[TCML] Still stuck at 36"

[bartb]

Hi Neal,

I'm not sure how much air an air hockey table produces, but I suspect 
it's simply not enough to keep the single gap cool enough. What you 
describe is "exactly" what occurs when heat causes the electrodes to 
contaminate the gap with ions lowering the breakdown voltage. Sparks 
will start out great and very soon diminish as the electrodes heat up. 
Using a RQ pipe gap would certainly be better for a lower air flow due 
to the surface area with all the pipes.

The idea with the single gap is that the single gap will have lower 
losses "if" the temperature is not affected by the power through the 
gap. However, with a single gap, the electrode thermal dissipation has 
to be excellent which usually means high air velocity and volume. This 
is one of the reasons why the pressure gap should work well (beyond the 
pressure situation).

Take care,
Bart

neal at imagesbyneal.com wrote:
> Just thought I'd throw in my 2 cents worth, since I just tried this-
> Someone earlier mentioned that a single gap might be better than an RQ type, but
> that was not the case for me. I'm using the blower from an air hockey table for
> quenching. I temporarily replaced my multi-gap with a single gap, fixed in a
> large pvc reducer fitting (I think 3" to 1 1/2") and directed as much air as
> possible over the gap. Cranking it up to about 60% power, within seconds I
> watched the streamers get reduced to almost nothing. Shut it off, let it cool
> down, and the same thing happened. So, for myself, I'll stick with the RQ
> style.
>
> Neal.
>   
>