Editing Rectifier (section)

== Applications ==
{{See also|Capacitive power supply}}
The primary application of rectifiers is to derive DC power from an AC supply (AC to DC converter). Rectifiers are used inside the power supplies of virtually all electronic equipment.  AC/DC power supplies may be broadly divided into linear [[power supplies]] and [[switched-mode power supplies]].  In such power supplies, the rectifier will be in series following the transformer and be followed by a smoothing filter and possibly a voltage regulator.

Converting DC power from one voltage to another is much more complicated.  One method of DC-to-DC conversion first converts power to AC (using a device called an [[inverter]]), then uses a transformer to change the voltage, and finally rectifies power back to DC. A frequency of typically several tens of kilohertz is used, as this requires much smaller inductance than at lower frequencies and obviates the use of heavy, bulky, and expensive iron-cored transformers. Another method of converting DC voltages uses a [[charge pump]], using rapid switching to change the connections of capacitors; this technique is generally limited to supplies up to a couple of watts, owing to the size of capacitors required.

[[File:Regulated rectifier.gif|thumb|left|Output voltage of a full-wave rectifier with controlled thyristors]]

Rectifiers are also used for [[Detector (radio)|detection]] of [[amplitude modulated]] radio signals. The signal may be amplified before detection. If not, a very low voltage drop diode or a diode biased with a fixed voltage must be used. When using a rectifier for demodulation the capacitor and load resistance must be carefully matched: too low a capacitance makes the high frequency carrier pass to the output, and too high makes the capacitor just charge and stay charged.

Rectifiers supply polarized voltage for [[welding]]. In such circuits control of the output current is required; this is sometimes achieved by replacing some of the diodes in a [[bridge rectifier]] with [[thyristor]]s, effectively diodes whose voltage output can be regulated by switching on and off with [[phase-fired controllers]].

Thyristors are used in various classes of [[railway]] [[rolling stock]] systems so that fine control of the traction motors can be achieved. [[Gate turn-off thyristor]]s are used to produce alternating current from a DC supply, for example on the Eurostar Trains to power the three-phase [[traction motor]]s.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Mansell|first1=A.D.|last2=Shen|first2=J.|title=Pulse converters in traction applications|journal=Power Engineering Journal|date=1 January 1994|volume=8|issue=4|pages=183|doi=10.1049/pe:19940407|doi-broken-date=7 December 2024 }}</ref>
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