Monday, August 8, 2016

Theoretical arc discharge frequency of Cockcroft-Walton generator

A homemade Cockroft-Walton generator with dc output of 6kV was used for the experimental setup of the observation of discharge frequency behavior. The output of the generator is not static, meaning that the generator actually has to charge up. When the electric field created by the potential electrical difference is enough to cause ionization of the air an electrical discharge takes place in the form of a bright blue flash and a loud bang. The frequency of the discharges when the wires were static seem to be related to two factors: the distance between the wires and the potential difference. The electric potential difference sets the frequency between the discharges because it is constantly increasing as the generator charges to a maximum of 6kV.
The decrease in distance will decrease the voltage required to create certain electric field and then reducing the recharge required time, increasing the frequency. The probable relationship is non-exponential, future accurate measurements will be made to have certainty of this equation.Where fd is the discharge frequency, Ki is related to the charging velocity of the device which is related to the input voltage and frequency so i reckon that Ki is input frequency times the input voltage. And d is the distance between the two discharge wires

Ki = fi  Vi
fd = Ki/d

Experimental setup
Future measurements will be made with audio record of the bangs to measure exact frequency and also accurate distance measurement. With the second experiment i will be able to calculate Ki to understand it's nature.