I've been working on a circuit with an inductive load and a MOSFET, but I'm having trouble finding a suitable freewheeling diode. If I choose a diode with a maximum surge current higher than the maximum current through the load, would it be dangerous (for the component and/or for me) to frequently switch the MOSFET on and off? (Minimum of a few seconds between switchings)
I believe the biggest issue is that I don't know how long the inductive voltage spike will last, so I can't properly estimate how long the diode will be powered at max surge current.
As I understand it, it's a temperature thing. As long as I keep the temperature under the maximum rated temperature everything should be fine. (When the temperature starts getting worrisome, give it some time to cool off before using it again.)