[Prev][Next][Index][Thread]
Re: PFC for Neons
John wrote...
<snip>
> Note that power factor correction is normally used to reduce your electric
> power bill. (******)
> This has little value with Tesla coils because they are not
> operated for very long.
> I do not believe that paying more for a HPF neon or adding a capacitor is
> worth it.
> Also adding a capacitor in parallel with the primary neon winding can lead
> to resonance problems as indicated by some of the Tesla List letters.
> Power factor is not efficiency. The efficiency of typical neons is
> about 96% for both low and high power factor. A higher power
> factor means less current from the utility but the current saved
> is reactive current which does not affect the meter. (******)
Do I detect a contradiction here? Further, PFC certainly does mean
efficiency if you are a power supplier (better copper utilization,
less distribution system heating, and ultimately fewer generators
online). It is also less taxing on fuses, switches and wiring in your
house. We have terrible problems here at the polytechnic because of
the abysmal power factor of the banks of computer power supplies.
The sine wave mains in our establishment is actually flat-topped!! and
generates a huge amount of hash.
Also,I have never found PFC to contribute to resonance
problems regarding the use of neons. My finding is that those
problems arise because of interactions between the neon secondary L
and any capacitances in the neon secondary/Tesla primary system.
In a pole pig system, those capacitances can resonate with primary
components (limiting chokes etc) as the pole-pig is a near ideal
transformer.
Malcolm
<snip>