Abstract
IN the Brown Boveri Review for October a very impressive list is given of the mercury arc rectifiers for power transmission which the firm has shipped to overseas countries. We are glad therefore to learn that these important devices for converting alternating into direct current are now being made in Great Britain by several manufacturers. For shipping abroad it is necessary that apparatus be provided with spare parts. For rectifiers these spare parts are made of porcelain, iron and steel. They cost little and can easily be kept in good condition. Two alternating current stations can be connected by a direct current link connected through two rectifiers. One rectifier converts A.c. to D.c. and the other converts D.C. to A.C. This arrangement is economical when the voltage at which power is inter-changed through the link is high. This has led to the development of high-tension rectifiers. Pressures up to 50,000 volts have already been attained. Vacuum rectifiers are independent of the frequency. Mercury arc rectifiers do not operate at frequencies higher than about three thousand but from the practical point of view this matters little. It is probable that rectifiers may be used in the future for converting A.C. into D.c. for transmission along overhead wires, as difficulties arise in transmitting A.c. along these wires at full loads. If long-distance electrification of railways is ever adopted in Great Britain they would be most useful, for whatever systems are adopted by various companies, power on any other system can be transmitted to them and converted.
Article PDF
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Mercury Arc Rectifiers. Nature 131, 54 (1933). https://doi.org/10.1038/131054a0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/131054a0