3rd Edition

Power Vacuum Tubes Handbook

By Jerry Whitaker Copyright 2012
    708 Pages 447 B/W Illustrations
    by CRC Press

    707 Pages 447 B/W Illustrations
    by CRC Press

    Providing examples of applications, Power Vacuum Tubes Handbook, Third Edition examines the underlying technology of each type of power vacuum tube device in common use today. The author presents basic principles, reports on new development efforts, and discusses implementation and maintenance considerations. Supporting mathematical equations and extensive technical illustrations and schematic diagrams help readers understand the material.

    Translate Principles into Specific Applications

    This one-stop reference is a hands-on guide for engineering personnel involved in the design, specification, installation, and maintenance of high-power equipment utilizing vacuum tubes. It offers a comprehensive look at the important area of high-frequency/high-power applications of microwave power devices, making it possible for general principles to be translated into specific applications. Coverage includes power grid tubes—triodes, tetrodes, and pentodes—as well as microwave power tubes such as klystrons, traveling wave tubes, gyrotrons, and other high-frequency devices. These vacuum tubes are used in applications from radio broadcasting to television, radar, satellite communications, and more.

    Explore a Wide Variety of Methods in Power Vacuum Tube Design

    This third edition includes updates on vacuum tube technology, devices, applications, design methods, and modulation methods. It also expands its scope to cover properties of materials and RF system maintenance and troubleshooting. Explaining difficult concepts and processes clearly, this handbook guides readers in the design and selection of a power vacuum tube-based system.

    What’s New in This Edition

    • Includes two new chapters on properties of materials and RF system maintenance and troubleshooting
    • Contains updates and additions in most chapters
    • Identifies key applications for commercial and scientific research
    • Examines the frontiers of materials science directly impacting construction, reliability, and performance
    • Reviews methods of power tube design for more efficient, longer-lasting tubes
    • Features updated illustrations throughout to clarify and explain fundamental principles and implementation considerations

    Power Vacuum Tube Applications
    Vacuum Tube Development
    Vacuum Tube Applications
    Electromagnetic Radiation Spectrum

    Modulation Systems and Characteristics
    Modulation Systems
    Operating Class
    Thermal and Circuit Noise
    Amplitude Modulation
    Frequency Modulation
    Pulse Modulation
    Spread Spectrum Systems

    Vacuum Tube Principles
    Characteristics of Electrons
    Types of Vacuum Tubes
    High-Frequency Operating Limits
    Vacuum Tube Design
    Tube Construction
    Neutralization
    Electron Tube Characteristics

    Designing Vacuum Tube Circuits
    Principles of RF Power Amplification
    High-Voltage Power Supplies

    Applying Vacuum Tube Devices
    AM Power Amplification Systems
    Linear Amplification
    High-Efficiency Linear Amplification
    Television Power Amplifier Systems
    FM Power Amplifier Systems
    Special-Application Amplifiers

    Microwave Power Tubes
    Grid Vacuum Tubes
    Klystron
    Klystrode/lnductive Output Tube
    Constant Efficiency Amplifier
    Traveling Wave Tube
    Crossed-Field Tubes
    Other Microwave Devices
    Microwave Tube Life

    RF Interconnection and Switching
    Coaxial Transmission Line
    Waveguide
    RF Combiner and Diplexer Systems
    High-Power Isolators

    Properties of Materials
    Metals
    Dielectrics
    Tabular Data

    Cooling Considerations
    Application of Cooling Principles
    Operating Environment

    Reliability Considerations
    Quality Assurance
    Reliability Analysis
    Vacuum Tube Reliability
    Klystron Reliability

    Device Performance Criteria
    Measurement Parameters
    Vacuum Tube Operating Parameters
    Voltage Standing Wave Ratio
    Radio Frequency System Performance

    RF System Maintenance and Troubleshooting
    Routine Maintenance
    Transmission Line and Antenna
    High-Voltage Power Supply
    Troubleshooting Procedure

    Safe Handling of Vacuum Tube Devices
    Electric Shock
    Operating Hazards
    Nonionizing Radiation

    Appendix: Mathematics, Symbols, and Physical Constants

    Index

    Most chapters include an introduction, references, and a bibliography.

    Biography

    Jerry C. Whitaker is the vice president of Standards Development at the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC). He has been involved in various aspects of the electronics industry for more than 30 years, with specialization in communications. His CRC Press books include the following:

    "This handbook provides outstanding coverage of the present art in high-power vacuum-tube design and operation. After reading this book the reader will be intimately familiar with modern vacuum tubes. Engineers involved with the design, installation, specification, and maintenance of high-power vacuum tubes will find this handbook an invaluable resource in their work. There are certainly very few books on vacuum tubes, and this one provides a wealth of current information on all the common vacuum tubes in use today."
    —John J. Shea, IEEE Electrical Insulation Magazine, May/June 2013, Vol. 29, No. 3

    Praise for Previous Editions

    "…a valuable resource for practicing electrical engineers and others involved with vacuum tubes and related equipment."
    —E.M. Aupperle, Choice, December 1999