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Freewheeling Diode in Rectifiers

The document discusses the working principle of an inductor with a switch and voltage source. When the switch is closed, current flows through the inductor from the positive to negative terminal of the voltage source. When the switch opens, the inductor resists the change in current and generates its own voltage that is opposite to the voltage source. This can cause arcing across the open switch. A freewheeling diode prevents arcing by allowing the inductor to discharge its stored energy in a continuous loop through the diode until the energy is dissipated. When the switch closes, the diode is reverse biased and does not affect the circuit. When the switch opens, the diode becomes forward biased relative to the inductor, allowing current to

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Khairul Ikhwan
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236 views4 pages

Freewheeling Diode in Rectifiers

The document discusses the working principle of an inductor with a switch and voltage source. When the switch is closed, current flows through the inductor from the positive to negative terminal of the voltage source. When the switch opens, the inductor resists the change in current and generates its own voltage that is opposite to the voltage source. This can cause arcing across the open switch. A freewheeling diode prevents arcing by allowing the inductor to discharge its stored energy in a continuous loop through the diode until the energy is dissipated. When the switch closes, the diode is reverse biased and does not affect the circuit. When the switch opens, the diode becomes forward biased relative to the inductor, allowing current to

Uploaded by

Khairul Ikhwan
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Working Principle

In its most simplified form with a voltage source connected to an inductor with a switch,
we have 2 states available. In the first steady-state, the switch has been closed for a long
time such that the inductor has become fully energized and is behaving as though it were
a short . Current is flowing "down" from the positive terminal of the voltage source to its
negative terminal, through the inductor. When the switch is opened , the inductor will
attempt to resist the sudden drop of current (dI/dt is large therefore V is large) by using its
stored magnetic field energy to create its own voltage. An extremely large negative
potential is created where there once was positive potential, and a positive potential is
created where there was once negative potential. The switch, however, remains at the
voltage of the power supply, but it is still in contact with the inductor pulling down a
negative voltage. Since no connection is physically made to allow current to continue to
flow (due to the switch being open), the large potential difference can cause electrons to
"arc" across the air-gap of the open switch (or junction of a transistor). This is undesirable
for the reasons mentioned above and must be prevented.
A freewheeling diode solves this starvation-arc problem by allowing the inductor to draw
current from itself (thus, "freewheeling") in a continuous loop until the energy is
dissipated through losses in the wire, the diode and the resistor . When the switch is
closed the diode is reverse-biased against the power supply and doesn't exist in the circuit

for practical purposes. However, when the switch is opened, the diode becomes forwardbiased relative to the inductor (instead of the power supply as before), allowing it to
conduct current in a circular loop from the positive potential at the bottom of the inductor
to the negative potential at the top (assuming the power supply was supplying positive
voltage at the top of the inductor prior to the switch being opened). The voltage across the
inductor will merely be a function of the forward voltage drop of the flyback diode. Total
time for dissipation can vary, but it will usually last for a few milliseconds.

POWER ELECTRONICS
(ECT 0332)
MEC 3 SEMESTER 4
Freewheeling Diode (FWD) in Single Phase Full Wave bridge
Rectifier
GROUP MEMBER
AMSYAR BIN MOHD ZUKI
ANIQ AFNAN BIN OZALI
AHMAD KHAIRULIKHWAN BIN MOHAMAD
MOHD AIZUDDIN BIN ZULKIFLI
TTO
SIR MOHD KAMIL BIN ABDUL JALIL
16 MARCH 2016

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