Re: Triggered spark gaps for coils

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

Original poster: "Jim Lux by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-uswest-dot-net>" <jimlux-at-earthlink-dot-net>

This is precisely the phenomenon that is responsible for breakdowns in most
liquid dielectrics.  Small bubbles or debris causes a small field
concentration, which then propagates.  The breakdown strength for very pure
substances is usually much higher (orders of magnitude) than for not quite
so pure.  When I first saw breakdown strengths in a table for things like
hexane (rubber cement thinner, or light gasoline fractions) that were in the
Megavolts/cm range, I couldn't believe it (considering that air is all of 30
kV/cm).  Then, the footnote: liquids for test prepared by extensive
purification, degassing, etc.


----- Original Message -----
From: "Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
To: <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
Sent: Saturday, March 17, 2001 11:28 AM
Subject: Re: Triggered spark gaps for coils


> Original poster: "by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-uswest-dot-net>"
<Tesla729-at-cs-dot-com>
>
> Hi all,
>
> You know, since we're discussing triggered spark gaps,
> I have been thinking about the effect of placing some ob-
> ject between two electrodes charged w/ HV. Case-in-

<SNIP>

> I suppose, inserting even a fairly good insulator (dry wood)
> in a gap between to HV electrodes still disturbs the E-field
> enough to cause the trigger effect. Of course, the insert ma-
> terial would probably burn up pretty quickly if this method of
> triggering was employed into a Tesla SG and it would really
> be little more than a crude RSG, employing a mechanical