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Although the basic principles of how the arc is formed, along with many aspects of construction, are very similar to other types of mercury-arc valves, ignitrons differ from other mercury-arc valves in that the arc is ignited each time a conduction cycle is started, and then extinguished when the
264:
The action of igniting the arc at a controlled time, each cycle, allows the ignitron to dispense with the auxiliary anode and control grids required by other mercury-arc valves. However, a disadvantage is that the ignition electrode must be positioned very accurately, just barely touching the
120:. The plasma rapidly bridges the space between the mercury pool and the anode, permitting heavy conduction between the main electrodes. At the surface of the mercury, heating by the resulting arc liberates large numbers of
64:
electrodes. After it is turned on, the current through the anode must be reduced to zero to restore the device to its nonconducting state. They are used to switch high currents in heavy industrial applications.
132:
is normally only in one direction. Once ignited, an ignitron will continue to pass current until either the current is externally interrupted or the voltage applied between cathode and anode is reversed.
252:
In other types of mercury-arc valve, the arc is ignited just once when the valve is first energised, and thereafter remains permanently established, alternating between the main anode(s) and a low-power
200:
or back-voltage, ignitrons are still manufactured and used in preference to semiconductors in some installations. For example, specially constructed "pulse rated" ignitrons are still used in certain
204:
applications. These devices can switch hundreds of kiloamperes and hold off as much as 50 kV. The anodes in these devices are often fabricated from a refractory metal, usually
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405:
265:
surface of the mercury pool, which means that ignitrons must be installed very accurately within a few degrees of an upright position.
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239:
An ignitron rated 56 amperes. Cooling jacket connections visible. In use the device was mounted so that the text would be upright.
920:
44:, Westinghouse was the original manufacturer and owned trademark rights to the name "Ignitron". Ignitrons are closely related to
141:
Ignitrons were long used as high-current rectifiers in major industrial and utility installations where thousands of amperes of
116:
material such as silicon carbide, is briefly pulsed with a high current to create a puff of electrically conductive mercury
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were also controlled by ignitrons used in gated fashion, in a manner similar to modern semiconductor devices such as
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freight locomotive. For many modern applications, ignitrons have been replaced by solid state alternatives.
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212:(or oscillatory) discharges without damage. Pulse rated ignitrons usually operate at very low
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20:(1) Anode, (2) Cathode, (3) Ignitor, (4) Mercury, (5) Ceramic insulators, (6) Cooling fluid
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cylinder, held above the pool by an insulated electrical connection, serves as the
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but differ in the way the arc is ignited. They function similarly to
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freight locomotives carried on-board ignitrons, as did the
Russian
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90:
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turns the device "on", allowing a high current to flow between the
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smelters. Ignitrons were used to control the current in electric
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An ignitron is usually a large steel container with a pool of
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Semiconductor switches replace thyratron and ignitrons
128:. The mercury surface thus serves as the cathode, and
196:
Because they are far more resistant to damage due to
77:
Ignitron rectifiers powering industrial process, 1945
243:
1435:
374:Britannica online encyclopedia – Ignitron
399:
68:
216:. They are often used to switch high energy
363:Comprehensive Study of High Power Ignitrons
406:
392:
341:, 4th ed. Newnes-Butterworth, London 1976
249:current falls below a critical threshold.
413:
234:
72:
15:
36:and dating from the 1930s. Invented by
1436:
387:
339:Electronics Engineer's Reference Book
181:to relatively low voltage DC for the
838:Three-dimensional integrated circuit
177:to convert high voltage AC from the
52:; a triggering pulse to the igniter
619:Programmable unijunction transistor
208:, to handle reverse current during
124:which help to maintain the mercury
13:
520:Multi-gate field-effect transistor
14:
1465:
498:Insulated-gate bipolar transistor
356:
244:Comparison with mercury-arc valve
742:Heterostructure barrier varactor
469:Chemical field-effect transistor
790:Mixed-signal integrated circuit
136:
331:
322:
185:. The Pennsylvania Railroad's
173:used them in conjunction with
1:
379:Electropedia – Ignitron
315:
163:silicon controlled rectifiers
85:in the bottom that acts as a
821:Silicon controlled rectifier
683:Organic light-emitting diode
573:Diffused junction transistor
7:
625:Static induction transistor
562:Bipolar junction transistor
514:MOS field-effect transistor
486:Fin field-effect transistor
268:
10:
1470:
832:Static induction thyristor
89:during operation. A large
69:Construction and operation
1369:
1269:
1236:
1168:
1105:
1033:
1001:(Hexode, Heptode, Octode)
