Re: vacuum spark gap

• To: tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
• Subject: Re: vacuum spark gap
• From: "Gavin Dingley" <gavin.dingley-at-astra.ukf-dot-net> (by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-uswest-dot-net>)
• Date: Sat, 29 Apr 2000 16:01:30 -0600
• Approved: twftesla-at-uswest-dot-net
• Delivered-To: fixup-tesla-at-pupman-dot-com-at-fixme

Hi Al,
correct me if I'm wrong, but don't you require a gas present to ionize and
form a
conducting channel. If you have a vacuum, then there are no gases present,
so how
does it conduct? The only other way as far as I can see it, is for the metal
particles from the electrodes forming the conducting channel. If this is
the case,
then a real high voltage is required before it will brake down. In this
case there
will be x-ray emissions.
Unless I have got the wrong end of the coil, I mean we are talking about the
primary circuit, or do you mean a spark gap of of the secondary coil. If it
is the
latter you may end up with a little particle accelerator and some radiation
when
the few particles in the vacuum pick up high velocities and strike the
electrodes;
major x-rays!

Regards,

Gavin, U.K.

Tesla List wrote:

> Original Poster: "Alfred C. Erpel" <aerpel-at-pil-dot-net>
>
> Hello,
>
>     I am going to build a vacuum spark gap. I have a vacuum pump capable of
> 10^-4 torr. I have all the machine shop equipment, vacuum grade grease
etc. to
> do this properly. It will need to switch less than 500 watts.
>     What non-mechanical issues might there be? X-ray concerns or any
other type
> of radiation? What percentage of energy might be expected to be absorbed
by the
> gap and/or radiated? What is the dielectric strength of a 10^-4 torr vacuum?
>
> Regards,
> Alfred Erpel
>

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