US3405302A - Mercury vapor tube with special discharge chamber means separating mercury electrodes - Google Patents

Mercury vapor tube with special discharge chamber means separating mercury electrodes Download PDF

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Publication number
US3405302A
US3405302A US544496A US54449666A US3405302A US 3405302 A US3405302 A US 3405302A US 544496 A US544496 A US 544496A US 54449666 A US54449666 A US 54449666A US 3405302 A US3405302 A US 3405302A
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US
United States
Prior art keywords
mercury
tube
discharge chamber
electrodes
cathode
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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
US544496A
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English (en)
Inventor
Winter Gerhard
Reum Helmut
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Robert Bosch GmbH
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Robert Bosch GmbH
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Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Robert Bosch GmbH filed Critical Robert Bosch GmbH
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Publication of US3405302A publication Critical patent/US3405302A/en
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    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01J—ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS
    • H01J13/00—Discharge tubes with liquid-pool cathodes, e.g. metal-vapour rectifying tubes
    • H01J13/02—Details
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01J—ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS
    • H01J13/00—Discharge tubes with liquid-pool cathodes, e.g. metal-vapour rectifying tubes
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01J—ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS
    • H01J17/00—Gas-filled discharge tubes with solid cathode
    • H01J17/02—Details
    • H01J17/16—Vessels; Containers
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01J—ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS
    • H01J2893/00—Discharge tubes and lamps
    • H01J2893/0072—Disassembly or repair of discharge tubes
    • H01J2893/0073—Discharge tubes with liquid poolcathodes; constructional details
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01J—ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS
    • H01J2893/00—Discharge tubes and lamps
    • H01J2893/0072—Disassembly or repair of discharge tubes
    • H01J2893/0095—Tubes with exclusively liquid main electrodes

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to mercury vapor tubes, and especially to a mercury vapor tube for switching of high currents in which a pair of mercury electrodes are arranged at different elevations and in which an overflow device is provided for maintaining substantially constant amounts of mercury at each of the mercury electrodes.
  • Mercury vapor tubes of this kind are known in which the tube is substantially U-shaped.
  • the two legs of the U-shaped tube, which each contain one of the mercury electrodes extend downwardly at different lengths so that the meniscus shaped upper surfaces of the two mercury electrodes are arranged at different elevations.
  • An overflow tube leading from the upper to the lower electrode serves in this case to maintain the level of the upper surfaces of the two electrodes during operation of the tube.
  • Mercury vapor tubes of the aforementioned kind have a relatively large inductivity so as to be unsuitable for the control of large currents and the glass erosion of these tubes, when used for control of large currents, is considerable, resulting in a short working life of the tube and even after a very short operation time to misfirings, since glass particles ejected from the walls of the tube are deposited on the mercury electrodes and change thereby the ignition characteristics of the tube.
  • the mercury vapor tube mainly includes tube means having a vertical axis and comprising mercury cathode means, mercury anode means spaced from the mercury cathode means and discharge chamber means between said cathode and anode means, wherein said cathode means, said anode means and said discharge chamber means are arranged symmetrically with respect to the aforementioned axis.
  • the mercury vapor tube includes further an ignition electrode arranged about the tube means and coaxially with the aforementioned axis.
  • FIG. 1 is an axial cross section through a first embodiment of a mercury vapor tube according to the present invention.
  • FIG. 2 is an axial cross section through a second preferred embodiment.
  • the mercury vapor tube illustrated in FIG. 1 includes a lower tube portion 1 and an upper tube portion 2 in form of a condensation dome.
  • the lower portion 1 comprises wall portions defining mercury electrodes 3 and 4 and a discharge chamber 5.
  • the mercury cathode 3 encloses the upper part of the discharge chamber 5 and branches outwardly into four cathode arms arranged symmetrically with respect to a vertical axis of the tube. Only the cathode arms 3a, 3b and 3c are shown in FIG. 1, whereas the fourth cathode arm opposite the arm 3c is not shown in the cross sectional view of FIG. 1.
  • a central mercury anode 4 is arranged along the axis of the tube beneath the wall portions thereof defining the discharge chmaber 5.
  • the pins 6 and 7 are preferably made from molybdenum.
  • An ignition electrode 8 arranged substantially at the elevation of the mercury level of the mercury cathode 3 surrounds the tube coaxially with the axis thereof.
  • FIG. 1 shows also the fused tube portion 9 through which the tube has been evacuated.
  • the preferred embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2 difffers from the above described embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 in that the various cathode arms are omitted in this arrangement and the mercury cathode 3 is in annular form surrounding the upper portion of the discharge chamber 5. Furthermore, the metal pins 6 by means of which current is supplied to the mercury cathode 3 are likewise omitted in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2 and current is supplied to the mercury cathode 3 by means of an annular metal member 10 which surrounds the mercury cathode 3 and which forms part of the outer wall of the tube.
  • the annular member 10 is arranged coaxially with the axis of the tube and the metal pin 7 is arranged along this axis. It will be noted that in both embodiments the discharge chamber 5 has an upper portion of smaller diameter than the lower portion thereof.
  • the mercury vapor tube according to the present invention will operate as follows:
  • Voltage is applied to the mercury electrodes 3 and 4 and a low energy high tension impulse is applied to the ignition electrode 8 which starts the ignition.
  • the discharge proceeds in the electric field established between the mercury electrodes 3 and 4.
  • the lines of force of the electric field extend in such a manner that the charge carriers movable along these lines do not substantially impinge on any portion of the glass walls of the tube.
  • the plasma being heated up continuously in the discharge chamber 5 causes an evaporation of the mercury of the mercury electrodes 3 and 4.
  • the evaporated mercury condenses in the condensation dome 2 which is cooled by the surrounding air. If necessary, the cooling can be increased by forceably blowing air onto the outer surface of the upper tube portion.
  • the mercury condensed in the condensation dome 2 flows into the annular mercury cathode 3.
  • the mercury vapor tube according to the present invention differs from those of the prior art above described in that the various portions of the tube according to the present invention are symmetrically arranged with regard to the axis of the tube and that in the arrangement according to the present invention separate overflow means between the mercury electrodes are not necessary.
  • the above-described construction of the tube according to the present invention results also in a greatly reduced glass erosion and any erosion is in any plane normal to the axis of the tube substantially uniform, that is localized erosions are avoided. This produces at the same time a considerable improvement of the ignition characteristics, since the mercury surfaces are in the arrangement of the present invention not spattered with eroded glass particles as in tubes known in the art.
  • the coaxial current flow results also in especially low inductance of the tube of the present invention.
  • the inductance of the tube shown in FIG. 1 is 55 10- henries, and for the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, 35 X 10* henries.
  • the tubes according to the present invention will withstand an average of 450,000 current impulses.
  • a mercury vapor tube especially for switching high currents, comprising, in combination, tube means having a vertical axis and including annular mercury cathode means, central mercury anode means spaced downwardly from said annular mercury cathode means, and discharge chamber means between said anode and cathode means, said cathode means, said anode means, and discharge chamber means being arranged symmetrically with respect to said axis, and said discharge chamber means having an upper open end defined by an annular edge forming an overflow, said annular edge being arranged above the liquid level of said anode means and having a diameter smaller than a lower portion of said discharge chamber means, so that mercury flowing from said cathode to said anode means will only contact a small portion of the inner surface of said discharge chamber means; and an ignition electrode arranged about said tube means substantially at the level of said annular edge.

