RE: spark gap question...

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

Original poster: "Lau, Gary by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <Gary.Lau-at-compaq-dot-com>

Let's say that the air passing through the gap is traveling at the speed
of sound - 1129 ft/sec.  In a typical coil, the time from the start of a
bang to first primary notch, where we'd like an "ideal" gap to quench,
is about 40 usec.  Mach 1 air will travel 0.54" in this time, which is
just about how far you'd want any ionized air to be from your electrodes
to prevent re-ignition.  But is mach 1 airflow actually attainable in
our gaps?  Also, is it a given that the plasma channel moves with the
airflow, or could it simply exist wherever the current path is?  Ions
from an *extinguished* arc would be swept away, but I don't know about
an active plasma channel.

Gary Lau
MA, USA

>Original poster: "Sundog by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>"
<sundog-at-timeship-dot-net>
>
>Hi All!
>
>Isn't the plasma effectively remvoed by the high airflow?  I see no
reason
>the gap wouldn't quench well, if the spark by the trigger electrode is
tho
>only thing that lets it fire? With enough air, you can quench anything
:)
>
>Shad
>besides, it's less fuss than a rotary!