[TCML] Re: Spark gap Resistance

[Barton B. Anderson]

Hi Greg,

When you increased the primary impedance on the system, were there 
energy transfer measurements made before and after? For quite a while 
now, I've considered the secondary's ability to do something with the 
energy provided is what determines what the impedance of the primary 
needs to be for best efficiency of the system.

It appears to me that by increasing the primary impedance, you've given 
the secondary the time to do something with that energy. This in turn 
results in less recursive energy flows and greater efficiency in the 
primary and secondary circuits.

Take care,
Bart


>
> Given that the operating Zpri was 5.3ohm, one might imagine that this 
> system would nominally work, as it did, although with considerable gap 
> losses.  The design improvements made in 1998 [increasing Zpri to 
> 14ohm, larger toroid] actually increased the arc performance while 
> reducing the maximum wall-plug draw down to about 25kW.  The rotary 
> gap can now operate steady-state without significant heating, as the 
> peak currents are now only about 2500A.  GL