Testing The 50 Year Old Mercury Arc Rectifier Mercury Rectifiers were manufactured to handle 1kW - 300kW Battery Chargers, Elevator Motors, Even Railway Traction Power
You bring back memories from my shipyard/engine building days in the 70's. we had six or seven of those bad boys supplying 220v DC to the overhead cranes. One morning when the outside temperature was below -10degrees celcius there was no power to the cranes. My solution, play a gas fired space heater across the length of the array of tubes until the mercury vapour was warmed enough to strike an arc. The Director asked me why there were no cranes operating. Electricity is frozen I told him. Called me a stupid boy, but I knew better, after half an hour of gentle warming they, one by one, fired up into full operation. Happy days, thanks for bringing it all back.
Frozen electricity, thats a good one. Well done for you understanding of Physics I hope the Mgr thanked you. Boris Karloff films often had MAR's and big neon discharge lamps, very spooky.
It is funny on which channels i can find you in the comments section, as a subscriber of yours. The ven diagram of overlapping channels is borderline creepy :D
Only if he happens to be in Dinorwig at the time. And I suspect there's a picture of him at the gate with the caption : "Not permitted entry under ANY CIRCUMSTANCES WHATSOEVER."
Mercury on the floor = Biohazard cleanup crew, stripped up carpet and underlay, chemical cleaning in the worst case scenario and an expensive hotel bill while the house is sectioned off. If not mercury poisoning literally kills neurons via breaking down of the structural tubules supporting the axions.
Thanks for this. I have memories from when i was an apprentice electrician at the BR Carriage Works in York, 60's to 70's. At one point i was assigned to the maintainance department for the works, which was also attached to the main transformer station for the works You can imagine a huge amount of power needed. The works had two traversers which would traverse the carriages from out of one shop into another. At the time these were still powered by 400Volts DC. In the transformer station was a large metal containerprobably about 6 foot x 6 foot x 8 foot high. Painted dark blue with a sign saying 'THE TARDIS'. Emanating from above was blue/ ultaviot flashing light and a strange science fiction film sound. When the door was opened it was a sight to behold. 6 of the above mercury rectifiers. No doubt we should have been wearing dark glasses and sun cream . At the time i had no idea of how they worked, so cheers for this.
my stepdad did a bit there before becoming a guard, i think the times may have overlapped slightly with yours, so you may even have met him, brian cox was his name.
That was one of the most "belongs in a mad-scientist's lab" looking devices I've ever seen. Thanks for the educational bits - really interesting to see this old tech in action and to learn how it works.
The glasswork on these is truly magnificent. All vacuum tubes are gorgeous in my eyes. But, mercury arc rectifiers are just down right sexy. Thank you for sharing this amazing experience with us.
Ah! Takes me back to the start of my career in broadcast transmitters. The more modern transmitters then (250kW carrier power) used Excitron mercury arc rectifiers. They had 2 banks of 6 Excitrons, with the transformer windings arranged to give 12 phase rectification. Output was 11kV DC - the radio part of the transmitter took about 26 amps, and the high level Class B modulator another 15 amps depending on audio level (approx - from my memory). The rectifiers were in a cabinet with glass windows so you could see that lovely blue glow as the arcs were struck - then the light output would vary with the audio modulation. Quite spectacular when the Greenwish Time Signals 6 pips came on (they modulated the transmitters to 100%) - the extra current draw caused lights to dip in the nearby town in step with the time signal! Oh, and the older transmitters (built during the 1940s) used mercury arc rectifiers in massive steel tanks with continuous pumping to produce the required vacuum. They used grid control to vary the output as required. Incredible to think about now!
This really takes me back. In 1995 I was doing a job at the old Simpson's building in downtown Toronto and one of the maintenance guys was leading me to the area where I was to drop my delivery. We passed this area that was significantly hotter than the others and there was this dreadful humming/buzzing sound. I asked what was up and he smiled, passed me a long lab coat and dark goggles and took me to a bank of cabinets. They looked like industrial lockers only much larger. He opened one up and there was a massive mercury rectifier running and he explained it was powering a good portion of the building. This thing was huge and he told me that it contained around 50lbs of mercury. I knew these things were really old tech and I was shocked to see one still in active use. then I looked to the side and saw the bank of similar cabinets and realised this one was not alone.
