center tap rectifier is only 2. 
  • The peak inverse voltage rating PIV of the didoes in the bridge rectifier is 1/2 of the PIV rating in case of center tap rectifier. That means that one needs high quality and costlier diodes for center tap rectifier. 

Disadvantages of bridge rectifier:

  • In this type, two extra diodes are used. So it requires four semiconducting didoes.
  • Two diodes in series conduct at a time on alternate half-cycles. This creates a problem when low DC voltages are required. This leads to poor voltage regulation.
  • Internal resistance voltage drop is twice than that of the center tap circuit.
  • If stepping up or stepping down of voltage is not needed, we may even do without a transformer.