This article reviews the performance of power electronics components, namely, power rectifiers, insulated-gate bipolar transistors, metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistors, diodes, and silicon-controlled rectifiers. It provides information on induction heating power supplies with multiple heat stations, such as switching units and multiple (zone) outputs. The article describes power supply operational control and power supply protection circuits. It details duty cycle, power factor, and harmonics of power supplies. The article also describes system parameters, software analysis-calculations, human analysis-decisions, multiple system arrangements, and zone control systems for power supply selection. It provides information on the maintenance of induction power supplies, detailing the safety precautions to be taken and the need for routine inspection and servicing.

This article provides a brief description of load conditions for single-shot heat treating, vertical scanning, and brazing and soldering. It discusses the various power components used in power supplies. These include capacitors, integrated power module, transformers, and various switching devices, namely, silicon-controlled rectifiers, insulated-gate bipolar transistors, and metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistors. The article also provides information on frequency-multiplication harmonic-induction power supplies, namely, push-pull and half-bridge inverters and full-bridge inverters. Series resonant and parallel resonant circuits and their tuning calculations associated with output networks are also discussed. The article describes the frequency range of simultaneous dual-frequency induction heating power supply, and discusses the advantages, applications, and technical background of independently controlled frequency and power (IFP) induction heating power supply. It concludes with a description of the developments in control systems for modern induction power supplies.

This article describes the characteristics and technology of power sources for major arc welding methods along with the suggested criteria for assuring that a power source selection can safely deliver the desired output and yield long service life. Power sources with single-phase AC input voltage, three-phase input machines, inverter-based power sources, short arc gas metal arc welding power sources, and multiple arc power sources are discussed. The article also presents the factors to be considered when selecting a power source.

This article provides a discussion on transformers and reactors for induction heating. It presents information on the initial considerations in the selection process and the demands of power supply and load circuits. The article describes the types of transformers and reactors used in induction heating and maintenance operations. It also provides a discussion on load matching covering the following topics: initial considerations in the load-matching process, understanding the load circuit and the power supply circuit, selecting the desired operating point, adjusting the value of components, and testing the setup.

Melting with induction crucible furnaces (ICFs) is a well-established and reliable technology, and their maintenance must be performed at regularly scheduled intervals to ensure safe operation. This article discusses monitoring of the refractory lining, and presents an overview of the various wear-indication methods, namely, manual checks, ground leakage indication, evaluation of electrical values of the furnace, and temperature measurement. It also presents the working principle, physical restrictions, limitations, and remarks on these methods.

This article provides an overview of the components of a resistance welding machine. It focuses on the single-phase control system and medium-frequency direct current system of resistance welding. The article also includes information on their feedback systems, rectification systems, and power sources.

Power sources are apparatuses that are used to supply current and voltages that are suitable for particular welding processes. This article describes power sources for arc welding, resistance welding, and electron-beam welding. The more-common welding processes that use constant-current and constant-voltage power sources are listed in a table. The article describes the open-circuit voltage characteristics and power source control methods. The control methods employ either pulse width modulation (PWM) or frequency modulation (FM).

Induction heating has many different applications, such as melting, heating stock for forging, and heat treating. This article begins with a discussion on the types of power supplies, namely, solid-state power supplies and oscillator tubes. It provides information on system elements, including cooling systems, power supplies, heat stations, work handling fixtures, induction or work coils, and quench systems. The article discusses the influence of system elements on induction heat treating system design. It also deals with the general theory, types, and applications of induction coils.

This article describes the basic concepts of the complex factors that influence the forces, power, and stresses in machining. It provides an overview of the models of orthogonal (that is, two force) machining of metals as they are useful for understanding the basic mechanics of machining and can be extended for modeling of the production processes. The article discusses stresses on the shear plane, stresses distributions on the rake face, uniform stresses on the rake face, and nonuniform stress distributions on the rake face. It also examines the specific power consumption in turning, drilling, and milling operations. The article concludes with a section on the factors affecting specific power.

This article provides a rough estimate of the basic parameters, including coil efficiency, power, and frequency in induction heating of billets, rods, and bars. It focuses on the frequency selection for heating solid cylinders made of nonmagnetic metals, frequency selection when heating solid cylinders made from nonmagnetic alloys, and frequency selection when heating solid cylinders made from magnetic alloys. The article describes several design concepts that can be used for induction billet heating, namely, static heating and progressive/continuous heating. It presents the four major factors associated with the location and magnitude of subsurface overheating: frequency, refractory, final temperature, and power distribution along the heating line. The article summarizes the pros and cons of using a single power supply. It also reviews the design features of modular systems, and concludes with information on the temperature profile modeling software.

Most welding lasers fall into the category of fiber, disc, or direct diode, all of which can be delivered by fiber optic. This article provides a comparison of the energy consumptions and efficiencies of laser beam welding (LBW) with other major welding processes. It discusses the two modes of laser welding: conduction-mode welding and deep-penetration mode welding. The article reviews the factors of process selection and procedure development for laser welding. The factors include power density, interaction time, laser beam power, laser beam diameter, laser beam spatial distribution, absorptivity, traverse speed, laser welding efficiency, and plasma suppression and shielding gas. The article concludes with a discussion on laser cutting, laser roll welding, and hybrid laser welding.

The melting process often includes refining and treating the metal. The choice of which type of melting to use depends on a number of factors: type of alloy being melted, the local cost of electric power, and local environmental regulations. This article discusses the principles, furnace types, charging practices of metal melting methods, namely induction melting, cupola melting, arc melting, crucible melting, reaction melting, and vacuum melting, and the refractories and charging practice of reverberatory furnaces. Molten metal treatment of steels and aluminum also is discussed in the article.

This article describes the control of water chemistry in the steam cycle of a power plant for achieving corrosion control, deposition prevention, and higher cycle efficiency. It discusses the materials requirements of the components exposed to supercritical water in supercritical (SC) and ultrasupercritical (USC) power plants. These components include high-pressure steam piping and headers, superheater and reheater tubing, water wall tubing in the boiler, high-and intermediate-pressure rotors, rotating blades, and bolts in the turbine section. The article reviews the boiler alloys, used in SC and USC boilers, such as ferritic steels, austenitic steels, and nickel-base alloys. It provides information on the materials used in turbine applications such as ferritic rotor steels, turbine blade alloys, and bolting materials. The article explains various factors influencing steamside corrosion in SC power plants. It also deals with the role of overall efficiency in the USC power generation.