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US544496A 1965-04-30 1966-04-22 Mercury vapor tube with special discharge chamber means separating mercury electrodes Expired - Lifetime US3405302A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
DEB81683A DE1261580B (de) 1965-04-30 1965-04-30 Quecksilberdampfentladungsroehre zum Schalten von Stroemen

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US3405302A true US3405302A (en) 1968-10-08

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ID=6981197

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US544496A Expired - Lifetime US3405302A (en) 1965-04-30 1966-04-22 Mercury vapor tube with special discharge chamber means separating mercury electrodes

Country Status (5)

Country Link
US (1) US3405302A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
CH (1) CH444320A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
DE (1) DE1261580B (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
GB (1) GB1150264A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
NL (1) NL6605812A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)

Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US1110555A (en) * 1907-02-19 1914-09-15 Cooper Hewitt Electric Co Vapor electric device.
US1134787A (en) * 1903-03-23 1915-04-06 Gen Electric Rectifying alternating current.
DE975119C (de) * 1952-03-02 1961-08-24 Siemens Ag Metalldampfstromrichter-Entladungsgefaess
US3049639A (en) * 1959-06-08 1962-08-14 Gen Electric High power switch tube
US3073983A (en) * 1959-07-21 1963-01-15 Rolla B Custer Mercury pool discharge device
US3089053A (en) * 1960-09-23 1963-05-07 Anna Vang Mercury discharge tube

Family Cites Families (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE1046727B (de) * 1956-01-02 1958-12-18 Peco Elek Sche Schweissmaschin Schaltroehre, insbesondere zur Steuerung des Schweissstromes einer Widerstandsschweissmaschine
DE1187295B (de) * 1961-08-30 1965-02-18 Intron Leipzig Werk Fuer Ind E Quecksilberdampfentladungsroehre vom Typ der Senditrons

Patent Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US1134787A (en) * 1903-03-23 1915-04-06 Gen Electric Rectifying alternating current.
US1110555A (en) * 1907-02-19 1914-09-15 Cooper Hewitt Electric Co Vapor electric device.
DE975119C (de) * 1952-03-02 1961-08-24 Siemens Ag Metalldampfstromrichter-Entladungsgefaess
US3049639A (en) * 1959-06-08 1962-08-14 Gen Electric High power switch tube
US3073983A (en) * 1959-07-21 1963-01-15 Rolla B Custer Mercury pool discharge device
US3089053A (en) * 1960-09-23 1963-05-07 Anna Vang Mercury discharge tube

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
DE1261580B (de) 1968-02-22
GB1150264A (en) 1969-04-30
CH444320A (de) 1967-09-30
NL6605812A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow) 1966-10-31

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