Re: followup on Ballasting MOTs with water

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

You might also be getting small steam explosions... (also called bumping,
when heating a beaker or flask over a concentrated heat source).

 I note that the vaporizer in the kid's room heats the water with a pair of
carbon electrodes in water (to which one adds a small amount of salt to
increase the conductivity (and the power dissipated)).

I find that copper sulfate is the all around best salt to use for water
resistors, particularly for AC (the copper plates out on one half cycle,
then is reabsorbed on the other).  Table salt (sodium chloride) makes things
that are corrosive as it decomposes (sodium hypochlorite (bleach) and sodium
hydroxide) and seems to be really hard on electrodes and containers. (They
make bleach by hydrolyzing salt water) Others claim that Epsom salt
(Magnesium Sulfate) (do they mine the stuff near Epsom, or is in the natural
springs (like the vile tasting stuff in Bath), or did some famous Epsomite
identify the stuff, or what? Inquiring minds want to know) works well.   I
suspect that sulfates, in general, will be better than chlorides. Nitrates
might also work well. Carbonates aren't all that soluble, but I think you
want to stay away from halogens in general (Chlorides, Bromides, etc.) and
from the reactive metals (Sodium, Potassium, etc.)
----- Original Message -----
From: "Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
To: <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
Sent: Wednesday, January 23, 2002 5:57 PM
Subject: followup on Ballasting MOTs with water


> Original poster: "Cory Roussel by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>"
<imcuddlycory-at-yahoo-dot-com>
>
> Hello,
>
> to anyone interested in my finding about ballasting
> MOTs using a jar of water as a HV resistor:
>
> You will want to make larger electrodes then i
> mentioned earlier...
>
> Keep the temp of the water managable (raise the size
> of the jar for higher wattage and/or put it in  a
> icebath)
>
> Keep it mechanically stable to whatever your working
> on...
>
> Dont seal it airtight!
>
>
> i have been experiencing what i am assuming to be
> underwater explosions in mine on the electrodes that
> caused the jar to start 'walking' around my work bench
> upon every discharge...  it eventually came to an
> obsticle and FELL OVER LEAKING CHARGED WATER
> EVERYWHERE, which did nothing more than scare the
> daylight out of me.....  this occurs more often at
> higher temperatures, hence after a little bit of
> running....  the explosions do look neat thogh.  i do
> beleive the reason for these mysterious explosions
> would be due to the fact i am working with AC, so asin
> any time you run a charge through water, hydrogen is
> created on the anode and oxygen on the cathode, since
> they switch polarity constantly so fast, the gas has
> nowhere to gofast enough, creating a mixture of H2 and
> 02 on the same electrode, then electrical arcing
> occurs through the mixture, causing a small
> explosion... the water absorbs all the energy from the
> blast though so no worries, however if were pulling
> 10000W somehow, then there might be a mroe sereous problem....
>
> _
>
>