Re: Gap Power Levels

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

Original poster: "by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <FutureT-at-aol-dot-com>

David,

Interesting issue, and I don't know if anyone has made comparisons
of that sort.  Folks have gotten very long sparks using static gaps,
but they may have been using a lot more power than would be 
needed using a RSG.  Another factor is an issue that Jim mentioned
the other day; at higher powers, the wide gap spacing of
static gaps, compared to RSG's, may cause large losses due
to the heavy currents involved.  Jim was refering to a triggered
gap situation, but static gaps also have generally rather wide
gap spacings, compared to RSG's in which the electrodes tend
to come closer together after the gap breaks down.  

John


>
> . If someone can 
> prove me wrong, then please do as I would really be intersted in seeing
> a stationary RQ style SG operating at > 5 kVA power levels that actually 
> worked as well ( had equal length output streamers ) as its RSG 
> counterpart :-)
>
> Sparkin' in Memphis,
> David Rieben
>
>