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Re: TC Design and Quenching
From: John H. Couture[SMTP:couturejh-at-worldnet.att-dot-net]
Sent: Monday, November 10, 1997 2:27 AM
To: Tesla List
Subject: TC Design and Quenching
To All -
To obtain optimum operation from the classical Tesla coil the design must
meet certain criteria. When these design criteria are met the TC system will
provide a spark at the secondary toroid at each gap break and will quench at
the first notch.
The TC will quench at the first notch because the toroid spark will
discharge all of the energy from the secondary circuit. With all of the
energy in the secondary gone there will not be energy left to feedback into
the primary circuit to cause multiple transfers. Multiple transfers are
undesireable because they waste energy. In other words a proper TC design
will always have a first notch quench regardless of when the gap quenches as
long as it occurs before the next break.
It is obvious that in order not to have multiple transfers between the
primary and secondary circuits the TC must be designed and adjusted for
specific operating conditions. The most important parameter in the design is
to have sufficient voltage at the toroid for breakout at the first notch. To
guarantee this amount of toroid voltage for a certain coil requires the
proper amount of input wattage and the coordination of several TC parameters
with proper conditions including tuning, coupling, and toroid sizing. When
the design provides all of these conditions there will be a toroid spark
breakout and first notch quenching at each operating spark gap break. At
this point the overall efficiency of the Tesla coil system will be at the
maximum.
The JHCTES TC computer program was developed with the above in mind. To
date the program's success in this regard has not been proved or disproved.
However, many successful coils have been designed and built by coilers using
the program. There are apparently no other similar programs presently available.
Comments welcomed.
John Couture