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Re: Capacitor C/Peek



>>From Benson_Barry%PAX5-at-mr.nawcad.navy.milWed Oct 30 21:43:23 1996
>Date: Wed, 30 Oct 1996 06:25:00 -0400 (EDT)
>From: Benson_Barry%PAX5-at-mr.nawcad.navy.mil
>To: tesla-at-poodle.pupman-dot-com
>Subject: Re: Capacitor C/Peek


>Clark and Ryan?  What is the citation for this paper?
>Sounds interesting.
>Barry
> ----------

<big snip for Chip>

I (Robert Stephens) wrote:

>BTW, you used 20 kV/inch for your voltage guestimation.  According to
>the famous paper by Clark and Ryan the value is more like 48-52
>kV/inch between sphere gaps. Trouble is, all sorts of factors
>influence this measurement to make it almost meaningless in the field
>(pun intended!).   Carefully controlled conditions must be set up to hope 
>for any accuracy when attempting to measure voltages by spark length. 

The paper is called 'Sphere Gap Discharge Voltages At High 
Frequencies', by J. Cameron Clark and Harris J. Ryan.  Presented at 
the 31st Annual Convention of the American Institute of Electrical 
Engineers, Detroit, Michigan, June 24, 1914, under the auspices of 
the Electrophysics Committee.  

ABSTRACT.

'The paper describes a series of experiments made by the authors to 
determine the values of steady high-frequency, high-voltage currents 
required to discharge between seven inch copper spheres in air, at 
ordinary temperatures and barometric pressures.  A 15-kw, arc 
generator was used as the source of high-frequency sustained high 
voltage, and the apparatus employed in securing and measuring 
currents of 123,000, 255,000 and 612,000 cycles is described in 
detail.

The sphere gap standard consisted of electrolytic copper spheres 
mounted on the ends of brass tubes in treated wooden frames, and the 
gap lengths were accurately determined by means of calipers and 
micrometer screw or steel scale.

The results obtained are given in Tables II and III and are also 
charted in curves I and II, Fig.5.  The 123,000-cycle values show a 
right-line relation between sphere gaps and discharge voltage, which 
line, when extended, passes through the origin.  The high-frequency 
voltages are almost uniformly 4.5 kv. below the 25-cycle voltages 
observed by Chubb and Fortescue.'

end Abstract.

rwstephens