Rectifier power supply for a modern rod mill

THE STEEL INDUSTRY in the United States is a large user of d-c electric power. Until approximately 20 years ago, the motor-generator set was used exclusively to supply the large amounts of. d-c power for steel-mill service. Recently, however, ignitron rectifiers have found increasingly frequent use in the making of steel. The single-line diagram of a large rod mill using ignitron rectifiers of the continuously evacuated metal-enclosed type is shown in Fig. 1. This rectifier power supply is being utilized in a large Midwestern rod mill.