[TCML] calculating primary thickness and surface area

[Bill Lemieux <gomezaddams@xxxxxxxxx>]

Is there a guideline or formula for calculating the minimum
necessary primary thickness or width for a given power level?

I already have my own empirical data from previous coils I've
built, so I'm not really looking for anecdotal inputs like "oh,
I've always used 1/2" refrigerator tubing up to NN kilowatts,
and it's always worked well for me..."

Given the price of copper these days, I would like to be able to
determine the minimum amount I can use in my primary for a given
power level without significantly impacting performance.

I've specified a relatively high inductance primary of around
ten turns and about 40+" OD, so peak circulating currents should
be lower than in some designs.  Of course, I'm also trying to
minimize power dissipated in the gap.

As for thickness and surface area, I would have thought that the
1/e skin depth at 100kHz (near where this coil should tune up)
would have been quite deep, but an online calculator suggest it
is only 9 mils for copper!

 - Bill "Gomez" Lemieux,
	Denver, Colorado, USA
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