Thyristor rectifier system in the PS

The mercury arc rectifiers of the PS magnet power supply, which since 1968 have powered over 100,000,000 pulses with a high degree of reliability, have been replaced by a thyristor rectifier system. The replacement was required because overhaul and repair services for mercury arc rectifiers had been discontinued and spares were unobtainable. These thyristors have several advantages, notably that energy savings will be about 2000MWh per year for 6000 running hours.