It's possible that as the electrolyte evaporates, and there is not sufficient electrolyte to make a fully-immersed path from anode to cathode (you'll have to confirm that), there are moments when the liquid withdraws from point(s) on one of the electrodes - because of the tendency of water to form minimum-area surfaces due to surface tension, for example.
At this moment, even a relatively low voltage might be enough to arc across the tiny, just-formed air gap between the exposed cathode and the withdrawing electrolyte. The arc would be visible as a tiny spark. The spark could vaporize a tiny bit of the withdrawing water, and the conductivity of the microscopic puff of steam could kill the arc a moment later. This effect could occur repeatedly and rapidly. Jeff On Wed, Oct 17, 2012 at 10:14 AM, David Roberson <dlrober...@aol.com> wrote: > It would be nearly impossible to catch the spark in the act with single > frame photography since the duration is so short. I am confident that > anyone could get similar results if they use sodium carbonate along with a > supply like I am using. All they need do is dissolve plenty of the > carbonate in the bath and allow the water to vaporize. It happens on every > experiment now, even with new nickels. > > During certain spark events I see two or three sparks appear > simultaneously at different locations around and upon the nickel attached > to the negative supply terminal. This reminds me of lightning streamers. > > Many times the flash appears to be underneath the thick white deposit > that coats most of the test nickel. I do not recall ever seeing a spark or > flash at the other nickel and they are both coated and separated by a > distance of about 1 to 1.5 inches. > > I am not sure what the sparks represent, but the fact that it can be > obtained so easily leads me to believe that it is most likely not LENR > related. My suspicion is that this is some chemical reaction that occurs > as a result of intense heating at the point where the released electrical > energy is focused. Could it be the result of a plasma reaction within the > hydrogen gas and carbonate? > > I have added water after the sparking phenomena finally concludes and > the thick nickel deposits dissolve back into the solution. There is no > additional sparking after these deposits are gone and the bath level > increased. On occasion, I have seen a long burst of sparking from the edge > of the test nickel when water has just been added to the bath but before > the deposit has started to dissolve. On a couple of occasions, I was > afraid a fire would begin at the point of intense spark emission. > Fortunately, this never lasts for a significant length of time. > > The sparking and flashing phenomena continues to occur within the same > experimental setup after the freshly added water has vaporized again. I > performed this test several times, each taking a couple of hours. > > The main clue I detect is that the sparks are always associated with the > negative connected nickel which should be emitting hydrogen gas. For this > reason, I suspect that the gas may become ignited by some high intensity of > heat or local electrical spark or plasma due to the high open circuit > voltage of my supply. The vapor that often arises during the bright > flashes has a strong odor but dissipates quickly. > > I hope that this description of my observations is helpful. I can go > into more details if you wish. > > Dave > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Teslaalset <robbiehobbiesh...@gmail.com> > To: vortex-l <vortex-l@eskimo.com> > Sent: Wed, Oct 17, 2012 3:56 am > Subject: Re: [Vo]:New Experiment Started > > Dave, can you take some pictures and post? > > > > On Wed, Oct 17, 2012 at 8:26 AM, David Roberson <dlrober...@aol.com> wrote: > > Eric, I am running 3 amps of DC through my system. The sparks occur when > > the electrolyte is getting low, deposits are collecting on both nickels, and > > the supply voltage is varying a lot. I would guess that I am getting a > > couple of amps per square cm due to the deposits covering nickel area and > > many large bubbles as the electrolyte is boiling. > > > > There are sparks and bright yellow looking flashes that are very near or on > > the negative terminal connected nickel. I also see puffs of smoke rising > > after a large flash. These displays are quite interesting to watch. > > > > My supply most likely has a large capacitor connected across its output > > since I found that the two nickels will stick together with a bright flash > > if I allow them to touch when out of the cell. I wonder if the excess burst > > of energy due to capacitor discharge is evolved in the activity. > > > > This behavior appears every time I allow the electrolyte to boil until the > > cell is almost dry. > > > > Dave > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: Eric Walker <eric.wal...@gmail.com> > > To: vortex-l <vortex-l@eskimo.com> > > Sent: Tue, Oct 16, 2012 11:43 pm > > Subject: Re: [Vo]:New Experiment Started > > > > On Tue, Oct 16, 2012 at 4:35 PM, David Roberson <dlrober...@aol.com> wrote: > > > >> I finally obtained a safe alternative that is working at the moment. I am > >> getting sparks and all. Thanks for the idea. > > > > > > Does anyone know if sparks are common? What is the amperage per cm^2? > > > > Eric > > > > >
