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(Bizarre) Strange Spark Phenomena




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From:  wysock-at-ttr-dot-com [SMTP:wysock-at-ttr-dot-com]
Sent:  Tuesday, February 03, 1998 10:25 AM
To:  Tesla List
Subject:  Re: (Bizarre) Strange Spark Phenomena

John, Richard, Jim, and all.

John, I think there's a simple answer for the right angle
small sparks you have seen from your (tube) coil, spaced
more or less at even intervals.  Consider the energy in the
main ionized airborne plasma that you observe to "shoot
straight up and is 17" high."  I would hipothisize that the
total energy delivered to the main channel is too intense to
fully dissapate fully within the core of that vertical
channel.  The right angle aspect is probably due to a
magnetic repulsion of the small corona breakouts, (which
have their own intrinsic magnetic fields,) from the dominant
magnetic field in the main streamer core.  Since your coil is
capable of "stacatto" mode, try giving the coil a single shot.
Granted, the eminating streamer will be shorter, etc.  But it
would be interesting to see if you observe any small right angle
branching from the the main channel under this mode of 
operation.  My point here is that if you do not observe the
same kind of phenomena in pulse mode, then I would 
suggest that the single shot corona streamers do not have 
enough energy per shot, to cause the right angle branching
to take effect.  Consider the phenomena known as "skin
effect."  Mr. Cox once stated that even at D.C., for a very
small amount of time from the point of "time zero," an
electrical current flowing in a copper conductor, moves
electrons (initially,) only along the surface of the conductor.
As time increases from "zero," more and more electrons try
to crowd along the surface area of the conductor.  Each
electron has its own magnetic field, and as more and more
electrons traverse the available surface area of the conductor,
these seperate magnetic fields repel each other, forcing more
and more additional electrons, to penetrate and flow through
the cross section of the conductor.  When the point is reached
in the cross section of the conductor where it can no longer
support the flow of additional electrons, the result is thermal
heating.

Now for the characteristic of your tube coil discharge, I would
suggest that the same phenomena is occuring as stated above.
The fact that the right angle branches seem to be at regualar spaced
intervals, says to me, that the power density of the main core
vertical channel is (relatively speaking,) uniform in temperature
and magnetic field density.

As for yours and Richard's comments about spark self-resonant
modes, I concur.  The spark channel itself, has its own 
resonant mechanisms, based on self capacitance and inductance,
within the spark channel.  An interesting observation I made,
with problems occuring at one of my commercial installations,
was the RFI problems that occured only when the coil was allowed
to discharge beyond a 6" air gap.  At 8, or 10 inches gap length,
the RFI generated, drove a variety of PLC lighting circuits nuts!
When I reduced the spark channel lenght to under 6", the RFI
was not noticeable.  The input power to the coil was controlled
and held constant.  Only when the discharges were allowed to
become longer then 6" in lenght, did the RFI problem rear its
ugly head!  I did some more experiments and concluded that
indeed, the amount of energy in the spark channel itself, was
the culpret!  When I returned to my shop, I did a series of
tests, using a calibrated E-field probe and a "borrowed"
($45,000) H-P spectrum analyser.  What I found out was
most interesting.  Indeed, there are may harmonics (not
associated in any way with the resonant mode of operation
of the Tesla Coil itself,) that were seen to be ringing out past
300 Mhz, even though the resonant frequency of the coil itself
was 185 Khz!  Here is where there is lots of room for more
experimentation and evaluation!

Bill Wysock.

> To:            "'Tesla List'" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
> Subject:       (Bizarre) Strange Spark Phenomena
> Date:          Tue, 3 Feb 1998 14:15:07 -0600
> From:          Tesla List <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>

> 
> ----------
> From:  FutureT-at-aol-dot-com [SMTP:FutureT-at-aol-dot-com]
> Sent:  Tuesday, February 03, 1998 9:35 AM
> To:  tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
> Subject:  Re: (Bizarre) Strange Spark Phenomena
> 
> In a message dated 98-02-03 03:45:12 EST, you write:
> 
> << >One that I like is some sort of beating associated with the gap firing
> > >energy point on the AC sine. (Varying in spark systems)  Another thought I
> > >like might have to do with the number of beats in the decaying wave train
> > >(coupling and gap related).
> > >
> > Richard,
> > 	I've been doing some low break rate quenching tests today
> > using a +-10kVdc supply. I've been observing the gap voltage and RF
> > output. No matter what type of gap I've used, I see this type of spark
> > to a grounded electrode at these low break rate; of between 1 and 10
> > bps.
>  
> > 	It can't be an AC mains beat because I'm using a DC supply.
> > It's not the beat envelop because I still see it when the gap quenches
> > at the first beat notch. It didn't matter if I was using a 9 gap
> > cylindrical gap, a 6 gap commercial gap, a pair of carriage bolts or
> > my async rotary. (I just went out to the garage and double check this)
>  
> > 	Regards,
>  
> > 	jim >>
> 
> Richard, Jim, all,
> 
> I don't remember if I mentioned it on this list previously, but when
> I operate my small staccato tube coil that produces the one, straight,
> swordlike stabbing spark, if I turn up the power a little higher, small
> sparks begin to appear at right angles to the main spark "trunk".  
> The small sparks are separated by a few inches and I think evenly
> spaced along the main trunk spark.  The whole thing looks like a
> utility pole with the climbing nails that stick out of it going all the
> way up to the top.  The main spark on the staccato coil is about 17"
> high and goes straight upwards.
> 
> I have to take a look at the coil output to verify that these small
> right angle spark protrusions are truly spaced evenly...but if they
> are...it would suggest to me some sort of node points, maybe
> a ringing in the arc itself, or some harmonic action, etc.  Or maybe
> there's a better explanation.  Whatever it is, it's very bizarre, and
> I've never seen anything like it in other types of coils. 
> 
> The right angle aspects of the small side sparks suggests to me that
> these small sparks are seeing the main trunk as a sort of ground plane,
> perhaps with energy storage within these nodes (which become
> known only by the emission of the small side sparks).  Or maybe
> there's a standing wave on the main spark trunk itself, but it would
> have to be around 200MHz to have the few inch spacing.  The coil
> runs at 500kHz.  It would be interesting if the small right angle side
> sparks themselves have small side sparks which would suggest a
> fractal nature.  I'll take a look at the spark again and report if there's
> anything interesting.
> 
> John Freau
> 
> 
> 
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