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Re: first non NST coil questions



Original poster: "Barton B. Anderson" <bartb@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>

I think what Jared was referring to is the classic sucker gap configuration, not the fact that the sucker gap is a type of vacuum gap. Certainly, there are pressure and vacuum configurations that "could" be created for high power, but for the normal coiler building a sucker gap, he's correct. But like all technology, it's just a matter of someone doing what someone else didn't think of. Happens all the time on this list.

Bart

Tesla list wrote:

Original poster: Jim Lux <jimlux@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>

At 03:06 PM 3/24/2007, you wrote:

Original poster: "Jared Dwarshuis" <jdwarshuis@xxxxxxxxx>

Original poster: Jim Lux <<mailto:jimlux@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>jimlux@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>




Indeed.  The Marx blast gap has been used at tens of kW in both
pressure and vacuum implementations.  It's all a matter of airflow
and electrode design.
.............................................................................................

Hi Jim:

I did say "sucker gap", did I not?


Yep.. and Marx gaps have been implemented with the pressure differential created on the suction side. All that matters is highspeed gas flow through the electrodes. Not how I'd do it myself, but that doesn't mean that someone hasn't successfully done it in the past. I would imagine that just about every kind of spark gap one can imagine has been tried over the past 100 years or so. For all I know, the high power suction gap was used to get around a patent for a high powered pressurized gap.

I've also seen them implemented with the plasma pulled through the center of the electrode and those with the plasma blown out through an annular gap. The former is easy with a suction source, the latter easier with pressure.

One I built used a vacuum cleaner to provide the suction in a triggered gap along the Marx design. Granted, the motor died fairly quickly, and it was noisy as all get out (not only was there gap noise, but the scream of the vacuum cleaner motor contributed it's share). A nice quiet air compressor a long way away with a big receiver was a much more pleasant experience.


Closed systems, or open systems with gas bottles are not very practical, and really have nothing to do with "sucker" gaps!


No gas bottles required.. just a good blower, pump, or compressor, and that's just a matter of mechanical stuff. It's remarkably easy to get sonic flow with 30 psi pressure differential (look up a handbook for "choked flow through an orifice"). Heck, an ordinary air nozzle on shop air will sometimes show Mach diamonds, especially if the air is humid and there's no drier in the compressed air system.