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RE: TC vs Lightning


  To All -

  Coilers who are considering using Tesla coils to power any type of
electrical device should understand what the TC can do in terms of coulombs
of electricity. The coulomb is a quantity of electricity (amps x seconds)
and the amount of coulombs varies greatly depending on how it is used. For
example it takes very few coulombs to charge an object to millions of volts
compared to the very large quantity of electricity (coulombs) to light a
100 watt lamp at 120 volts.

  The average US home uses about 360 KWH of electricity per month. You may
want to compare this quantity of electricity in coulombs with the average
quantity of 150 coulombs/Km of electricity in a typical lightning strike.
The typical TC produces much less coulombs in terms of coulombs per strike.
You can also compare the cost of what you are paying per Kcoulombs compared
to what you are paying per KWH.

  After you do these calculations you will appreciate the fact that the
generation of electricity that you are using is by standard electrical
generators and not by lightning or Tesla coils.

  John Couture

-------------------------------- 

Date: Wed, 30 Sep 1998 12:14:41
>To: Tesla List <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
>From: "John H. Couture" <couturejh-at-worldnet.att-dot-net>
>Subject: RE: TC vs Lightning
>In-Reply-To: <3.0.6.32.19980928170606.00917190-at-verinet-dot-com>
>
>
>  Will -
>
>  By now you may have realized that I was thinking of the coulombs/Km
(Uman) in a lightning strike.
>
>  Thank you for the Internet site.
>
>  John Couture
>
>---------------------------------
>
>
>At 05:06 PM 9/28/98 -0600, you wrote:
>>Original Poster: "Payne, Will E" <will.e.payne-at-lmco-dot-com> 
>>
>>See terrestrial lightning and 'upward lightning' parameters online at
>>http://www.altair-dot-org/atmoelec.htm
>>Much of the terrestrial data is from Uman.
>>
>>Will
>><snips>
>>
>>>   I have attempted to compare the Lightning parameters in Uman's book with
>>> a typical Tesla coil using the JHCTES program. The coil is 60 KW with a 10
>>> meter (32.8 ft) spark length. This coil is similar to your 55 KW coil
>>> described in the TCBA News Vol 10, #2, page 14. 
>>> 
>>>                     Uman                Typical
>>>                     Lightning           Tesla Coil
>>> 
>>>   Kvolts/m          1000                316
>>>   Surge Z/m         100                 2434
>>>   Amps              10^4                130
>>>   watts/m           10^10               4.1 x 10^7 
>>>   time usec         10                  10 
>>>   joules/m          10^5                410
>>> 
>>>   KVs = 65 x (32.8 X 12)^.65 = 3160/10 = 316 KV/m
>>>   Surge Z ohms = sqrt(ls/Cs) = sqrt(.0646/109X10^-12)
>>>                = 24344/10 = 2434.4/m
>>>   Amps = V/Z = 316 000/2434.4 = 130
>>>   Watts = V x A = 316000 x 130 = 4.1 x 10^7/m
>>>   Joules = W x t = 4.1 x 10^7 x 10^-5 = 4.1 x !0^3/10 = 410/m
>>> 
>>> 
>>> >See Page 215, 'Lightning', by Uman.  
>>> >The typical energy in a strike is approximately 100kJ/m.
>>> >Therefore a 2 mile strike would therefore dissipate about 
>>> >_322 MILLION_ Joules.