Re: Optimum toroid size

["Kennan C Herrick" <kcha1-at-juno-dot-com> (by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-uswest-dot-net>)]

Gary & all-

As I've commented on before, it seems to me that one wants the ROC
sufficiently large so that almost the maximum attainable voltage is
reached before breakout.  That way, the initial streamer will be as long
as possible.  Once the initial streamer is established, then additional
energy put into it (as I can do with my s.s. coil, for ~5 ms or so) can
serve to branch it out and/or fatten it.  If the ROC is too large, then
one would have to use another electrode (the "breakout point"), having a
smaller ROC, to establish the spark.

But a nice thing about breaking out from the toroid itself--if one has a
nice smooth one as some of us are looking forward to having--would be
that the sparks will dance around it in an entertaining manner.

So those of you (the vast majority) who need to worry about tuning would
need to get the ROC to the optimum first and >then< tune.  Not a simple
task!

Correct me if I am wrong.

Ken Herrick

On Mon, 09 Oct 2000 11:14:03 -0600 "Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
writes:
> Original poster: "Lau, Gary" <Gary.Lau-at-compaq-dot-com> 
> 
> The discussion so far has been how to maximize top-load voltage 
> prior to
> breakout.  Increasing top-load size results in higher radius of 
> curvature
> (ROC), which increases breakout voltage, while increasing top-load 
> size also
> decreases maximum attainable secondary voltage by virtue of 
> conservation of
> energy Esec (0.5 CpriVpri**2) <= Epri(0.5CsecVsec**2).
> 
> I have to wonder though whether maximizing pre-breakout top-load 
> voltage is
> a necessary condition for optimum performance.  Many, if not most of 
> us use
> a breakout point on our top-loads.  They serve to direct the 
> streamers to
> where we want them, force breakout to occur, and also to concentrate 
> all
> available energy into (hopefully) one long streamer.  But it would 
> seem that
> the use of breakout points renders the ROC consideration a mute 
> point.
> 
> If I have a toroid with a breakout point and streamers don't occur, 
> then I
> conclude that the top-load capacitance is too large.  If I have a 
> toroid
> with a breakout point and *multiple* streamers occur (I want only 
> one), then
> I conclude the top-load capacitance is too small.  But I don't 
> believe ROC
> of the top-load is a major consideration.  Is this thinking 
> incorrect?
> 
> Gary Lau
> Waltham, MA USA
> 
> 
> 

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