The Cause of High Voltage Surges in Rectifier Circuits

Abstract

It is shown that high voltage surges are produced in apparatus associated with gas discharge devices when, and only when, the demand for current exceeds the current‐carrying capacity of the gas (or vapor). Cathode spot extinction and sputtering of hot cathodes cause only slight disturbances which do not produce high voltage in practical circuits. Experimental data on surge limits, i.e., the maximum currents that can be carried without surges, are given for four types of mercury vapor tube. These data lead to a single set of values of maximum current density as a function of vapor pressure, which may be used for the safe design of apparatus.