Re: Saturation/the real meaning?

["Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>]

Original poster: "BunnyKiller by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-uswest-dot-net>" <bigfoo39-at-telocity-dot-com>

Tesla list wrote:

> Original poster: "harvey norris by way of Terry Fritz
<twftesla-at-uswest-dot-net>" <harvich-at-yahoo-dot-com>
>
> I see numerous posts where it is mandated that when a
> ballast method is being used to control the amperage
> input to a tesla coil, that if the inductor is
> saturated this will cause its amperage consumption to
> go way up. I can accept that fact. But I cannot accept
> the numerous quotes I have seen where it is
> additionally stated that at saturation the inductance
> or impedance goes to zero, which is the cause for the
> large amperages. Perhaps I have misread the context or
> meaning of that statement.

BIG snipperz....

Hi Harvey....

like you, I am still fighting that horrendious learning curve of inductance ;)

what you have mentioned is correct.

I need to see things in a more simple way ....  ( i hate math) the way i
see it is that as the flux
increases, the amount of lines increase, which "saturates" the core with
the lines of flux. As this
saturation increases, the ability of the steel core to resist the magnetic
fields change decreases,
thus becoming more like an air core inductor ( becoming more apt to allow
current flow up to a
point, because an air core inductor cant saturate but considering its
physical makeup it will have
alot less inductance compared to the same coil with a core). Thus the
increased amp flow thru the
inductor eventually fries the insulation of the coils and WALA smoke.

sooo.. what I have come to conclude ...

is that the core of an inductor to be rated for 60A + should be at least a
minimum of 12" square (
center leg) and the wire should be a # 6 or # 8 with about 200 turns.

since # 6 wire is not easy to find, consider using 3 # 10 wires for about
90A worth of current
capacity.



Scot D