A Probabilistic Study of Inrush Currents in a Ferroresonant Regulated Rectifier

A probabilistic formulation of peak inrush currents in ferroresonant regulated rectifiers is presented. It is shown that the distribution function of the peak value of an arbitrary inrush current surge is a function of two uniformly distributed random variables. A discrete representation of this function is derived, which yields the probability that the peak inrush current to a given rectifier will not exceed a specified limit. Within the framework of this formulation, the effects of a particular current limiting circuit are evaluated. Experimental evidence is presented to illustrate and verify the theoretical discussions presented.