939:
871:
753:Hybrid integrated circuit
717:
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596:Light-emitting transistor
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432:
421:
349:pages 7-181 through 7-189
1048:Backward-wave oscillator
758:Light emitting capacitor
614:Point-contact transistor
584:Junction Gate FET (JFET)
226:electrohydraulic forming
1059:Crossed-field amplifier
578:Field-effect transistor
222:electromagnetic forming
1228:Voltage-regulator tube
795:MOS integrated circuit
660:Constant-current diode
636:Unijunction transistor
240:
78:
21:
1297:Electrolytic detector
1070:Inductive output tube
886:Low-dropout regulator
801:Organic semiconductor
732:Printed circuit board
568:Darlington transistor
415:Electronic components
238:
145:must be converted to
76:
32:used as a controlled
19:
1115:Beam deflection tube
784:Metal-oxide varistor
677:Light-emitting diode
531:Thin-film transistor
492:Floating-gate MOSFET
1091:Traveling-wave tube
891:Switching regulator
727:Printed electronics
704:Step recovery diode
481:Depletion-load NMOS
300:Triggered spark gap
1396:Crystal oscillator
1256:Variable capacitor
931:Switched capacitor
873:Voltage regulators
747:Integrated circuit
631:Tetrode transistor
609:Pentode transistor
602:Organic LET (OLET)
589:Organic FET (OFET)
337:L.W. Turner,(ed),
259:keep-alive circuit
241:
79:
46:mercury-arc valves
40:while employed by
22:
1431:
1430:
1391:Ceramic resonator
1203:Mercury-arc valve
1155:Video camera tube
1107:Cathode-ray tubes
867:
866:
475:Complementary MOS
310:Mercury-arc valve
157:machines. Large
1461:
1444:Gas-filled tubes
1285:electrical power
1170:Gas-filled tubes
1054:Cavity magnetron
881:Linear regulator
430:
429:
408:
401:
394:
385:
384:
365:Diana Lynn Loree
350:
335:
329:
328:Turner pg. 7-182
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169:. Many electric
95:refractory metal
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1449:Switching tubes
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1280:audio and video
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1232:
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1010:Photomultiplier
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863:
811:Quantum circuit
719:
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655:Avalanche diode
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255:auxiliary anode
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183:traction motors
159:electric motors
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30:gas-filled tube
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5:
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1140:Selectron tube
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357:External links
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101:. An igniting
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38:Joseph Slepian
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979:Fleming valve
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423:Semiconductor
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114:semiconductor
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109:), made of a
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55:
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47:
43:
39:
35:
31:
28:is a type of
27:
18:
1192:
1178:Cold cathode
1145:Storage tube
1035:Vacuum tubes
984:Neutron tube
959:Beam tetrode
941:Vacuum tubes
526:Power MOSFET
338:
333:
324:
305:Pulsed power
263:
258:
254:
251:
247:
232:switching).
202:pulsed power
195:
175:transformers
140:
137:Applications
106:
105:(called the
80:
42:Westinghouse
25:
23:
1344:Transformer
1086:Sutton tube
926:Charge pump
779:Memory cell
709:Zener diode
671:Laser diode
554:transistors
436:transistors
214:duty cycles
198:overcurrent
171:locomotives
1454:Rectifiers
1438:Categories
1416:reed relay
1406:Parametron
1339:Thermistor
1317:resettable
1276:Connector
1237:Adjustable
1213:Nixie tube
1183:Crossatron
1150:Trochotron
1125:Iconoscope
1120:Charactron
1097:X-ray tube
969:Compactron
949:Acorn tube
906:Buck–boost
827:Solaristor
689:Photodiode
666:Gunn diode
662:(CLD, CRD)
444:Transistor
347:0408001682
316:References
206:molybdenum
149:, such as
111:refractory
50:thyratrons
1379:Capacitor
1223:Trigatron
1218:Thyratron
1208:Neon lamp
1135:Monoscope
1015:Phototube
999:Pentagrid
964:Barretter
849:Trancitor
844:Thyristor
769:Memristor
694:PIN diode
471:(ChemFET)
290:Thyristor
285:Thyratron
280:Trigatron
230:"crowbar"
218:capacitor
122:electrons
103:electrode
54:electrode
34:rectifier
1401:Inductor
1371:Reactive
1349:Varistor
1329:Resistor
1307:Antifuse
1193:Ignitron
1188:Dekatron
1076:Klystron
1065:Gyrotron
994:Nuvistor
911:Split-pi
797:(MOS IC)
764:Memistor
522:(MuGFET)
516:(MOSFET)
488:(FinFET)
275:Excitron
269:See also
151:aluminum
91:graphite
26:ignitron
1302:Ferrite
1270:Passive
1261:Varicap
1249:digital
1198:Krytron
1020:Tetrode
1005:Pentode
859:Varicap
840:(3D IC)
816:RF CMOS
720:devices
494:(FGMOS)
425:devices
295:Krytron
210:ringing
155:welding
130:current
107:ignitor
87:cathode
83:mercury
58:cathode
1334:Switch
1025:Triode
989:Nonode
954:Audion
834:(SITh)
718:Other
685:(OLED)
647:Diodes
598:(LET)
580:(FET)
552:Other
500:(IGBT)
477:(CMOS)
464:BioFET
459:BiCMOS
345:
167:triacs
118:plasma
1411:Relay
1384:types
1322:eFUSE
1093:(TWT)
1081:Maser
1072:(IOT)
1061:(CFA)
1050:(BWO)
974:Diode
921:SEPIC
901:Boost
854:TRIAC
823:(SCR)
786:(MOV)
760:(LEC)
679:(LED)
638:(UJT)
627:(SIT)
621:(PUT)
564:(BJT)
533:(TFT)
509:LDMOS
504:ISFET
191:ВЛ-60
99:anode
62:anode
1354:Wire
1312:Fuse
896:Buck
749:(IC)
737:DIAC
673:(LD)
542:UMOS
537:VMOS
454:PMOS
449:NMOS
434:MOS
343:ISBN
165:and
60:and
916:Ćuk
257:or
187:E44
126:arc
93:or
24:An
1440::
1290:RF
1039:RF
224:,
147:DC
143:AC
1041:)
1037:(
407:e
400:t
393:v
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