High power factor phase controlled rectifier using staggered converters

This paper proposes a high power factor phase controlled rectifier employing paralleled staggered converters. The rectifier achieves a high input power factor (over 0.95) throughout the whole output current range. It reduces by 75% the converter´s reactive power consumption compared to conventional high current rectifiers, hence reducing the input filter´s rating by 80%. This is achieved without increasing the input current´s distortion, which at the contrary is lower than the distortion produced by conventional high current rectifiers. Furthermore, the converter operates with a fixed input filter, eliminating the reactive power controller and switchgear required. This also increases the converter´s reliability and overall system stability. The paper presents the converter´s design procedure, simulation and experimental results, together with a full evaluation performed in an electrowinning plant. These validate the converter´s aforementioned advantages