On Fri, 14 Nov 2003, David Beierl wrote: > I'm guessing that it remains a good bit higher since we're dealing with a > spark (vs an arc which can carry heavy current at low voltages by > transferring metal ions across the gap). Actually, mainly it's the air that's ionizing. Extinguishing the arc is a major design consideration for really large circuit breakers, like the ones in power transmission line systems. One of the more compact methods is to put the contacts inside a sealed chamber which is evacuated to a high vaccuum. No air means nothing to ionize to carry the arc current.
David Brodbeck, N8SRE '82 Diesel Westfalia '94 Honda Civic Si -- For Sale '86 Volvo 240DL wagon |
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