Re: GB> Chaffee Spark Gap

["Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>]

Original poster: "Mike Nolley by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <nolleym-at-willamette.edu>

>   Originally the gap was run in an atmosphere of moist hydrogen, but
> hydrogen being difficult to obtain in ordinary practice, it was found by
> Cutting and Washington that alcohol vapor could be substituted, provided
it was
> distilled into the gap

Sounds a little like the Poulsen Arc, except the electrodes are aluminum
and copper.
Fairly little research has been done on this list with regard to using
hydrogen gas
or alchohol vapor as a quenching medium.  This is due to the danger of
using flammable
gases.  Methinks however that this concern pales in comparison with the
dangers of hv.
Maybe when I finally de-bug my 10 kw Poulsen Arc the list will take notice.
 Thanks for the
interesting post.