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Re: TC Spark Energy



Original poster: David Sharpe <sccr4us-at-erols-dot-com> 

Hi Steve, Marco

Tesla list wrote:
>Original poster: "Steve Conner" 
><mailto:steve.conner-at-optosci-dot-com><steve.conner-at-optosci-dot-com>
> >I guess the main reason is bangs_per_seconds rate. For Thor, keeping the
> >same bang energy even at 300 BPS is not a problem.
>
>I don't think it's that. My OLTC II can crank out 7 joule bangs at anything
>up to 550 bps, it's limited only by the risk of melting the capacitor bank
>with too much RMS current. Note to self: Next time use more, smaller tank
>caps in parallel, with forced air cooling :(
>
>What I think it _might_ be...
>
>Hypothesis 1. OLTC has lower resonant frequency than a classic coil. Low
>frequency output is worse for streamer growth, because displacement current
>in streamer channels is less. (Streamers are a capacitive load, the current
>drawn increases with frequency.) The operation of Jimmy H's DRSSTC tends to
>disprove this, legend has it that it produces 65 to 75" with less than 1.5kW
>of power, and the same 66kHz resonant frequency as my coil.
>
>Hypothesis 2. OLTC has lower output voltage for a given energy than a
>classic coil. (Lots of self capacitance due to fat secondary and big
>topload.) Low output voltage hurts streamer propagation. Jimmy H's
>experiments reinforce this, he uses a smaller secondary and somewhat higher
>bang energy than my setup (9-10 Joules?) hence more voltage. The OLTC II
>puts out something like 500 to 600kV (estimated)
>
>What is Thor's output voltage and resonant frequency?
>
>Steve C.
-----------------------------
Another possiblity is that there is some impedance matching going on between
the primary and the resonator.  What if the primary impedance is so low, that
"reasonable" power transfer is limited?  It has been frequently demonstrated
in the past that machines with smaller capacitors, higher input voltages 
and larger
primaries for a given operational frequency (i.e. higher surge impedance)
have generally had higher efficiencies (i.e. longer spark length for given 
input power)
then machines with lower surge impedances operating at lower voltages.
There also may be a significant amount of energy transfer capacitively
between primary and resonator; this clearly would be the case with higher
operational voltages.

Much hand waving here as well...

Regards
Dave Sharpe, TCBOR/HEAS
Chesterfield, VA. USA