Series capacitors applied to power rectifiers

THE SERIES CAPACITOR for a number of years has been a recognized means of reducing the regulation of power transmission circuits. This paper is devoted to a study of its application to single-phase power rectifiers supplying inductive loads. It is shown here that series capacitors may be of significant help in reducing the voltage regulation at the d-c load. Recommendations are offered for the selection of the appropriate capacitor rating and for capacitor protection. Data are given concerning the effect of the series capacitor on the peak inverse voltages experienced by the rectifier elements. Laboratory data are submitted to demonstrate what degree of success may be anticipated in achieving the theoretically predicted performance when the series capacitor is applied. The authors hope this study will further the acceptance of series capacitor applications and encourage others to extend the analysis to include multiphase rectifiers.