The figure of merit of magnetic amplifiers

REGULATING SYSTEMS are a combination of devices whereby a large amount of energy is controlled by a small amount of energy. In designing regulating systems it is necessary to be able to evaluate power amplification, delay, and voltage gain of the amplifiers involved. In static and rotating magnetic amplifiers, as voltage gain is flexible, power amplification and delay define the capabilities of the amplifier. For this reason the “figure of merit” of a magnetic amplifier has been defined as the ratio of amplifier power amplification to amplifier time constant. This is expressed: