What is the difference between a rectifier and a battery charger?

[rectifier vs battery charger difference] A rectifier in a DC power system continuously supplies the DC load and keeps the battery on float, the battery is a reserve, not the primary customer. A battery charger is designed primarily to charge the battery. The distinction matters when specifying: a charger sized only for the battery will not carry the load, and a rectifier plant must be sized for load plus recharge current simultaneously. ARTC’s DC power supply specification, for example, requires the unit to supply full load with the batteries removed and to supply normal load while recharging a fully discharged battery, restoring it to at least 75% capacity within 10 hours.