A 300 KV Direct Current Generator using Continuously Evacuated Rectifiers

Abstract

With the advent of the continuously evacuated X-ray tube, the question of the development of high voltage direct current generators reappears, since, in general, the anticathode of such an X-ray tube will be at earth potential, and the generator will therefore be required to develop the full voltage to ground. Alternating current generators for voltages in excess of one million volts are fairly common, and in high voltage testing and research laboratories these transformers generally have one pole of the secondary winding grounded, so that the full A. C. voltage to ground appears at the other end of the winding. Likewise, impulse voltage generators have been constructed for five million volts with one pole grounded, so that there is a large amount of data now available on the behavious of dielectrics under these very high voltages. Direct current generators, however, have most frequently been designed to operate with both poles insulated from ground, i.e. with the centre point grounded, so that the proble...