There are several of them still in service in the downtown Toronto area, some in the TTC streetcar power stations, and in several old elevator control and power systems. I am friends with an elevator tech, who was showing pictures he had taken, on a service call.
They are in most 1940's and Cold War Bunkers all around the UK, which are also still there. Some still work. Check TheSecretVault, many of his urbex videos featuring massive nuclear bunkers will reveal everything else that they were attached to.
The engineering involved with old things like is amazing. But can we just take a moment to think about the master glass blower that had to make that assembly, and the people who installed the metal parts to it. They mass produced these.
This type of Rectifier was used in Melbourne Australia to produce 1500V DC for the Electric trains , there were 7 of these H&H glass bulb rectifiers across the network in 1970's the last was de-commissioned in 1981 . There were large fans below each bank of 4 bulbs and as the load increased on the rectifier unit the fans speed increased till it reached maximum speed . It was an extremely noisy environment that was extremely hot in the summer but nicely warm in the winter. if ever there was a dangerous device these has it all , if they ever broke mercury finished up on the floor and every where it was quite a job to transport them with special crates, it took 3 people to hold and slowly invert the bulb while the pool of mercury was also inverted. It was quite spectacular to see but by today's standards very hazardous I was glad to see the last of them . Railway substation had Rectifier units made up of a Transformer with an output of 12 single phase's connected to a bank of 4 bulbs and a large 12"fuse each phase along with associated protection relays in the Rectifier control cubical (64, 64A, 86, 86X, 30 ) . I also remember two large extraction fans for cooling built into the substation wall . The excitation and the striker was used to create the mercury vapor in the bulb it's all history now. Be careful with mercury keep it in a well vented area. Thanks for the video !
Happy Days, I'm old enough (82) to have worked on mercury arc rectifiers. Steel works where we had 500 volt DC and 250 volt systems. Can't remember the rating of the rectifiers, Big yokes in metal cabinets. This brings back som happy memories, thank you ☘️🇮🇪☘️
@@jdecar1 I can imagine the FCC would have a cow if someone was doing this stuff in the USA. Though maybe not, I honestly do not know what their take on people playing with electricity is. As its not a part 15 device malfunctioning and its not deliberate jamming.
I appreciate that you showed us this piece of history. That you handled it so gently and respected it, called it art. That you keep it safe in the original box. Collector excellent...
Instead of making a joke about it, and telling them what it isn't; why not teach them what it is, and how and why it works? That's how people learn in this world.
@@assassinlexx1993 I do, and I teach them what things are, and how they function, and not what they aren't. Trust me, your children will appreciate the difference, when shown.
21:40 The small bubbles that appear on the interior glass surface of a mercury arc rectifier after some time are typically due to a phenomenon known as mercury vaporization or mercury spitting. This can occur due to the high temperatures and pressures present inside the device during operation. When the mercury arc rectifier is in use, the mercury in the arc is heated significantly, causing some amount of mercury to vaporize and become gaseous. These mercury vapors can then condense on cooler surfaces such as the glass interior of the device, forming small bubbles. This phenomenon can be more pronounced if there are leaks in the device or if it is operated under abnormal conditions, resulting in increased mercury consumption and the formation of more bubbles. It is important to note that mercury vapors are toxic and should be avoided from being inhaled. If significant condensation of mercury vapors or an increased formation of bubbles is observed, it may indicate issues with the device's integrity or operating conditions. In such cases, it is recommended to cease the use of the mercury arc rectifier
More likely it was out of necessity rather than attention to detail. They would have been super fragile with all the mercury sloshing around like a hammer swinging inside. They probably would have been very expensive back in the day.
That is a bloody gorgeous collection of mercury arc rectifiers you have there. Museums hide such things away but here they're being shown in their glory. Just beautiful.
@@D4RKBRU73 Nah, mercury poisoning takes a long time to kill you. its not like a shit ton of radiation that kills you instantly. Codys Lab made some nice videos with mercury
@@Agent66692 it depends upon the source of mercury and dose. A professor was killed rather quickly (8 months after exposure to a few drops of dimethylmercury, despite using best practices protection). Compared to kids playing with metallic mercury pooled in our hands...
