Re: 1 gap rotary spark gap (fwd)

["Tesla list" <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Fri, 06 Jul 2007 17:11:40 -0400
From: David Speck <dave@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: Tesla list <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: 1 gap rotary spark gap (fwd)

Scott,

It's been tried -- doesn't work very well.  The discharge is a high 
powered plasma, and tends to destroy pretty much anything that comes 
into its path.  The best insulators tend not to have really great 
mechanical properties when spun at high speed and exposed to a plasma 
flame. 

Furthermore, to minimize gap losses, you want your gaps to be as close 
together as practical when firing.  If you leave room between the 
electrodes for the insulator disc to move in, then the electrodes will 
tend to be farther apart than optimal. 

Dave
> Hey all,
>      I'm sure this has been done before by somebody somwhere, but I got an 
> idea.  Could one build a spark gap, that consisted of a single gap between 
> two stationary electrodes, with a disk, an insulator, that spun between 
> them.  the disk would have holes in it allowing the gap to arc occasionally, 
> as the holes passed the stationary electrodes.  Would there be any advantage 
> to this design (my thinking is that a single gap would lead to (slightly) 
> higher efficiencies, and if one could find a very thin but strong insulator, 
> it would be very easy to build).  Just felt like potting that out there.
> Scott Bogard.