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re: Water As Dielectric




From: 	Jim Lux[SMTP:jimlux-at-earthlink-dot-net]
Sent: 	Friday, November 14, 1997 10:15 AM
To: 	Tesla List
Subject: 	Re: Water As Dielectric


Tesla List wrote:
> system.  We try to maintain between 2 to 3 Megohms as read on a Thornton
> Ohmmeter.
> This is not an easy task.
> 
> Russ Thornton

Are you the Thornton of eponymous ohmmeter fame?

Actually, I have had experience water cooling some vacuum tubes with DI
water, and encountered essentially the same problems. For low flows and
voltages, one of the little DI cartridges (purchased the equipment surplus)
seemed to work pretty well. I suspect that as the voltage goes up, the
polarization of the water increases, which increases the tendency for ionic
contamination, which increases the leakage current, etc., etc.,etc.

I've used a DI water resistor to measure the voltage on a Van deGraaf
generator, but it rapidly changes resistance as the ions migrate.

Now, for those 100 nanosecond pulses... water probably works just fine.