Re: oil dielectric

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

Original poster: "Ed Phillips by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <evp-at-pacbell-dot-net>

Tesla list wrote:
> 
> Original poster: "Mark Fergerson by way of Terry Fritz
<twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <mfergerson1-at-cox-dot-net>
> 
> Tesla list wrote:
> >
> > Original poster: "by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>"
<Xyme3-at-aol-dot-com>
> >
> >    Would it be possible to enclose the primary inside a plastic container
> > filled with oil?
> 
>   Sure, but why? Tesla (and others) built "demonstration"
> coils with the primary/secondary assembly immersed in oil
> but AFAIK not the primary alone.
> 
>   Tesla's stated reason was to minimize corona losses,
> flashover (what we today call racing arcs IIUC) on the
> secondary, and pri/sec arcs, and he preferred oil because
> it's "self-healing". Still makes sense in light of today's
> knowledge, but why just the primary?
> 
>   Mark L. Fergerson


	There was an article in TCBA News a number of years ago which described
a 1920's vintage GE HV testing lab.  If I remember correctly,
one of the devices was indeed an oil-immersed Tesla coil.  Should work
fine, but messy messy messy.  Once stuff has been in transformer oil it
is never as nice again.

Ed