Glass bottle capacitor on large scale

[andrewmohammed]

While researching Edward Leedskalind's Coral Castle I started to wonder if anyone has ever tried to create glass bottle capacitors on a much larger scale (like with small ponds or pools).

Also could you charge these larger capacitors slowly over a long period of time with a small trickle charge of dc?

[avialexander]

I'm not sure how exactly one would go about making a capacitor out of a pond. I suppose that to follow the glass bottle example, you would have to make the pond floor be a solid layer of dielectric material, and then have a layer, foil, or grid underneath that. It wouldn't really make sense to construct it at that point, because it would be easier, cheaper, and simpler to just lay out two huge sheets of metal with a layer of dielectric in between, instead of using water as one side of the capacitor.

[MattG]

Also could you charge these larger capacitors slowly over a long period of time with a small trickle charge of dc?

Yes, you can charge any capacitor this way. You will need the power supply to output a voltage at least as great as the final capacitor voltage. However the net charging current is the power supply current minus the leakage current. With such a large area capacitor leakage may be a problem. As I recall, the typical salt water and glass bottle capacitors have high leakage current, but maybe it is fixable with a better quality glass.

[SparkyProjects]

@ avialexander, you place many bottles or jars in the pond, fill them with salt water, each to have an electrode in the top, then partially fill the pond with salt water, leaving enough of the bottles above the water to stop flashover, drop another electrode into the pond water.
Effectively, the water inside and outside the bottles are the plates of the capacitor.

[avialexander]

@ avialexander, you place many bottles or jars in the pond, fill them with salt water, each to have an electrode in the top, then partially fill the pond with salt water, leaving enough of the bottles above the water to stop flashover, drop another electrode into the pond water.
Effectively, the water inside and outside the bottles are the plates of the capacitor.

Oh, ok, that makes sense. Now that would be really cool looking!

[andrewmohammed]

Also could you charge these larger capacitors slowly over a long period of time with a small trickle charge of dc?

Yes, you can charge any capacitor this way. You will need the power supply to output a voltage at least as great as the final capacitor voltage. However the net charging current is the power supply current minus the leakage current. With such a large area capacitor leakage may be a problem. As I recall, the typical salt water and glass bottle capacitors have high leakage current, but maybe it is fixable with a better quality glass.

Are we talking about an earth leakage current here? If the experiment was constructed in an area with a high ground impedance could it also help?

Thank you for your thoughts

[MattG]

Are we talking about an earth leakage current here? If the experiment was constructed in an area with a high ground impedance could it also help?

Thank you for your thoughts

I'm referring to leakage current through the glass insulator. It's something that happens in any capacitor because of the finite resistivity of the dielectric. The leakage current should be about equal to V/R, where R = rho*t/A, where rho is the resistivity of the insulating material, t is its thickness, and A is the total surface area of the glass which has electrodes (salt water) around it on both sides. This capacitor would have a higher leakage current because even though the dielectric is thick, the surface area will be very large.

[Mycoilisonfire]

wat about a mega ultra saltwater aquarium wraped with a truckload of foil that would be pretty easy of course i cant imagine the fish would like you

[Chriskarr]

The idea is to maximize surface area of the plates versus volume. The design mentioned above - including a fish tank - would have far greater volume than reasonable for the amount of surface area. Think about how many sheets of glass (the same thickness as that on the walls of the aquarium) could fit inside of said aquarium, with foil plates sandwiched between them. Then, you will see the folly of your plans. Personally, it took me a couple of weeks to understand that concept.. =/

[Alphageek]

If you wanted to build a *large* scale SW cap, the best solution would be a swimming pool. Specifically, a concrete one with a flat bottom.

1. Drain the pool and pressurewash the concrete.

2. Cover the bottom with longneck Corona bottles closely packed.

3. Fill them to base of neck with Super Saturated Salt Water. Top off with Vegetable oil (this will be a temporary installation).

4. Lace them all with solid copper wire U's in the same manner as a Geek Group Bucket Cap.

5. Fill the pool with super saturated salt water to the base of the necks (same height as you filled the inside of the bottles). Do not top with oil (waste of time).

6. Mount electrodes in water every 6' around pool.

There ya go.

Now, what the hell you'd want to DO such a thing for, I've no idea....but that's HOW to do it efficiently.

[SitkaGrown]

Now, what the hell you'd want to DO such a thing for, I've no idea....but that's HOW to do it efficiently.

Home Defense ?

[Chriskarr]

Now, what the hell you'd want to DO such a thing for, I've no idea....but that's HOW to do it efficiently.

Home Defense ?

Attracting the Department of Homeland Security?

Doing research on low-efficiency capacitors?

Making the world's least-compact Tesla coil in terms of wattage:size(!)?