A million-volt testing set

The item of the greatest moment in this work is the fact that for the first time in the history of the world the extremely high power potential of a million and a half volts (over 2,000,000 volts peak value) was reached and an electric spark discharge was repeatedly caused to take place between sharp electrodes spaced fourteen feet apart. No damage was done to the equipment. This marks a remarkable accomplishment. A pertinent question is — what of it? The modern physicist and chemist who are trying to realize the ancient alchemist´s dream of transforming one element into another may be able to approach one step nearer realization by the availability of this new intensity in high potentials. In this high potential is available a new means of speeding up the tiny disrupting projectiles, the electrons, which blast the elements into fragments. These fragments are actually other elements of lower atomic weight. The art of X-ray production may also be benefited. These factors which deal with the ultimate nature and characteristics of matter are less in the mind of the developmental engineer than certain practical results immediately realizable. Three transformers are ready to produce three-phase currents for a possible transmission at a million volts. The engineers of the two big California transmission systems are just reaching the new high mark in practical transmission of power at 220,000 volts. While no projects at a million volts are being contemplated at present, who can say with the ever-advancing accelerations in progress how soon such a step may become advisable. At any rate with the equipment available there will be found an answer to the question — If not, why not? The new million-volt, three-phase installation will be valuable in magnifying the possible troubles which may arise in the 220,000-volt practical installation — that is to say, such troubles as may arise from the electric pressures now being pushed above the known field of o- eration. Information thus collected can be turned immediately to the advancement and economics of the applied art. Also the testing set will have its uses in the near future for various researches in insulation, ionization, spark discharges, lightning, high frequencies, designs of apparatus, and so on. A million and a half volts is not by any means the upper limit of high electric pressure immediately attainable. The author in producing this pressure attained a million volts effective from one line to ground and, therefore, by simply duplicating this set two million volts effective (2,800,000 volts peak value) will be available, all in due time. A million and a half volts produces a discharge of the same general appearance as at lower voltages at 60 cycles. The illustration, Fig. 22 shows all the typical effects, namely (a) the corona or brush discharge at the high tension terminal which precedes the spark discharge; (b) the initial spark discharge at full voltage, through the air; the spark manifests itself in the photograph as a brilliant white streak; and (c) the successive arc discharges at low voltage in places where air currents are strong are pictured in the photograph as lace work. Each successive peak of dynamic current at 60 cycles finds a new path and the space between these threads of light does not show because the current is low and the intensity of the arc insufficient to affect the photographic plate. Incidentally the brush discharge is much stronger in the next illustration, Fig. 23. More time was given to record it on the photograph. Odd Spark Discharges. In one test at a million volts effective value, (or 1.4 million volts at the peak of the generator wave) from the transformer terminal to ground and a spark gap of nine feet, the discharge preferred to find a new path 18 feet long (2.7 million volts instantaneous value of potential). The exact nature of this phenomenon is obscure. It is evidently associated with high frequency. It is just as surp