Ignitron with arc-centering magnetic field
AssigneeEnglish Electric Valve Company Limited
InventorBarry Jennis
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An ignitron device is provided in which a permanent annular magnet at least partly surrounds the region between the ignitron anode and the surface of a mercury pool connected to the cathode terminal, the magnet being effective to create an axial magnetic field in the aforementioned region which tends to constrain the discharge arc of the device towards the center of the pool and away from the envelope walls of the device.
Claims12
An ignitron device, comprising:
- an envelope having walls;
- a liquid metal pool in the envelope;
- an electrode spaced apart from the liquid metal pool;
- and means for creating an axial magnetic field in the region between the electrode and the surface of the liquid metal pool to magnetically constrain a discharge arc between the electrode and the liquid metal pool towards the centre of the liquid metal pool and away from the envelope walls.
A circuit arrangement comprising:
- an ignitron device which includes an envelope having walls, a liquid metal pool in the envelope, an electrode spaced apart from the liquid metal pool, and means for creating an axial magnetic field in the region between the electrode and the surface of the liquid metal pool to magnetically constrain a discharge arc between the electrode and the liquid metal pool towards the centre of the liquid metal pool and away from the envelope walls.
A circuit arrangement comprising:
- an ignitron device which includes an envelope having walls, a liquid metal pool in the envelope, an anode spaced apart from the liquid metal pool, and means for magnetically constraining a discharge arc between the anode and the liquid metal pool towards the centre of the liquid metal pool and away from the envelope walls, said means including a permanent annular magnet at least partially surrounding the region between the anode of said ignition device and the surface of said liquid metal pool, said magnet being effective to create an axial magnetic field in the region between said anode and the surface of said liquid metal pool.
A circuit arrangement for transferring electrical power to first and second terminals of a load, comprising:
- a power supply having first and second terminals;
- first and second impedance elements connected in series between the first terminal of the power supply and the first terminal of the load, the impedance elements being connected at an intermediate connection point;
- a conductor connecting the second terminal of the power supply to the second terminal of the load;
- and
- an ignitron device, the ignitron device including
- an envelope having walls,
- a liquid metal pool in the envelope, the liquid metal pool being electrically connected to the intermediate connection point,
- an anode spaced apart from the liquid metal pool, the anode being electrically connected to the conductor, and
- means for magnetically constraining a discharge arc between the electrode and the liquid metal pool towards the centre of the liquid metal pool and away from the envelope walls, the means for magnetically constraining including means for creating a magnetic field which, at the centre of the surface of the liquid metal pool, is substantially perpendicular to the surface of the liquid metal pool.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.