Ignitron replacement
Solid State switches is one of the product ranges at Astrol Electronic AG and some of these are used as alternative or as replacement for Ignitrons. Since the last years ignitrons are banned by law as these tubes contain mercury. Several existing systems are already redesigned or refurbished and the Ignitron tubes are replaced by Solid State Switches. New systems are normally direct designed with Solid State Switch assemblies. Availability of Ignitrons is getting more and more difficult and cost is increasing rapidly.
Main advantages of a Solid State replacement compared to conventional Ignitron tube systems are:
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Longer Life Time
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Almost no maintenance
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Mounting in any position possible
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Contains no Mercury
These switch assemblies are normally designed and adapted to the needs of the application and the switch assemblies are ready-to-use complete with semiconductor devices, clamping, driver-units, air- or fluid cooled heat sinks, auxiliary power supply and optical control interface. Ignitron replacement designs are in the range of up to 40 kVdc charge voltage but also higher voltages up to 80 kVdc are possible. Current handling capability is depending on the pulse duration, the selected semiconductor devices and the pulse repetition frequency but can be up to several 100kA for single pulse applications. Different versions of semiconductor devices can be used and also special highly interdigitated silicon wafers are used in case of very high current rise rates which can be in the range of over 20 kA/µs.
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