US3165660A - Hydrogen thyratrons with heat shields and priming electrodes - Google Patents

Hydrogen thyratrons with heat shields and priming electrodes Download PDF

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Publication number
US3165660A
US3165660A US151276A US15127661A US3165660A US 3165660 A US3165660 A US 3165660A US 151276 A US151276 A US 151276A US 15127661 A US15127661 A US 15127661A US 3165660 A US3165660 A US 3165660A
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US
United States
Prior art keywords
aperture
heat shield
cathode
anode
priming electrode
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
US151276A
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English (en)
Inventor
Menown Hugh
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Teledyne UK Ltd
Original Assignee
English Electric Valve Co Ltd
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by English Electric Valve Co Ltd filed Critical English Electric Valve Co Ltd
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of US3165660A publication Critical patent/US3165660A/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H03—ELECTRONIC CIRCUITRY
    • H03K—PULSE TECHNIQUE
    • H03K17/00—Electronic switching or gating, i.e. not by contact-making and –breaking
    • H03K17/51—Electronic switching or gating, i.e. not by contact-making and –breaking characterised by the components used
    • H03K17/52—Electronic switching or gating, i.e. not by contact-making and –breaking characterised by the components used by the use, as active elements, of gas-filled tubes
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01J—ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS
    • H01J17/00—Gas-filled discharge tubes with solid cathode
    • H01J17/50—Thermionic-cathode tubes
    • H01J17/52—Thermionic-cathode tubes with one cathode and one anode
    • H01J17/54—Thermionic-cathode tubes with one cathode and one anode having one or more control electrodes
    • H01J17/56—Thermionic-cathode tubes with one cathode and one anode having one or more control electrodes for preventing and then permitting ignition, but thereafter having no control
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H03—ELECTRONIC CIRCUITRY
    • H03K—PULSE TECHNIQUE
    • H03K3/00—Circuits for generating electric pulses; Monostable, bistable or multistable circuits
    • H03K3/02—Generators characterised by the type of circuit or by the means used for producing pulses
    • H03K3/53—Generators characterised by the type of circuit or by the means used for producing pulses by the use of an energy-accumulating element discharged through the load by a switching device controlled by an external signal and not incorporating positive feedback
    • H03K3/55—Generators characterised by the type of circuit or by the means used for producing pulses by the use of an energy-accumulating element discharged through the load by a switching device controlled by an external signal and not incorporating positive feedback the switching device being a gas-filled tube having a control electrode

Definitions

  • ionic switch devices of the hydrogen thyratron type such as are commonly used in so-called pulse modulators for magnetrons and other high frequency oscillator tubes as employed in radar sets.
  • a hydrogen thyratron switch includes in the order stated and starting with the cathode: a cathode, a priming electrode; a heat shield having an aperture; a first bafiie having an aperture; a second baffle having an aperture; and an anode; the apertures in the heat shield and in the first bafile being at least approximately aligned with one another and with the priming electrode, and the aperture in the second bafile being out of alignment with the heat shield and first bafile apertures so that the anode field, which is present when the switch is in use, cannot penetrate to any substantial extent through the first bafile in the direction of the priming electrode.
  • the heat shield which acts as a reservoir of electrons, is a tubular structure which is closed (except for its aperture) at one end by an apertured end wall and which (again except for said aperture) encloses the cathode and the priming electrode.
  • the apertured baflles are in the form of apertured diaphragms extending across and mechanically and electrically united with an enclosing pot-like structure which encloses the anode on one side of said baflles and the heat shield, with the priming electrode and cathode within said shield, on the other side of said bafiles.
  • a preferred operating circuit in accordance with this invention comprises a switch according to the said invention and connections for applying operating signals from a signal source to the priming electrode and to the baffles, the connection to the priming electrode including a differentiating network.
  • the purpose of the difierentiating network is to ensure that the required step-voltage waveform is applied to the priming electrode without excessive collection of current by that electrode during the pulse.
  • the pulse is applied directly to the baffles and the differentiating network is a resistance-shunted condenser interposed in the connection to the priming electrode.
  • 1 is a disc-shaped anode next to and parallel with which is a bat-lie 2 in which is an aperture 3.
  • a bafile 4 in which is an aperture 5.
  • the end wall 6 of a tubular heat shield Next to and parallel with the baffle 4 is the end wall 6 of a tubular heat shield, the said end wall having an aperture 7.
  • a priming electrode 8 On the cathode side of the end wall 6 is a priming electrode 8 which is between the aperture 7 and the cathode 9 which is of the indirectly heated type having a heater 10.
  • the baffles 2 and 4 are in the form of diaphragms across a potlike enclosing structure 11 which substantially encloses the anode, the two baflles, the heat shield and the cathode, the heat shield being of tubular form and itself substantially enclosing the cathode and the priming electrode 8.
  • the said priming electrode 8 and the apertures 7 and 5 are substantially aligned but the aperture 3 is well offset so that the anode field is substantially unable to penetrate through the aperture 5.
  • Operating pulses appearing at an input terminal 12 are applied directly to the two bafiles as shown and are also applied to the priming electrode 8, which is insulated as shown in the drawing at 18 from the heat shield and the enclosing structure 11, through a differentiating network comprising a resistance 13 in parallel with a condenser 14 which may, to give a practical example, be of pf.
  • the action of the priming electrode when pulsed causes electrons to pass through the aperture 7 so that they may then be drawn upwards through the aperture 5 in the bafile 4 under the influence of the field produced between the baffie 4 and the heat shield 6 by the driving pulse and thus come under the influence of the field penetrating the aperture 3 in the baflle 2 which causes them to be drawn to the anode and so build up the main discharge.
  • the structure described above is wholly enclosed within a glass envelope 15, which has a conventional base with the electrode supports and external connection pins shown in the drawing.
  • the envelope 15 is sealed after being filled with hydrogen at a normal thyratron operating pressure.
  • the cathode 9 is held at a negative potential with respect to the anode 1, as shown schematically in the drawing, by means of a battery 16.
  • a further source 17 of electrical power for example another battery, is provided to supply heating power to the heater element 10.
  • An arrangement as illustrated has, in practice, a substantially longer operating life than known equivalent arrangements of the tetrode or triode type when operating at the same power level, and build up times comparable with tetrodes of similar rating. While the full explanation of this is not known at present, it appears probable that two major contributing factors are (1) the action of the priming electrode in accelerating concentration of electrons in the baffie volume at the beginning of the pulse and (2) the effect of the heat shield in providing a fraction of the pulse current and so reducing current density at the cathode, and in minimising grid emission caused by evaporation of cathode coating on to the baflles.
  • a hydrogen thyratron switch including in the order stated and starting with the cathode: a cathode, a priming electrode; a heat shield having an aperture; a first bafile having an aperture; a second baffle having an aperture; an anode; and mounting means positioning said cathode, said heat shield, said baflles and said anode in the order stated and with the apertures in the heat shield and in the first bafile being at least approximately aligned with one another and with the priming electrode, and the aperture in the second baffle being out of alignment with the heat shield and first bafiie apertures so that the anode field, which is present when the switch is in use, cannot penetrate to any substantial extent through the first bafile in the direction of the priming electrode.
  • a hydrogen thyratron switch as claimed in claim 1 wherein said mounting means comprises a pot-like structure enclosing the anode on one side of said bafiles and the heat shield, with the priming electrode and cathode within said shield, on the other side of said bafiies, and wherein the apertured bafiles are in the form of apertured diaphragms extending across and mechanically and electrically united with said pot-like structure.

