Sunday, 16 September 2018

Things You Should Know A High Voltage Contactor

By Robert Hughes


Developments in semiconductor technology have led to the innovation of solid state switches that can replace thyratrons, ignition and spark gaps that were being used before. Older electronics used drivers that are being replaced by TTL input. These advances have improved the efficiency of switches over time. A high voltage contactor has the flow features that make them one of the best inventions.

One of these details is the low input power loss. This low loss has been making possible through the use of MOSFET technology when developing the switches. The only loss incurred in this technology is only caused by the total gate charge, the drive voltage, and switching frequency. The loss is very low since the overal gate charge is small. Switches that use bipolar transistors such as BJT tend to cause more losses. There is a lot of power lost especially during switching.

They are reliable for current applications. They offer steady hard saturation even at short-circuit operation. The ability to switch faster enabling them to use smaller inductors in switch mode supplies. This increases overall efficiency. This reliability makes it possible to use these contactors in medical test equipment.

It is possible to easily customize these switches in a number of ways. This may include the housing and footprint. The sensitivity can also be customized as per customer needs. This customization helps to suit applications where the switches are being used. They are also easy to use due to the galvanic isolation with TTL control.

The switches are designed to prevent against overload or voltage reversal. Cases of voltage reversal are common and they lead to catastrophic events. The technologies used in these switches make them safe for everyday use. The technologies include MOSFET, IGBT, SCR, and thyristor. With such technology, these contactors are highly recommended.

Little current is required during switching which is essential in preventing heating, especially when handling high loads. This is mostly because the contactors are power controlled. Other contactors require a fair amount of current to switch. This causes a lot of heating when handling a lot of power. This may cause such switches to operate on linear mode because the level of the drain current affects the gate-source voltage. This is not the case with the power switches, level of drain current has no effect on gate-source voltage.

Faster switching is guaranteed with these switches. This is because they are able to handle high frequencies. The switching losses are incredibly low compared to other switches. The gate of transistors used in these contactors is insulated with a thin oxide layer which means they do not need to draw current when switching. This has an advantage in speed and the time taken to switch.

There are many developments still being made in the semiconductor technology in order to reduce limitations if these contactors. They are efficient enough to be used in day-to-day operations but still have a few downsides that need to be taken care of. The above-discussed features are just some of the advantages of using these switches. These are sure to make your work easy.




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