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Electrically Induced Explosions in Water
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English
Abstract
A 2 μF capacitor was charged to voltages in the 1 - 10 kV range and discharged into a water column through a 38 μH inductor. At voltages up to about 6 kV, the water acted as a relatively high resistance and the circuit decayed as an overdamped RLC circuit. Resistance decreased with time. When the resistance dropped below about 10 Ω, the water would explode if the capacitor still had sufficient energy. The loudness was distinctly greater than an equivalent amount of gunpowder.
During the explosion, resistance would drop still more, so the circuit would become underdamped and oscillatory. Remaining water droplets are cool to the touch, so there is no evidence that the water has boiled into steam, although that has to remain a possibility. A low impedance arc in air sometimes forms after the explosion so the explosion is not necessarily caused by an air arc.
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Citation
Johnson, G., "Electrically Induced Explosions in Water," SAE Technical Paper 929469, 1992, https://doi.org/10.4271/929469.Also In
References
- Johnson, Gary L. “Searchers for a New Energy Source - Tesla, Moray, and Bearden” IEEE Power Engineering Review 12 1 January 1992 20 23
- Hathaway, George D. “Zero-Point Energy: A New Prime Mover? Energy Requirements for Energy Production & Propulsion from Vacuum Fluctuations” Proceedings of the IECEC 1991
- Graneau, Peter Graneau P. Neal “Electrodynamic Explosions in Liquids” Applied Physics Letters 46 5 March 1 1985 468 470
- Azevedo, Roy Graneau Peter Millet Charles “Powerful Water-Plasma Explosions” Physics Letters A 117 2 July 28 1986 101 105
- Graneau, Peter Ampere-Neumann Electrodynamics of Metals Hadronic Press Nonantum, Mass. 02195 1985