Re: Primary Heating

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

Original poster: "Paul Nicholson by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <paul-at-abelian.demon.co.uk>

rheidlebaugh wrote:
> No current is not every where the same.

I must correct this,

The primary has a virtually uniform current, unlike the
distributed quarter wave resonators whose properties Robert
is refering to.  In those, there is sufficient capacitance
along the length to cause the necessary 90 degree phase delay
to a wavefront travelling along it.  The length of wire necessary
to do this approaches the free space quarter wave in straight wires.

The primary coil would like to behave like this, and if it did
not have a large C across it, it would resonate with the 
familiar 1/4 current profile that Robert describes, but at a
frequency consistent with its own self-capacitance, circa a few
megahertz.  The added C of the primary cap is vastly higher than
the primaries self-C, and the current supplying the tank C therefore
dominates the primary current. The additional non-uniform current
due to primary self-C is about 1% of this, and the resulting phase
change along the coil is therefore at best 1 degree.  Of course,
the primary circuit can still be said to be quarter wave resonant,
its just that the primary tank C is providing the other 89 degrees
of phase shift.

> Keeping in mind in a TC we are not dealing with a uniform sign
> wave current, but a multi harmonic pulse burst of intense current.

No, we are dealing with an almost sinusoidal current. The primary
current rises gently over the first quarter cycle of the resonant
frequency.  Providing your k factor is not too high (!) it is a 
mistake to think of the TC being excited by a sharp pulse.  
--
Paul Nicholson
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