Re: An Idea! for cap

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

Original poster: "gary weaver" <gary350-at-earthlink-dot-net> 

As I recall the dielectic strength of paper is not real good or I should say
there are many things that are much better than paper.  Paper being the
weakest link in an oil paper cap.  I have built all sorts of weard capacitor
experements over the past several years.  I like things that are bullet
proof because after putting a lot of time into building it and spending a
lot of money buying it I don't want to trash it and built it again.   I
built a metal rod HV oil filled cap in a PVC pipe once.  I tired real hard
to make it self distruct but never could so I built a larger one.  I cut a
piece of 4" dia, PVC pipe 12" long.  I bought some 1/8" steel welding rods
3' lengths with NO flux at a welding shop.  I cut plastic circles to slip
fit in to the PVC pipe.  I put the plastic circles in a stack and drilled
1/8" holes 1/4" apart as many as I could get.   I glued the plastic circles
in the inside of the PVC pipe one on each end.  I cut the 3' welding rods
into 12" lengths and slid them into the 1/8" holes in the plastic circle.
Sorta like sliding uranium rods into a nuclear reactor.  I connected the
steel  wires + an - one each end with copper connecting wire.   I drilled a
hole in the PVC end cap and attached the copper wire to a 1/4" bolt.  Stick
the bolt in the hole with gasket and a nut so it won't leak.   Glue on one
end cap then fill the PVC pipe with HV oil and glue on the other end cap.
The wires all have a 1/8" space between them with HVoil in the space.  HV
oils it rated about 40,000. per 1/8".  It makes an excellent cap just
connect your wires to the bolts on the ends.  $25.00 cap that won't self
distruct.  If it ever arcs inside the HV oil is self healing.

Gary Weaver






----- Original Message -----
From: "Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
To: <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
Sent: Tuesday, December 02, 2003 4:15 PM
Subject: An Idea! for cap


 > Original poster: "pjj" <tha3rdman-at-zoominternet-dot-net>
 >
 > I was thinking on an eariler post, that a paper cap's dielectric is usualy
 > oil. Being a man of many hobbies in r/c cars shocks & diffs is silicon
base
 > "oil" off variing weights from 10 wt. to 250,000 wt. any idea where i can
 > find the dielectic strenth of this stuff? and other stuff.
 >
 >
 > ----- Original Message -----
 > From: "Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
 > To: <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
 > Sent: Tuesday, December 02, 2003 10:00 AM
 > Subject: Re: Pungent Odor from HV Capacitors
 >
 >
 >  > Original poster: "Crow Leader" <tesla-at-lists.symmetric-dot-net>
 >  >
 >  > ----- Original Message -----
 >  > From: "Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
 >  > To: <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
 >  > Sent: Tuesday, December 02, 2003 12:28 AM
 >  > Subject: Pungent Odor from HV Capacitors
 >  >
 >  >
 >  >  > Original poster: dhmccauley-at-spacecatlighting-dot-com
 >  >  >
 >  >  > I have a few high voltage capacitors that seem to be giving off a
 > pungent,
 >  >  > unpleasant type solvent smell.  Among these are some smaller Maxwell
 > metal
 >  >  > can type capacitors as well
 >  >  > as some grey GE type HV capacitors.   Also, both capacitors are
 >  > practically
 >  >  > new and never used, so they aren't like some old leaking capacitors.
 >  >  >
 >  >  > Anyone have any ideas of what this odor is???
 >  >
 >  > Wow, could be lots of stuff. GE "Dielectrol (pick a number)" non-PCB
stuff
 >  > smells musty and bad. The only caps I've ripped open that smell like a
 >  > solvent would be some early 80's stuff from FCI that was impregnated
with
 > I
 >  > believe to be carbon tetrachloride. The impregnant completely
evaporated.
 >  > The MSDS for a General Atomics (formerly Maxwell) I have says the
 > impregnant
 >  > for my cap is isopropyl bi-phenyl, which should be a clear yellow
liquid
 >  > with a "straw" like odor. It's not likely your caps are mineral oil
 > filled.
 >  > Even with additives, they'd be pretty smell free. I've been to several
HV
 >  > cap factories. All they smell like is paper. I've smashed open silicone
 >  > impregnated caps, again, no smell, but it's obvious they are filled
with
 >  > silicone from how fast the oily mess flows over the entire surface of
the
 >  > cap. The stuff literally flows out of any cracks or leaks and makes an
 > oily
 >  > mess anywhere it can flow (up down, no difference).
 >  >
 >  > Give General Atomics a call with the partn number. Say you have a leak
and
 >  > want the MSDS for the clean up.
 >  >
 >  > KEN
 >  >
 >  >
 >  >
 >
 >