ballasting

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

Original poster: "by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <herwig.roscher-at-gmx.de>


Hi fellow coilers,

If a PIG's LV winding was ballasted with an arc welder and the PIG 
fed the primary circuit of a TC system: Does the current consumption 
change much, if the initially open welding leads are shorted?

IMO the leakage inductance of a welder is much larger than its 
magnetizing inductance. Therefore the reflected secondary short, 
which in fact shorts the primary magnetizing inductance, should not 
have a dramatic influence on the total primary inductance of the 
welder and the current from the wall socket. As the relationship 
between both primary inductances of MOTs is smaller, shorting or 
opening their secondary winding should have a larger influence on the 
current. Right?

Unfortunately I don't operate a TC system fed from a PIG or a MOT and 
I can not perform measurements therefore. But of course I'd like to 
understand the theory.

BTW: Instead of inductive ballasts one could use capacitive ones. 
Besides of changing the phase relationship, which could make the 
correct alignment of a RSG difficult, are there any other drawbacks? 
Why are inductive ballasts used mostly?

Cheers,

Herwig---------------------------------------
Greed is the root of all evil!
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