Chris,
The energy transfer rate from primary to secondary is affected only by
the
coupling, assuming a set frequency. If the coil quenches at 1st notch
versus 3rd notch, this does *not* affect the transfer rate. The
particular notch of quenching only affects the *number* of transfers, not
the rate of transfer. This is what Bart was explaining. So a fast
draining of energy from the secondary (through a ground strike for
example) will affect which notch the gap quenches at, but not the primary
to secondary transfer rate.
What an early ground strike (or a lower streamer impedance) does, is
to *prevent* more than one transfer. If there is more than one transfer,
(for example 2nd notch quench), it obviously takes time for these extra
transfers to occur. This extra time is what makes the quenching occur
later. The late quenching is not due to a slower rate of transfer.
Let's go back to the car analogy. Suppose you have a car which can
only travel at 100 miles per hour (no faster, no slower). You drive from
London to Dover and let's say it takes 1 hour. Your rate of travel
(transfer)
is 100 miles per hour (MPH). But let's say you make the trip to Dover,
then turn around and go back to London, then go back to Dover again.
That's going to take 3 hours of total travel time (2nd notch quench).
So the car was traveling 3 times longer (gap was firing 3 times longer).
But the car always traveled at 100 MPH. It never went faster or slower.
The rate of motion of the car (rate of transfer) didn't change.
John