ignitron, electron tube functioning as a rectifier to convert alternating current (AC) to direct current (DC). Each conduction cycle is started by an external voltage applied to the igniter, a small electrode touching the tube’s cathode, which is a pool of mercury. Electrons released by the igniter from the surface of the mercury initiate a conducting arc through the tube. The arc lasts until voltage on the ignitron’s plate has been reduced to the point that the arc can no longer be sustained.
Large ignitron devices may be built inside vacuum tanks instead of tube envelopes. Ignitrons are very limited with respect to their physical orientation. Because of the pool of mercury, the device cannot lean more than two or three degrees from the vertical. Ignitrons are used where power control of high voltages or currents is required. Electrical welding equipment incorporating an ignitron as a heavy-duty relay is probably the most common application.