Robin, plasma physics has some interesting behavior regarding the kink instability that you should consider here. Specifically, consider a current traveling through a plasma in a straight line -- no "kink". Now consider a helical path for that same current so that it forms what might be thought of as an electromagnet through the center of the helix. Each turn in the helix attracts the one adjacent to it, just as do the turns in a solid electromagnet. However, unlike a solid electromagnet there is nothing that prevents these turns from merging. When they inevitably collapse into a single toroid and pinch off the current a kind of "singularity" occurs that has much in common with an induction coil driven spark gap. I don't know what the equations for this look like but it is easy for me to imagine that current could be "transformed" into voltage during this transition -- yielding _very_ energetic electrons.
On Wed, Dec 12, 2012 at 3:34 PM, <mix...@bigpond.com> wrote: > In reply to Axil Axil's message of Wed, 12 Dec 2012 16:21:55 -0500: > Hi, > [snip] > > The reason why Russ is using so much spark power (500 joules ) is because > >he is following the system that Bob Rohner built which does NOT use > >pre-ionization. The new control circuit that Russ has invented will > >pre-ionize the spark channel with a low amperage high voltage spark of > >about 90, 000 volts from two auto ignition coils wired in series. This > >will switch in the high powered spark discharge from this capacitor bank > at > >about 350 volts. This is called “Triggering in a trigatron spark gap”. > >http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trigatron for the theory, see: > > > http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=web&cd=7&cad=rja&sqi=2&ved=0CEwQFjAG&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdigitalcommons.unl.edu%2Fcgi%2Fviewcontent.cgi%3Farticle%3D1022%26context%3Delecengwilliams&ei=R_PIUN_YCOTD0AGMroDYBg&usg=AFQjCNEs1s7LOYnRaKBY4XIihziFcWZAEg&sig2=KhJ0T3Lkdd_I_ol5YZEcAw > > This is an innovation that Russ will test to reduce the power needed to > >ionize the penning gas mix. Papp used RF or spark voltage to regulate > the > >speed of the engine. Russ will use spark timing as is currently done in > gas > >engines. Cheers: Axil * * * * * * > > ..which clearly shows that Russ has no idea of the process involved. It's > precisely the high voltage that is mandatory. (The electrons need as much > kinetic energy as you can give them.) > More low energy electrons will not do the trick. Analogous to the > photoelectric > effect. > Energy put into creating low energy electrons is mostly wasted. What he > should > be using is a 20 kV capacitor bank, not 350 V. > Regards, > > Robin van Spaandonk > > http://rvanspaa.freehostia.com/project.html > >
