Compensation of power factor in rectifier systems utilized in oil drilling rigs

A detailed analysis of the power factor in three-phase rectifier systems utilized in oil drilling rigs is presented and the use of the thyristor controlled reactor/fixed capacitor as a solution to improve the power factor in these systems is proposed. The input/output mathematical models for the conventional full-bridge and modified converter for all firing angles and various types of load are presented. Advantages of utilizing the power factor compensation in oil drilling rigs, such as fuel and maintenance costs savings, the possibility of turning off one or more prime movers, and improvement in the diesel engine loading characteristics are shown. The study was primarily developed for power-factor correction in oil drilling rigs but can be used in most industrial three-phase controlled rectifier systems