Re: "real" lightning and TC lightning...

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

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

> Voltage...a LOT :) TCs are in the 100's of kV (some of

> the freaky big ones like Electrum and the 13M are

> Megavolt+ systems, but most are much less).  Lightning

> is several Megavolts. The biggest coils on earth make

> less than 100' arcs, lightning is Thousands of feet.
	...which it makes in short steps...  Longer than

	Tesla sparks, but still multiple steps.


> Freq, Lightning is a few shots in the same place all going

> the same way.

	I'd say more than few, based on my reading...

> It ramps up, then down. It's not a single BANG, it's more

> a boom Boom BOOM!  kinda thing.

	There are two sorts of periodicity to natural lighting:
	At minimum, multiple steps to establish the original
	channel.
	One or more 'power strokes' down the channel.
	And Sometimes follow on strokes.  Needs a high speed
	camera, etc, to sort this out.


> A TC isn't a single shot either (usually, I know I know...) a 
> TC is a series of several arcs down the same path at a constant

> freq.
	As is lightning, tho the rep rate is not so defined.

 
> Light[n]ing is DC, as far as TC's well, I'm not really sure if

> they're AC or DC.

	Yes
	8)>>

> I was sure yesterday, then your question got me thinking...

> like this...

> I used to believe that a TC rang up the topload by storing successive 
> charges until breakout, then you get an arc. But if this is the case the 
> output would be DC, pure DC like a VDG (think how a VDG works, small stored 
> charges of energy in a topload).
 
> If a TC was storing AC in the topload it would even out and there would be 
> no breakout as the topload went from +20kV to 0 to -20kV to 0 etc....

	Which brings up another difference between TC
	and natural lighting:
		Whatever a TC does (and its complex...)
		Natural lighting has a high DC 'field',
		pre existing.
	best
	dwp

...the net of a million lies...
	Vernor Vinge
There are Many Web Sites which Say Many Things.
	-me