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Do modern car/boat alternators use PFC circuits?
e100:
PFC cicuits are common on mains powered DC power supplies but I couldn't find much information about their use in low voltage systems such as the car alternators or wind turbine generators used on boats.
NiHaoMike:
An increasing number of cars are using switching power supplies for the 12V.
http://techno-fandom.org/~hobbit/cars/ginv/i1mech.html
MosherIV:
I doubt it.
Why (how) would you power factor correct dc voltage/current?
Car alternators are internally rectified to produce 13-14V dc to charge the car battery.
It is very difficult to get to the raw ac in a car alternator.
Kleinstein:
The raw output of the alternator is usually AC and I understand the questing in the way weather the generators internally use a kind of PFC circuit instead of the a normal simple rectifier.
An extra PFC circuit in theory could increase the power rating by a little, however I don't think it is worth the trouble. A simple rectifier is just more reliable. Using a little more copper in the alternator may still be more cost effective than the extra electronics. So I don't think they use active PFC.
tautech:
--- Quote from: e100 on July 23, 2019, 03:44:12 am ---PFC cicuits are common on mains powered DC power supplies but I couldn't find much information about their use in low voltage systems such as the car alternators or wind turbine generators used on boats.
--- End quote ---
Because there is zero need for it.
For a PSU especially SMPS one must limit its effects in the mains supply whereas power from an alternator originates from within it and it’s three phases are each full wave rectified for a HF ripple output where the R of the load (battery) further absorbs ripple. Other DC loads are always sourced from close to the battery so to source cleaner DC than directly from the alternator.
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