A Simplified Approach to Instruction in Saturable Reactors and Magnetic Amplifiers

This paper intends to cast new light on some problems that hamper beginners when studying saturable reactor performance. It is not easy to explain to students why the mean value of the current must be zero for a nonlinear circuit having a characteristic resembling that of a rectifier. In addition, it is hard to grasp at initial stages how direct current can be "transformed" from the control to the power circuit. These problems and many others are easily explainable taking into account the fact that in steady state the mean value of the voltage across the coil of a saturable reactor must be zero.