Multipulse diode rectifiers for high-power multilevel inverter fed drives

In an effort lo satisfy stringent harmonic requirements set by North American and European standards such as IEEE standard 519-1992, major medium voltage (MV) drive manufacturers around world often use multipulse diode rectifiers in their drives as a front end. The most widely used multipulse rectifier configurations are 12-, 18- and 24-pulse rectifiers, which can be further classified into series and separate types for use in various multilevel inverter fed drives. However, a systematic analysis on these rectifiers seems not reported in the literature. In this paper, a comprehensive analysis on the line current THD and input power factor of multipulse rectifiers is carried out through computer simulation and experiments, and results are presented in a graphical format for ease of use. The paper serves as a good technical reference for practicing engineers and academic researchers as well.