Re: Design data for VDGRF experimenters (fwd)

[Steven Roys <sroys@xxxxxxxx>]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Wed, 21 Jan 2004 13:43:46 -0800
From: Jim Lux <jimlux@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: High Voltage list <hvlist@xxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: Design data for VDGRF experimenters (fwd)

Useful stuff here, but I have a question about notation:


---------- Forwarded message ----------
>Date: Wed, 21 Jan 2004 00:00:52 -0600
>From: Dr. Resonance <resonance@xxxxxxxxxx>
>To: High Voltage list <hvlist@xxxxxxxxxx>
>Subject: Design data for VDGRF experimenters
>
>
>I'm posting some design data for Van de Graaff designers and experimenters:
>
>
>The spark discharges occur as "bright" with a lot of capacitance and
>"weak" with less capacitance due to small ground terminals, etc.
>
>Bright spark output to insulating column ratio:
>
>     Bs / Tl  = 2.3:1 ratio   (43%) where:
>
>Bs = bright spark length in inches
>
>Tl = tube length in inches


Does this mean that a tubelength of, say, 1 meter, would produce sparks of
2.3 meters, or 1/2.3 = .43 meters? Seems like the latter would be more
reasonable.




>Weak spark output to insulating column ratio:
>
>     Ws / Tl = 1.4:1 ratio  where:
>
>Ws = weak spark length in inches

Likewise.

I assume weak sparks are longer than bright sparks (70 cm vs 43 cm, for a 1
meter tube)

Jim