Mercury one of the most powerful and excellent things in the world in skilled hands, but in unskilled hands, the most dangerous. Thank God Photon knows his stuff
Have a look in the background on his other videos, he's got scopes, and they are cheap compared to the cost of some of the stuff he features. He probably just figured nobody would be interested in it.
I am seriously impressed. A few questions. 1) Would you please publish the listed specs for this device? 2) What is the best feature of a mercury arc rectifier? (cleaner output, lower temperature, high capacity, easily handles current surges) 3) It would be nice if you published your results, AC input, AC current, DC output, DC current, Output waveform, etc. Hope to see another video like this.
@@peterzingler6221 There wasn't a time when workers were not held like modern slaves. The people who produced these felt no different than factory workers today. in most cases they were treated even worse.
@@sayeager5559 both of you have a point, there was no perfect era, but things have deteriorated over the years. Guaranteed that the men who made this mercury arc rectifier were better remunerated and didn't work as much overtime as their grandsons in that profession do now. It was also an era in which engineering, R&D and manufacturing were more respected, esteemed professions. Today, it's investment bankers and hedge fund managers who are the elite of 21st century capitalism, where once engineers reigned supreme. Can you imagine a celebrity engineer like Brunel today?!
Certainly is a piece of art, the craftsmanship that went into the glass blowing for that is amazing, they're such impressive pieces of technology from the past... :)
We have a saying for children that translates to "Everything for the eyes, nothing for the hands" regarding museums and exhibitions. I think this room is the manifestation of that sentiment.
Since it's effectively a diode, and it's emitting light, does that make it an LED? (Pardon my ignorance, I'm a biologist not an electrical engineer) Also, since it's effectively a massive mercury vapour bulb, is that glow essentially raw UV radiation? If so that's... a bit spooky.
Também pensei a mesma coisa, a câmera quando se aproxima nem parece ter luz acesa no ambiente!! A exposição a radiações deve ser preocupante, mas por outro lado o ar ionizado devia eliminar qualquer microrganismo!! Talvez por isso ficassem protegidos sob painéis...
@@bjoe385 "The mercury ions emit light at characteristic wavelengths, the relative intensities of which are determined by the pressure of the vapor. At the low pressure within a rectifier, the light appears pale blue-violet and contains much ultraviolet light." so yes they do emit some
I have almost no idea what half the equipment is that you're using - only that it's big and you usually blow it up, generally always in your living room. I do appreciate the explanations though, they help a great deal! I love this channel!
Rectifiers convert AC to DC by arranging diodes (one way valves) in a way so that when the current flows in one direction, diodes keep the other half from going back the other way. When the current switches (alternates)to go the other way, the diodes that was letting current go through now stops it from going back, and the diodes that were not letting current go back are now letting current through. This keeps a constant flow of current in one direction, never letting current go back the other direction. (DC) There was a time when Edison and Westinghouse (foes) were battling on wether to send DC or AC from powerhouses to homes. Nikolai Tesla who at the time worked for Westinghouse displayed the benifits of AC, and the disadvantages of DC being delivered to homes. These devices are the crude instruments of electricity being delivered to homes via DC (Im assuming). It wasnt long after that that DC was proved to be horrible as current delivered. AC was truely a genius idea by Tesla. Westinghouse started designing household appliances for AC use and together, they clobbered Edison. Dont be fooled about Thomas Edison. He was a theif and a jerk. Tesla worked for him before he worked for John Westinghouse. Edison stole several ideas of Teslas and gave him no credit for them. Edison couldnt comprehend AC current and told Tesla it was a bad idea. Westinghouse understood it and held an exibition at the worlds fair. All the lighting at the fair was electric, not kerosene.
If you really want to see how we got to where we are today, check out the Westinghouse story. John Westinghouse was an amazing man. Invented all kinds of stuff.
Yea this is one thing I don't think even Photonicinduction wants to blow up. Will be very bad for your health and will probably have your house condemned due to all that mercury in there. And it creates one of the worst forms of mercury and that is distilled mercury. Probably the only one that tops that will be Organic Mercury.
