Nikola Tesla
continued....
The
key to understanding this bizarre phenomenon might be found here, he
thought. He observed the discharges from copper cylinders of various
diameters. Each became edged with white brush discharges when held near or
actually placed within the conductive copper strap of the impulser. The
discharge effect was most pronounced when cylinders were placed within the
periphery of the copper strap.
Tesla noticed that white corona sheaths were
actually covering the outer cylinder wall at times. These would appear,
build in strength, and disappear on sudden discharge with a surprising
length. The sheathing action was repetitive when the cylinder had a
critically small volume. Very small cylinders behaved like rods, where
discharges only appeared at their edges. The stability of these strange
sheath discharges varied with cylinder diameter and length. Tesla noticed
that not every cylinder performed well near the impulser. Only cylinders of
specific volume produced stable and continuous white electrical sheaths. If
the cylinders were too small, then the sheaths were intermittent and
unstable. There was an obvious connection between the supplied impulse train
and the cylinder volume. But what was it?
Tesla surveyed the entire range of his recent
discoveries. Impulses produced a radiant electrical effect. Radiant
electricity was mysteriously flowing through space. As it flowed, it
focused over metal conductors as a white fluidic corona. When the shape and
volume of the metal conductors were just right, the energy appeared as a
stable white corona of far greater voltage than the impulse generator
supplied. More questions. More discoveries.
Rods produced sparks from their edges, but not
as long as copper cylinders did. Tesla selected a cylinder, which worked
very well, and placed several horizontal "cuts" all around its surface. He
was totally surprised when, on testing, the spark discharge from the cut
cylinder was notably larger than before. Increased spark length means
increased voltage. But why did this diminished conductivity force the
voltage up?
The cuts diminished conductivity in the
cylinder by forcing the energy into a tighter "squeeze". He had noted that
electrical impulses displayed a tendency to traverse the outer surface of
metal conductors. Certain cylinders were often ensheathed in a fluidic white
discharge, which smoothly traveled between coil ends in a tightly
constricted layer. Here was something truly notable. His input voltage was
far less than that produced from the upper coil terminal. But why from end
to end?
The essential reason why current preferred
outer surface conduction was precisely because they were impulsing. The
sudden shock, which any conductor experienced, produced an expansive effect,
where the electrical charge was rejected by the conductive interior. This
"skin effect" was a function of impulse time and conductor resistance.
Highly resistant objects forced all of the impulse energy to the surface.
Now he was getting somewhere. Frustrated
radiant electricity constricted into a tighter surface volume when
encountering metal surfaces. This intense surface focusing effect brought
the voltage up to tremendous values. Here was a new transformer effect! He
believed it was an electrostatic transformation. Impulse currents each
possessed an electrostatic nature. The bunching of charge in the impulser
brings this electrostatic field to a peak in a small instant of time.
Constricting this field volume produces a
greatly magnified voltage. Placement of any conductor in the field space
alters the field by constricting its shape. When symmetrical conductors of
special shape, volume, and resistance are placed in this space, the field
is greatly constricted. Because the impulsing electrostatic field is very
abrupt, it "snaps" over the conductor from end to end.
Tesla knew that here is where the secret lies.
If resistance in the conductor is great enough, the snapping electrostatic
force cannot move any charges. It is forced to "grow" over the conductor
surface until it discharges at the end point, where greatly magnified
voltages are obtained. When the wire diameter is small enough, the wire
explodes under electrostatic pressures, which exceed those seen in dynamite.
In effect, Tesla had managed to interrupt a
high voltage direct current several thousand times per second. In doing so,
he had discovered a way to completely separate electrostatic energy from
current impulses. Tesla pondered these facts, wondering if it was possible
to force the magnification effect beyond the limits of standard
electromagnetic transformers. In other words, how high could voltage be
raised? Was there a limit to the process?
In order to achieve such enormous voltage
levels, he needed a conductive shape, which offered so much resistance to
charge movement, that all the applied energy would become electrostatic. In
effect, Tesla wanted to convert a quantity of supply power into a pure
electrostatic voltage. This phenomenon suggested that his goal was not
impossible.

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