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  • Electrolytic Production Of Non-Metals, Compounds, Apparatuses Therefor (AREA)
  • Sorption Type Refrigeration Machines (AREA)
US151276A 1961-03-22 1961-11-09 Hydrogen thyratrons with heat shields and priming electrodes Expired - Lifetime US3165660A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB10436/61A GB953392A (en) 1961-03-22 1961-03-22 Improvements in or relating to hydrogen thyratron switches

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US3165660A true US3165660A (en) 1965-01-12

Family

ID=9967822

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US151276A Expired - Lifetime US3165660A (en) 1961-03-22 1961-11-09 Hydrogen thyratrons with heat shields and priming electrodes

Country Status (4)

Country Link
US (1) US3165660A (en(2012))
CH (1) CH393549A (en(2012))
GB (1) GB953392A (en(2012))
NL (1) NL272259A (en(2012))

Cited By (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3193718A (en) * 1963-01-07 1965-07-06 Gen Electric Gas diode having auxiliary cathode for fault currents
US3327166A (en) * 1964-08-04 1967-06-20 Itt Thyratron with auxiliary electrode
US4180756A (en) * 1978-07-10 1979-12-25 English Electric Valve Company Limited Thyratrons
US4429253A (en) 1980-05-10 1984-01-31 English Electric Valve Company Limited Thyratrons
US5055748A (en) * 1990-05-30 1991-10-08 Integrated Applied Physics Inc. Trigger for pseudospark thyratron switch
EP4178316A1 (en) * 2021-11-08 2023-05-10 Timofey Mochalov A heat generator and a method for generating heat

Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2793314A (en) * 1952-01-30 1957-05-21 John E White Long-life gas-filled tubes
US2805353A (en) * 1952-12-22 1957-09-03 Philips Corp Hydrogen thyratron improvement
US2900550A (en) * 1957-01-24 1959-08-18 Richard G Fowler Transfer cathode thyratron

Patent Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2793314A (en) * 1952-01-30 1957-05-21 John E White Long-life gas-filled tubes
US2805353A (en) * 1952-12-22 1957-09-03 Philips Corp Hydrogen thyratron improvement
US2900550A (en) * 1957-01-24 1959-08-18 Richard G Fowler Transfer cathode thyratron

Cited By (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3193718A (en) * 1963-01-07 1965-07-06 Gen Electric Gas diode having auxiliary cathode for fault currents
US3327166A (en) * 1964-08-04 1967-06-20 Itt Thyratron with auxiliary electrode
US4180756A (en) * 1978-07-10 1979-12-25 English Electric Valve Company Limited Thyratrons
US4429253A (en) 1980-05-10 1984-01-31 English Electric Valve Company Limited Thyratrons
US5055748A (en) * 1990-05-30 1991-10-08 Integrated Applied Physics Inc. Trigger for pseudospark thyratron switch
EP4178316A1 (en) * 2021-11-08 2023-05-10 Timofey Mochalov A heat generator and a method for generating heat

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
NL272259A (en(2012))
CH393549A (fr) 1965-06-15
GB953392A (en) 1964-03-25

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