I love these old mercury rectifiers! They look so utterly "mad-scientist". And this is probably the best footage of one running that I've ever seen. We're all so lucky PhotonicInduction is uploading again. He is absolutely legendary!!!
@Mark O So true. Love the explanation of the different types also. As Photonic says, they are mostly built inside cabinets and poorly visible on other video’s.
And even more terryfying thing is that you can make your room as dangerougs as his. It's just a matter of some high voltage transformer plugged into the mains socket and you get a few thousand volts and a few amps that can kill you in a millisecond :)
Speaking of halloween... If i saw that as a kid i'd be intrigued if i knew it was a piece of vacuum tube electric gear beforehand, i liked the purple glow in big rectifiers, but it would still freak me out. If i saw it in the corner of a basement without knowing i would be mortified, bad dreams for years!
We now know why you are as mad as a hatter mercury poising 🤣🤣on a serious note if you don't inspire the next generation of sparkies no one will keep up the good work I've missed you buddy 👊
Muesuem of transport in Auckland, NZ has 2 running their trams, had a chat with a guy there, said they were completely reliable they have 2 spare ones and never fitted a replacement!
The Isle of Man Electric railway used these until only a few years ago. I remember seeing them when I was last there! You could see when the motor on the train was pulling some amps as it would light up really bright! Bit of trivia, if you have ever seen a fluorescent lamp which is dark at one end, it has a damaged electrode on one side and it is rectifying just like this and the DC is causing all the mercury to migrate to one end of the lamp hence why it's gone dark!
I’ve also seen one that flashed very rapidly, regularly and intensely. I think it was on an old 60hz magnetic ballast. I imagine rectification was making it light every other half cycle, creating 60 short duration flashes per second.
@@crazy-es8tr It was very regular, you could see a "smeared" strobe image on moving objects with a bit under 50% duty cycle. It was very fast (at least several tens of flashes per second.) It didn't stop after the tube warmed up, and it was slightly dimmer than a good tube. I still believe it was rectifying, but not 100% sure.
@@ElPasoTubeAmps I think I enjoy the 50hz hum because it's not something I've heard anywhere but RU-vid videos. 60hz hum gives me the willies like nothing else though.
A collaboration between Photoninduction and the Slow Mo Guys would be amazing! I'm thinking of all the amazing footage from both their combined knowledge in their respective fields.
Sure there are still ppl who make custom lab glass apparatuses for chemistry that can get way more complex than that rectifier. Im sure a person who maintains and builds neon signage could pull it off after some practice.
No absolutely not. That would have taken a team of 6 or 7 skilled craftsmen to make that peice of glass, and each one would have been a specialist at his individual part. 60 years on and they would all be either dead or far too old to handle molten glass at this point. Sure there are some hobbyists around keeping the art of glass blowing alive, but this type of precision, industrial glass crafting required specialist skills which have now been lost, and specialist machinery and tooling which has long been destroyed.
All that smashing up of gear and he's a softie after all - The respect and love for that bit of kit is great to see. I watched it all but haven't a clue what it is, someone designed it and made it - incredible.
Honestly I still wonder how someone came up with this actual solution for rectifying AC :P. Like, a scientist one day after studying mercury and the attributes of the vapors went like "You know...we might be able to change the characteristics of AC current by doing this and that with mercury!"
@@ATomRileyA As with many inventions it probably was more of a happy coincidence that it did what it did, it's just that the mere setup in total is not something you accidentally come up with, it probably was used for something else at first, I would think.
@@Dutch3DMaster I doubt it was a coincidence. The principle is pretty straightforward: the ionized mercury atoms have a positive charge, so they'll only flow in one direction, carrying the current with them. Pretty much any metal would work, in principle, but you need one that's liquid, so mercury's the only option for room-temperature operation. Everything beyond that is just engineering it to actually work.
i rarely ever understand exactly what you're talking about when you explain this stuff, but i'll still listen to you anytime while you describe why its so badass
These were used in the early experimental British Rail 25kV AC electric locos. The production locos that became class 86 used Si rectifiers. Have never seen one run so this is quite fascinating.
