Re: simple question about ballast cores

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Original poster: "BunnyKiller by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <bigfoo39-at-telocity-dot-com>

> *unsnip*
>
> We plan to bifilar wind with #10. I believe we can push 20kVA through it
> quite easily, we've already tested it (the wire) on a big trannie core, it
> should be fine. If it fry's, we'll strip it all off and use something larger,
> no big deal.
>
> Have you ever used small steel wire as a core, with wire wrapped around it
> for current limiting to a pig? I just need to know if that, specifically,
> will work. I'm hoping so.
>
> BTW, we plan to run no more than 80 amps input to the pig. 100A is just a tap
> that will "be there", although we will probably do it anyway!!
>
> Justin Hays

hi Justin...

If I am thinking of what you are planning to use is the soft steel wire (
binding
wire) for the core application, the relative permuability of that steel
will be low
and can become more easily magnitized by the flux, which will hold the
"magnetic
field charge". The resulting change in electrical field will have to work
alot harder
to reverse this magnitization of the core and will result in higher than
normal core
temps... Since it would be difficult to insulate each steel wire, there
also will be
added eddy currents in the core which will also drive the heating factor even
higher...

It can work but the efficency will not be up to par. Since the possibility of
overheating the core was a potential problem, I didnt make one.

give it a try, you might find out something that will suprise us :)


Scot D