Possibilities and Limitations of Multi-Pulse Rectifiers Developed with Magnetically Coupled Inductors

Considering power quality problems resulting from the use of power electronic devices, multi-pulse converters constitute a valuable solution. This paper presents a multi-criteria comparison of multi-pulse rectifiers based on magnetically coupled inductors. The study investigates both series and parallel operation of the converters, providing insight into the properties and relationships associated with different multi-pulse topologies. The analysis is based on simulation studies supported by experimental verification of selected topologies to confirm the validity of the developed models and the applied methodology. The results indicate that the 12-pulse rectifier provides significantly better power quality performance than the six-pulse rectifier. However, for rectifiers with a higher number of pulses, factors such as implementation complexity, cost, and Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) must be considered for a given application.