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Registered Member #3414
Joined: Sun Nov 14 2010, 05:05PM
Location: UK
Posts: 4245
WORK IN PROGRESS
I'm finally getting round to re-building my rectifier after blowing up the diodes.
This is the front panel of the (now defunct) rectifier. For an idea of scale, the terminal studs are half inch, silver plated, with matching nuts and washers, from a sub-station transformer. The insulating board is from the same transformer. It currently has a Lister 80A ammeter and Lister 500V voltmeter. AC input is on the left hand side terminals, positive out is the third terminal, and negative out is on the far right. Front and rear panels are 3.2mm (1/8") 316L stainless steel. I plan to re-use the front and rear panels for the upgrade.
These are three of the 300A 1200V diodes I am using for the ugrade:
(I'm just looking for the other one)
Datasheet is here:
]diode_datasheet.pdf[/file]
I was building purpose designed heatsinks from scratch, but ran out of money (out of 1000 series aluminium, I need ~£250 to get them finished). A fellow 4HV'er sent me 8 of these heatsinks:
(Thanks Neil )
I'll use two per diode, mounted on a 10mm aluminium plate, with the diode mounted in the middle. Cooling fans are 120mm 12V 0.3A. I'm not sure yet whether to have them blowing or sucking.
I want to be able to monitor the temperatures of the diodes this time, so I will be mounting thermo-couples (or thermo-piles) in holes drilled in the heatsink base-plate as close to the diodes as possible. I'll probably use type 'T' thermo-couples (constantan/copper). I found these level meters (which apparently have an FSD of around 200uA, with deflection of ~100uA to the 'red line') at a hamfest last weekend for £1 each:
Designing suitable circuits to get the meters to enter the red at around 100-125 degrees C will be the hardest part of this project. (With the possible exception of working out how to fit the meters into the existing front panel of the rectifier .)
Registered Member #3414
Joined: Sun Nov 14 2010, 05:05PM
Location: UK
Posts: 4245
__=|(:3)-|--{__ wrote ...
nice! thats some heavy duty equipment, got any pictures of inside? im curious now!
It's a bit of a mess inside at the moment, and it's not that relevant to the upgrade I'm doing, so I won't include it in the first post of this project thread, but here it is, Tom:
(note the 10mm and 1/2" plates I used as heatsinks first time around)
Registered Member #3414
Joined: Sun Nov 14 2010, 05:05PM
Location: UK
Posts: 4245
__=|(:3)-|--{__ wrote ...
neat! whats your plan to use it for then?
Well, apart from mains rectification for a 5kW, 50kV full bridge power supply and other projects I'll use it for DC TIG welding and various eectro- chemistry projects (electro-polishing, electro-etching, electro-plating, etc.)
Registered Member #96
Joined: Thu Feb 09 2006, 05:37PM
Location: CI, Earth
Posts: 4059
Nice, be sure to post pictures when its all working and build progress.
Electroplating is an interesting project, because you can do so much with that one electrolyte bath. Even awkward metals like Ti can be plated if you use the right chemicals, IIRC the chemistry is non aqueous electrolyte/ion carrier like the one used in Li+ batteries.
Registered Member #3414
Joined: Sun Nov 14 2010, 05:05PM
Location: UK
Posts: 4245
Conundrum wrote ...
Nice, be sure to post pictures when its all working and build progress.
Electroplating is an interesting project, because you can do so much with that one electrolyte bath. Even awkward metals like Ti can be plated if you use the right chemicals, IIRC the chemistry is non aqueous electrolyte/ion carrier like the one used in Li+ batteries.
I seem to remember finding a 'recipe' for electropolshing Ti years ago that involved some very complex organic compounds.
Registered Member #3414
Joined: Sun Nov 14 2010, 05:05PM
Location: UK
Posts: 4245
The fourth diode has finally turned up, it was hiding in a box in the shed since I moved house over two years ago. It's now re-united with it's siblings, and I can continue with the project. Watch this space
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600 Amp 1200 Volt Rectifier Upgrade
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