From: "Tesla list" <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>
To: tesla@xxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: first non NST coil questions
Date: Sun, 25 Mar 2007 19:13:36 -0600
Original poster: "Barton B. Anderson" <bartb@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
I think what Jared was referring to is the classic sucker gap
configuration, not the fact that the sucker gap is a type of vacuum
gap. Certainly, there are pressure and vacuum configurations that
"could" be created for high power, but for the normal coiler
building a sucker gap, he's correct. But like all technology, it's
just a matter of someone doing what someone else didn't think of.
Happens all the time on this list.
Bart
Tesla list wrote:
Original poster: Jim Lux <jimlux@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
At 03:06 PM 3/24/2007, you wrote:
Original poster: "Jared Dwarshuis" <jdwarshuis@xxxxxxxxx>
Original poster: Jim Lux <<mailto:jimlux@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>jimlux@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Indeed. The Marx blast gap has been used at tens of kW in both
pressure and vacuum implementations. It's all a matter of airflow
and electrode design.
.............................................................................................
Hi Jim:
I did say "sucker gap", did I not?
Yep.. and Marx gaps have been implemented with the pressure
differential created on the suction side. All that matters is
highspeed gas flow through the electrodes. Not how I'd do it
myself, but that doesn't mean that someone hasn't successfully done
it in the past. I would imagine that just about every kind of
spark gap one can imagine has been tried over the past 100 years or
so. For all I know, the high power suction gap was used to get
around a patent for a high powered pressurized gap.
I've also seen them implemented with the plasma pulled through the
center of the electrode and those with the plasma blown out through
an annular gap. The former is easy with a suction source, the
latter easier with pressure.
One I built used a vacuum cleaner to provide the suction in a
triggered gap along the Marx design. Granted, the motor died
fairly quickly, and it was noisy as all get out (not only was there
gap noise, but the scream of the vacuum cleaner motor contributed
it's share). A nice quiet air compressor a long way away with a
big receiver was a much more pleasant experience.
Closed systems, or open systems with gas bottles are not very
practical, and really have nothing to do with "sucker" gaps!
No gas bottles required.. just a good blower, pump, or compressor,
and that's just a matter of mechanical stuff. It's remarkably easy
to get sonic flow with 30 psi pressure differential (look up a
handbook for "choked flow through an orifice"). Heck, an ordinary
air nozzle on shop air will sometimes show Mach diamonds,
especially if the air is humid and there's no drier in the
compressed air system.